Stranger crochets hat for baby on her first flight
"We thought, 'What a cool way to just do something nice for a stranger.'"
When Jake Levine and Kelly Levine took their five-month-old daughter Romey on vacation to Mexico for the new year, the first-time parents said they weren't sure how the trip would unfold.
"It was Romey's first flight and obviously, we were a little bit nervous," Kelly Levine told "Good Morning America."
On their flight back from Mexico to New Jersey, the Levines met a woman, a complete stranger to them, who ended up giving them a big surprise, one Kelly Levine shared in a TikTok video post that has since gone viral.
"[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," Kelly Levine explained, adding that her daughter is "observant" and "very curious."
Meegan Rubin was the neighboring passenger Romey took a shine to and Rubin said she couldn't help but notice the Levines and their baby as well.
"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 said the girl's fascination inspired her to make a handmade beanie just for her.
"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.
"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."
"It's wild," Jake Levine said. "So talented."
Rubin, who only picked up crocheting during the coronavirus pandemic, said she was happy to spread some cheer and encourages everyone to learn to crochet because "it's really easy and it's very satisfying."
"It just took my mind off everything and it's really a zen, great place to be," Rubin said. "Creating something out of a string is so rewarding. It's like holding the entire universe inside your hands."
Rubin said she's happy to have met the Levines and hopes to make Romey another crocheted creation next.
"I'm definitely going to make Romey a little baby dress because I love to make baby dresses," she said. "I'm happy to make that connection and make new friends. They're such lovely people."
