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

Lovely @bookbook is getting out her graph paper to work on an organ donation card square

It will be am honour to help . Much love to wafflenose and family

If you have any questions re yarn or themes, please ask x

This is a further down the line question, as a newbie knitter who hopes one day to join in. Asking so I gradually understand as I follow along.
We post our squares to an address in Teddington, where someone will combine them before sending the finished article to its new home?
When you say sunset colours but only accents and only in a sunset, is that a square with a small sunset in it? Not a whole square of sunset?
What does blocking do that causes problems?

Sorry for the questions. I do better when I understand the whole. Sending loving prayers to Waffle and her family. 💐

Thank you @KnottyAndPistey for harnessing our efforts and thank you @bookbook for taking on the important donor card challenge. My needles are busy, mostly with musical tributes to dear 'Rara' as we used to know her, but also with something bookshelfy - she would have loved lots of bookshelves.

Please could I be sent some wool. Like last time.
Thankyou @KnottyAndPistey

I would like to help.
Such sad circumstances. My sympathies to Waffle and family and friends.
I am good for a cat, and maybe something ‘watery’ with swimming in mind, which might be a bit abstract!

I am devastated to hear this. I cannot knit but I’m a long standing member of the music threads and cannot believe this awful news.

I’d like to contribute a square or two. I’ll check my stash, I think I have some of the Debbie Bliss yarn. If not I’ll order some of the new ones.

I can't knit but I think its an absolutely lovely way to remember this young lady. I would like to donate if possible?? Sending the biggest of hugs to wafflenose and her family 🫂💐🫂

Yes me too, how can I donate? And is there a musical charity organisation local to her I can donate to in her memory.

We may be able to come up with some ideas about this in due course. It's a good idea.

I'm not on the music threads so wasn't aware, but am always happy to crochet, I've got cream and pinks in my yarn stash, sending love

Welcome @PrizedPickledPopcorn, I was a newbie in June last year and now I love knitting. I had very similar questions, and it's great you're asking, so other new people can join in.

We post our squares to an address in Teddington, where someone will combine them before sending the finished article to its new home?
That's correct. When you finish your square(s), post them to "Woolly Hugs". @KnottyAndPistey will send you the address by private message if you message her.

When you say sunset colours but only accents and only in a sunset, is that a square with a small sunset in it? Not a whole square of sunset?
It could be either, depending on your skill level, but I would think that a square with just rows of sunset not in a sunset shape might not work.

What does blocking do that causes problems?
@KnottyAndPistey sews all the squares together and uses a tool to ensure they are all the same width and height. If you block it, she won't be able to do that, so send it in as knitted, even if it's in stocking stitch and is super curly.

It is OK to send in squares that are just all knit (garter stitch) or knit one row, purl the next (stocking stitch) in a single colour.

I attach a picture of one of my squares from last year. I think I actually knitted a new one to send in because this one has a mistake, but as you can see it's all garter stitch.

I also attach a picture of a baby jacket I knitted this year for my BFF's grandchild (expected this month), along with a "tumbling blocks" baby blanket, some Christmas stockings and a woolly hat for my DSD. So you can see how far I have progressed.

It's been brilliant finding this lovely new hobby and also helping someone grieve their loss.

Many thanks to the Woolly Hugs community. I'll definitely be joining in this one.

I would love to do initials. I'll get some pink yarn for it.

Thank you lovely people!

Yes, I’ll join them into the blanket.
Re the sunset. Either would be lovely.
Blocking can change the yarn and make it harder to join. All squares get pulled into shape by the neighbouring squares.

thank you!

I’ll be along first thing to help folk who’s like to donate and any who need yarn. So please message if either of these is you. So grateful to everyone for your help.

Just go you @MyrtleLion you are flying!!

Thank you. Yarn ordered!

I have some patterns that are in a single colour, but I'm going to try and do the letters and backgrounds differently. So pale pink background a brighter pink letter for two of them and a brighter pink background and paler pink letter for the other two.

We'll see how I get on and if it's too hard/messy, I'll do them in a single colour.

Sending love to Wafflenose. ❤️💐

I’ll crochet some squares

Yes, of course, my pleasure .
May I have some yarn , please ? - Will PM you.
With love to Waffle and family xx 🩷

I am so very sorry to learn of this sad news, l remember enjoying Wafflenose's posts and advice on the music thread she led. l loved hearing about her daughters.
Thinking of her family and sending love.

I have made a pair of socks and a few baby bonding squares.

For any fellow newbies, I thought this book might be handy. A local group are doing a knit along, so I bought it to join in.
I’ll get up to speed on yarn.

Such sad news, thank you for putting the word out. I can do some squares: a badger for Hufflepuff, a cat and some fish.

I'll check my stash for colours but might ask for some yarn.

Thinking of waffle and all the family