Woolly Hugs. A blanket for lovely wafflenose who has tragically lost her daughter. Can you help us please?

[KnottyAndPistey]

We bring such sad news, lovely wafflenose has lost her younger daughter (L) through tragic circumstances and we are just so desperately sorry, thoughts very much with waffle, her family and all who loved her daughter. Really really devastating. Life has been desperately cruel. You may well recognise waffle from music/education/Extra-curricular threads here on MN. Both her lovely daughters have been involved with Mumsnet.

We are so glad waffle would like to receive a Woolly Hug. For those new on here, this is a long standing tradition on Mumsnet where folk come together to make a blanket for one of our own who has been bereaved. There will be love crafted into every stitch. We want it to be a tribute and full of memories. We hope it may give whatever comfort it can.

People have described L as a quiet light, the gentlest of souls. Let us make something truly beautiful in her honour.

So we come again asking for help and shall need both crafters and donors of funds of wool. Can you help us? We would be truly grateful. Thank you

Important crafting info
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! No blocking please, makes it much easier to join squares.

Simple or complex, made by beginner or expert, we genuinely welcome them all. It really is the love and thought that counts.

We have some ideas for themes..
Initials please E, G, L and K

She played the recorder, the clarinet and the cello, but focused mainly on the clarinet latterly and played in the National Children's Orchestra Under 10s for a while. Her NCO hoodie was bright blue - a bit like Yarnsmith dark turquoise.

She loved art and reading and was very creative. Loved Harry Potter and would probably have been in Hufflepuff house had she been at Hogwarts.

She had a quirky mind and used to love lego.

She was quite a fashionista. Loved Vogue magazine and Miss Dior perfume

Favourite colours were pink and white (pink more than white).

English literature was the love of her life. We are hoping someone can recreate a bookshelf square? One of her favourite books was Jane Eyre. She had also been studying Plath and Hughes.

She loved swimming and the great outdoors, particular the Quantock Hills. (Photo) We are hoping this may act as an inspiration.

Work/volunteering: she did Brownies and Guides and volunteered as a Rainbow Guider and also volunteered on a hospital ward for a while. She worked as a waitress and at the village pub.

She was interested in philosophy and was planning to become a psychologist/counsellor.

She liked Fleetwood Mac.

She kept tropical fish, hamsters and gerbils and loved all other animals especially cats.

She also liked art and photography.

She was very passionate about being an organ donor - and several people have now received life-saving operations because of her. A truly wonderful young woman.

Lots of ideas and ways to get to know L better. If you can recreate a theme on a square, wonderful, but we also need simple squares, A square in one of her favourite colours is perfect too.

The MAIN Colours. We will be using her favourites,
Pinks from pale baby pink through to magenta.
Cream, but only please Drops Merino Extra Fine - Off White (01) or Yarnsmiths Merino DK Superwash - Off White (3045)
Lighter silvers
Greens pale to mid. Think nature inspired

Then embellishments and accents ONLY please (not whole squares)
Blues - sky to navy inc turquoise.
Sunset shades - red, orange, yellow, gold, but only if creating a sunset!
Browns taupe to mid
Charcoal grey
Black

The Yarn we will be Using for Consistency ….
Yarnsmiths Merino DK Superwash - a BIG sale at Wool Warehouse. Has the widest range of colours
Debbie Bliss Rialto DK only available on Love Crafts
Drops Merino Extra Fine DK.
Katia Merino 100% DK
King Cole Luxury Merino DK

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 or have become less easy to find- Artesano Superwash Merino DK, Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK, Jenny Watson Pure Merino DK, Patons Merino Extrafine DK or James C. Brett Pure Merino DK in your stash, please do use them.

Posting will be Teddington, please message if you need the address. If you'd like to include a card for her family , please send with your squares. And please don't forget to include your name!

If you can upload photos of your squares on here as we go along, that will be a lovely record, especially if you have donated yarn.

Will set the last posting date once we are underway but it will be approx 6 weeks hence

Thoughts and love very much with waffle, we are so so sorry. Remembering L

I have ordered the wool!

I was wondering if I might do four squares designed to fit together in someway maybe two and two, lengthwise(one next to another), using the photograph of the heathery hills as inspiration. It's a lovely photograph and I think it would be nice to have a go at that 💚🩷

Wow! Go for it!

Do it @inkymoose ! If you do two and two then they will fit in beautifully. Like this…

ignore the fact it’s random squares but for the idea?

That’s so cute! Yes please to a Maud!

Afternoon all 🤗,

I'm more than happy to make a few squares. I'll order the yarn today so I should be hooking away by next week.

There is always a lovely sense of community and support on Woolly Hugs but I'm always mindful of the deep heartbreak and sorry behind many hugs.

Sending love to Wafflenose, her family and friends
xxxx

This would be really good @inkymoose and I am sure waffle would appreciate it. Those hills were a special place for Rara, which is how we used to refer to L on here and how many of us still think of her.

i had a similar thought but my execution of it was not particularly effective (see photo if it ever emerges through the censors, along with one with a forget me not) but I think your idea of a panel or multiple squares would work much better.

I think both of those squares are lovely.
Whether or not I can do anything effective remains to be seen! I shall have a go.

I'll have a bash at knitting a couple. I've just ordered the wool. It won't be anything very fancy.

I have found a pattern I'd like to try. It's in a grid/graph paper. It's for crotchet though, would it work as a knitting pattern?

I would have thought so, although I'm scared of crochet so don't have any experience translating between it and anything else. Wiser souls will be along soon I hope.

I've ordered some wool for squares today.
Sincere condolences Wafflenose and family on the loss of your daughter .

It would depend on the type/shape of stitch, I think - what stitch does the crochet pattern specify? Crochet stitches can be squarish up to long & thin.

I found this website useful for graphed designs. It's for bead bracelets, so designs are restricted in number of beads/stitches, but when translated into yarn they come out much bigger! I searched on 'cake' - just use 'keywords' to search for whatever you want; there may be multiple pages of designs for each topic.

https://www.braceletbook.com/patterns/?keywords=cake

Can someone please remind us of roughly how many stitches & rows make a 6" square in DK stocking stitch?

@ifIwerenotanandroid , I cast on 31 stitches , and do 42 rows - though I will juggle one extra/less depending on design features

Maud has worn herself out counting every ball of wool in the house. Which isn't easy as she only knows how to count up to 10 and there was way more than that!

She's also eaten three whole battenberg cakes today.

It's in squares. I'm thinking the design would translate okay, it might be broader?

Thanks!

Sounds OK. I'm not sure exactly how it translates. I used a bead bracelet design for - MN isn't coming up with Red Fox's username & I can't remember it in the original, but anyway you know who I mean.

So it starts with squares & ends up as a bodged woolly version 😂.

Not at all bodged, @ifIwerenotanandroid - that is gorgeous!

Evening!
<brushes off battenburg crumbs>

Not at all bodged. I could show you bodged if I attempted that!

The crochet (I really have a blind spot when it comes to spelling that) pattern I want to knit looks just like the bead ones. I think it's worth a punt.

It depends on the stitch you’re doing, Cake. Stocking stitch stitches are rectangular, which is why a 6” square has more rows than stitches. Garter stitch is square, but wouldn’t give the neat edges to the design that stocking stitch does, especially if you look at it from a distance.

Definitely worth a go, though.

I generally slip the first stitch knit wise and knot into the back of the last stitch in garter stitch. A tip from my DM who got it from Nana, my DGGM on my dad's side.

I'm practising intarsia to change colour with the initial squares while I'm waiting for the yarn. They're a very quick make in a single colour, so I'm hoping the intarsia won't take much longer.

If you haven’t done much intarsia before I recommend watching Debbie Abrahams’ video, Myrtle.

Edit: or even if you have 🙂

How do I donate? Just through the woolly hugs link? Can I specify I’m donating for this blanket?

I paid through the link, pressed the yellow donate button and you can leave a message as you go through the paying stages.