Woolly Hugs: A Blanket for fellow Mumsnetter thegreylady. Can you help us please?

[KnottyAndPistey]

Very sad news, lovely thegreylady’s husband died in early summer, she says I had the sweetest kindest husband possible, never a quarrel, a mutually loving relationship and eventually we have seen all 5 dc through university, happily married and we share 9 amazing dgc. It will be the hugest loss, they had been together for 35 years. Our love and thoughts are with her and all the family, who will miss him terribly.

We are so pleased to say that thegreylady has accepted our offer of a Woolly Hug, and we hope that she will feel our love and support and that the blanket may give whatever comfort it can to her.

His name is Tom.

We want to make this blanket a real celebration and tribute to Tom, will you join us?

We shall need crocheters, knitters and donors. If you would like to donate wool or funds, we can match you up. If you would like to join in but need donated wool, we can help there too. Please PM with your offer of help.

The Yarns.. Just from the brands listed please because we know they combine for wash and wear. If you still have any of our wools that have been discontinued - Artesano Superwash Merino DK, Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK, Sublime extra fine DK, or James C. Brett Pure Merino DK in your stash, please do use them.

The Yarn we will be Using….

• Debbie Bliss Rialto DK only on this site.. HERE
• Drops Merino Extra Fine DK, currently on sale here… Have had a restock too.
• Jenny Watson Pure Merino DK
• Katia Merino 100% DK
• King Cole Luxury Merino DK
• Patons Merino Extrafine DK Currently on sale https://ladysewandsewknits.co.uk/product/patons-merino-extrafine-dk/ here]
• Also Ebay is always a possible option. Please shout through if you need help tracking yarn down.

Ideas from thegreylady

• Tom's favourite things were narrow boats and cricket
• He was born in 1936 (could someone do this date please?) and did his national service in the RAF. The roundel (as below) would be straightforward to recreate.
• Tom was a Yorkshireman and proud of it. ( Yorkshire rose anyone?)
• He always called her Mousey and he was Rab to her (short for rabbit) a bit daft but loving and lovely - so mice and rabbits please!
• Tom had the bluest eyes and was a devout Catholic.
• Forget me nots are really special.

These really are just ideas, we also need simple squares too. Simple or complex, made by beginner or expert, we genuinely welcome them all. It really is the love and thought that counts.

Squares to be six inches, using 4mm needles or hook. Please knot off VERY carefully when finishing or changing colour and sew your ends in, thank you!

Main colours
RAF blues and greys
Other blues from sky to navy.
Cream but please one of the following - Debbie Bliss Rialto DK 02 ecru, Jenny Watson Pure Merino DK WM4 cream, or Drops Merino 01 off white
RAF Red

Accents, but not whole squares please.
Yellow
Greens
Mouse or rabbit colours!
Black
(Please shout if you need any others to achieve this)

Posting will be Teddington, we will set a last posting date as soon as we know folk are underway, but it won't be before the end of September.

Thank you so much lovely Woolly crew.

Lovely thegreylady we are thinking of you all, sending love and strength. xxxxx

Hello.
I am not up to making them yet as I'm only a beginner but I have found (by chance) some patterns for crochet granny squares with different animals. There is a rabbit and a mouse. If anyone would like a copy of the patterns please do let me know 💙🩶 I think the mouse in particular looks really cute

@thegreylady so sorry for your loss. Beautiful pictures

You just did!
This is the joy and the power of Woolly Hugs. It seems like such a simple thing, doesn’t it, knitting or knotting a square or two?
But every single stitch is a gift to a stranger who needs some love and support.

Thank you @thegreylady for sharing your DH with us, he sounds like a real smasher.

@thegreylady so sorry 💐.Thank you for those lovely photos.

I haven’t told you one of the most important things of all ! Tom was an academic with degrees from Leeds (BA), Manitoba (MA) and Warwick (MPhil). All were in English Lit.
He was a lecturer in two different Higher Ed teacher training colleges and finishe his career as a University lecturer also in Literature! I don’t know why I didn’t say all this before. He loved poetry, 19th century novels and reformation drama. In Canada he produced and directed several plays including The Duchess of Malfi. There was so much more to him than I have told you. Crosswords he loved cryptic crosswords. He loved our pets , over the years there were 2 golden labradors, and 6 cats. He liked classic cars, steam trains wartime planes. I can’t believe how little I shared to start with.

Oh @thegreylady THANK YOU for the photos! Thank you for sharing him with us

It must be terribly difficult to think of everything, and you know this week we sent an embellishment of to a lovely Mumsnetter whose blanket we made when she lost her husband in 2019.

Please as things come to you, do post xxx

Good morning everyone

@thegreylady - everything you have told us about your husband has love shining through . Thank you for sharing - it is what keeps loved ones alive in our hearts .
I will endeavour to make squares fitting for such a lovely sounding man , it is a privilege to help x

@thegreylady
excellent photos, you looked very happy together. ❤️
that Santa photo is excellent, so glittery too. My husband was Santa at our kids' infant school for over a decade, for a second I thought "how did she get his picture?" 🤔🤣

I'm truly sorry for your loss. I'm not a prolific poster anymore but I do remember you from various threads - I hope you continue to receive support in here and RL too. Sending you much love x

Happy to help, have yarn.

Much love to thegreylady - a name I recognise xxx

@thegreylady look at him as santa! He looks like he was made for the role. So sorry for your loss x

Love the photos of Tom - you look like a lovely couple! I'm happy to make some plain squares. thinking of you greylady

I’d love to do a square to celebrate something of Tom’s academic accomplishments. I googled the university crests and colours and by lucky chance, it looks like I have yarn to in colours of University of Manitoba. I can’t crochet a bison so it would be more of an abstract representation! Would that be acceptable?

@TheIoWfairy AMAZING!!!!!!

Yes please!

Lovely photos! As so many said before me, how good a Santa was he!

Morning beautiful people

Following for the abstract bison !!
Lovely squares, this is already shaping up to be a beautiful and very interesting blanket.

@KnottyAndPistey - can someone send me some yarn, and I’ll do a couple of squares? Thanks.

Hi SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius - Knotty and Pistey asked me to keep an eye out on the thread , as they are away for a few days . I am sure they will get onto it when back :)

I love the idea of an abstract bison!!

Thank you @bookbook.

Oh grief, I’m worried that I may have over promised!

So, in order to avoid further disappointment, let me immediately share with you my representation of the University of Manitoba, through the medium of a woolly square …..

According to the artist “The vivid colours of the university logo are used to frame the central motif of an abstract, cartwheeling bison”. - Well that’s how I’m spinning it!!

I bet the universities of Leeds and Warwick are heaving great sighs of relief that I didn’t have the right wool to similarly depict their venerable institutions.

Anyway, as an antidote to that one I have also done a forget me not type flower for you, @thegreylady. It’s a bit more relaxing for the eyeballs.

Thanks the ioW fairy I love them x

With much love in the stitches for you xx