Newborn Steelers fans get homemade presents

Scores of Steelers fans decked themselves out in black and gold Sunday to inspire a victory… Scores of Steelers fans decked themselves out in black and gold Sunday to inspire a victory over the New England Patriots.

That includes the newborn babies at Magee-Womens Hospital in Oakland.

Shirley Indessi, a 74-year-old Penn Hills resident, crocheted at least 60 black-and-gold tossle hats to be given to babies born at the hospital yesterday — the day of the AFC Championship Game.

“I’ll be making them right through the Super Bowl,” Indessi said, hoping that the Steelers would progress to the championship game in Jacksonville, Fla.

Indessi, an avid crocheter, has made Afghans, baby blankets and hats for children and adults to support various charities throughout the community. She has given her crafts to soup kitchens, the Salvation Army and an American Indian community.

Originally from New England, Indessi has lived in Pittsburgh for 49 years and has been a Steelers fan since she moved to the city.

“Half my family is rooting for the Patriots, unfortunately,” she said.

A neighbor of Indessi’s, who is employed at Magee-Womens Hospital, asked her to crochet baby hats for the newborns around the winter holidays the past few years. This year, Indessi combined her passion for crocheting with her admiration for the Steelers in making the five dozen baby hats.

“They don’t take that long to do,” Indessi said. “Surprisingly, I can do one an hour. They are like mass production.”

According to Michele Baum, assistant director of the UPMC News Bureau, 25 babies were given hats last Saturday to support the Steelers in their game against the New York Jets.

The hats are gold with a gold-and-black tassel on top. Indessi described them as “little, snuggly winter hats” for the babies.

As for whether Indessi hopes to inspire the newborns to become future Steelers fans, she said, “I just think these will be what mothers hang on to for their babies’ wardrobes in the future as mementos of the excitement that the Steelers have brought this year.”