Mumsnet Talk

Very sad news I'm afraid. Lemontruffles' husband died this week on New Year's Day after living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Such devastating news. Our hearts go out to her. In her own words, he was the love of her life.


We have offered to make a blanket for her, and are so pleased that she has said she would love one. She is clearly so very moved by our offer and has said she is astonished at the kindness of strangers. We will all be holding her hand and hope that she will feel the love and support from us all, and that the blanket will bring whatever comfort it can.

Lemontruffles writes so movingly on her thread about her beloved husband, and has shared many memories, bless her heart. her thread is HERE. You will not fail to be moved by the love and warmth of her posts about him.

So to the Woolly Hug, we would be very grateful for your help.

We will need crocheters, knitters and donors (of funds or wool) I will co ordinate and do admin, and Knotty (KnottyLocks) is here and will help you with any queries you may have.

So if you are able to join with us, please PM me, and also if you are offering to donate, or need a donor, I can help match you up.

Thank you so much.


The wool we are using:
* Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK (not the Baby cashmerino)
* Rowan Cashsoft DK
* Sublime Extra Fine Merino Wool DK.
* Artesano Superwash Merino DK.

Just from these yarns please as they are very similar and we know they can be combined for wash and wear.

4mm crochet hook or knitting needles
6 inch squares

The Colours
Lemontruffles has spoken so movingly about her husband's love for the countryside of North Wales, and to reflect that passion how she sees the blanket as a landscape, so :

Greens, darker purples, blues, silvers, cream.

If going for cream please use Debbie Bliss cashmerino DK 013
(Not bright colours for this please, and no pinks or lilacs, thank you)

Just sharing some of her words about him
He was Welsh and loved the countryside of North Wales especially. He loved walking. He loved going to the pub and having the biggest laugh he could. He had a fantastic sense of humour and he loved having fun. He was warm hearted, he had a spirit of pure generosity - though with a 'sticking point' stubborn streak! - he was no angel. He was very adventurous about life. He was a proper hippy in the 60s and 70s. He had an amazing memory for all sorts of things, and a very wide ranging and strange knowledge of very odd things. Such an interesting man. A man with endless and deep humanity towards all the people he met. He was very well loved. He had a deep maturity and wisdom about other people.

Oh, and music! Not male voice choirs! Rock and blues from the 60s and 70s, and the manic street preachers. He had great taste. Also photographs. He was always photographing things, all sorts of random things, all sorts of bits of nature, and landscapes. He loved his camera.

Suggestions for motifs
* Any motifs of the natural world - trees, leaves, flowers, birds (esp crows )
* Can anyone find a Welsh dragon design or a harp? We'd love to find these for her.
* Anything to reflect he was a Welshman.
* Music, photography related
* We have an initial, could you PM me if this is something you'd like to do.

There are many relevant patterns for knitters and crocheters linked to from our website under Crafting

Reading her words gives us lots of motifs to think about for sure, but please don't feel daunted by these suggestions, we love plain squares and simple textures too. They look as stunning as the more complex squares and actually play a vital role in the overall effect.

Previous blankets can be seen on our website. We also have a Facebook page MNWoollyHugs and are on Twitter @MNWoollyHugs. If you 'like' or 'follow' us you'll be updated on progress via your feed.

As always, we thank you so much for your support.
Thinking of lemontruffles Xx

Pistey and Knotty