Stranger Knits Fellow Passenger's Baby a Beanie During Her First Flight: See the Heartwarming Video (Exclusive)
"Everyone around us stood up and noticed just this beautiful encounter with a stranger. It was just an unbelievable kind of moment," Kelly Levine told PEOPLE
Courtesy of Kelly Levine
Stranger knits a baby a beanie during her first flightOne first-time flyer got a very special souvenir on a recent family vacation.
On the way back to Newark International Airport from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Jan. 6, Kelly Levine, who goes by @kellyryan49 on TikTok tells PEOPLE she noticed her five-month-old daughter, Romey, peering over at the woman sitting next to them crocheting. "She was just staring at her blatantly and amazed at how fast her hands were moving," Kelly says.
The woman and Kelly, 32, exchanged a few looks. Eventually, the two began talking. She learned that her seat mate, Meegan Rubin, recognized Kelly because they'd coincidentally been on the same flight on the way down to Mexico.
Throughout the trip, Kelly and Rubin continued chatting back and forth mostly about Romey, who kept eying Rubin's craft. "It entertained her for hours of the flight, just kind of observing her," Kelly says. "She was just so kind. She had said how good Romey was and how beautiful she was."
Courtesy of Kelly Levine
Kelly Levine with her husband Jake and daughter Romey on the planeRelated: Kaley Cuoco Shares Relatable Parenting Moment on 9-Month-Old Daughter Matilda’s First Flight
While in the air Kelly and her husband, Jake, 32, who live in Hoboken, New Jersey, also noticed Rubin working feverishly on her crocheting project. They never asked about what she was making, but say never in a million years did they think it would be for them.
When the plane landed, Kelly says Rubin turned to her and said simply, "OK, I'm done." Rubin handed her a yellow, knit hat just big enough for Romey. "I just couldn't help myself. She's so good," Kelly says Rubin told her of her reasoning for the gift.
"Turns out she had whipped up and crocheted this beanie for Romey in the last maybe two hours of the flight, unbeknownst to us," Kelly says. "It was beyond kind and such a shock. Everyone around us stood up and noticed just this beautiful encounter with a stranger. It was just an unbelievable kind of moment."
Going into the trip, Kelly explains she was nervous to fly with her daughter for the first time. She adds that she isn't a great flyer herself.
"It's just nerve-wracking going into a flight," she explains. "You don't know who you're going to be sitting next to, if they're going to be annoyed if the baby acts up, or if the baby starts to need me to get up or walk around the plane. All those things go through your head as a parent."
She continues: "And so when you don't have any of that, but you also have a woman who is so nice and out of the kindness of her own heart, definitely put me and my husband's nerves to rest. It's also definitely let me be more open to traveling with my baby in the future."
Courtesy of Kelly Levine
Meegan Rubin takes photo of hat she knits baby a hat on flight back from MexicoSince the flight, Kelly shared the special moment in a TikTok that has now gone viral with 6.8 million views. She posted it hoping to remind people that you never know what the person next to you is going through. "Doing something nice for no other reason than just to be nice is something that everyone can use," she says.
She also adds that she and Rubin, who owns a small crocheting business called @crochetobey have stayed in touch on social media. On Jan. 8, Rubin also took to Instagram to share the heart-warming encounter.
"I made some cool new friends on flight home from Mexico this past weekend," Rubin wrote on her post. "Mom @kellyluc and Dad @instajake63 were such sweet parents as they took turns caring for their 5 month old baby girl Romey. "While other children were crying and complaining, lil Romey remained calm cool and collected as she gazed upon the crochet 🧶 work in action. (My heart melted ) she was adorable and deserving of a custom beanie !!! Thanks Kelly and Jake for sharing this story. The more we give, the more we receive!!!"
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
