Stranger crochets hat mid-flight for baby sitting next to her on child's 1st flight

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Saturday, January 13, 2024
Villanova woman crochets hat for baby sitting next to her on flight
A woman from Villanova surprised a New Jersey family sitting next to her on a flight to Mexico when she crocheted a hat for their 5-month-old baby.

PHILADELPHIA -- Flying with a baby for the first time can be nerve-wracking for any parent.

The Levine family from Hoboken, New Jersey was worried how their 5-month-old little girl would do on a flight to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

But it turns out, little Romey was perfect - mostly because she was mesmerized by the woman crocheting across the aisle.

"[Romey] ended up taking a liking to this woman next to us and the woman was crocheting. Her hands were moving a million miles an hour and Romey was just obsessed with it," Romey's mother Kelly Levine told "Good Morning America," adding that her daughter is "observant" and "very curious."

That crocheting stranger was Meegan Rubin, from Villanova, Philadelphia.

"I was sitting in the aisle and the baby was in the aisle so she was gazing at me the entire flight. I was working on a sweater," Rubin told "GMA." "She was literally mesmerized by it."

Rubin says her heart melted when she saw Romey watching her work, so she began to crochet her a hat mid-flight as a surprise gift.

"I was like, if I [don't] run out of this yarn and there's time, I'll do it, because I had the same color yarn as her little outfit," Rubin recalled. "I couldn't help it. I was like, this baby is getting something because she's too cute."

But Rubin had to race against the clock, having started the secret hat project with only one hour to go on their nearly five-hour return flight.

To the Levines' amazement, Rubin finished the hat and presented them with the surprise gift. Romey's mom said the gift was completely unexpected.

"She ended up gifting us this beautiful beanie that she decided to make for [Romey] mid-flight. Never seen someone work so fast in my life. I had no idea it was for us," Kelly Levine said. "We thought, 'What a cool way to just do something nice for a stranger,' and in turn, light up everyone else's mood. It was such a selfless act."

"We landed and right as everybody was getting up, I was like, 'I'm finished! ... Let's see if it fits baby," Rubin added.

Everyone agreed, Romey's new hat was "a perfect fit." Passengers on the plane cheered when Romey put on the hat, amazed at just how perfectly it fit her little head.

The video of the sweet moment has since gone wildly viral, with over seven million views on TikTok.

The Levines say they feel blessed that their story has brought people so much joy because it's about generosity and kindness.

Rubin calls herself a beginner and is now crocheting more things for Romey, who she says is her "muse."

"I'm definitely going to make Romey a little baby dress because I love to make baby dresses," she told "GMA." "I'm happy to make that connection and make new friends. They're such lovely people."

Good Morning America and WPVI-TV contributed to this report.