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Woolly hugs

Woolly Hugs is a charity established by a group of Mumsnet users. They knit / crochet handmade blankets and other items for families experiencing difficult times.

Support thread 2 - new blankets

999 replies

tribpot · 22/05/2012 10:30

This is a continuation of our thread supporting MNers creating blanket squares for Woolly Hugs. All are welcome and I'm hoping to post a link soon to a collection of our fave patterns, pics and links to keep them all in one place. In the meantime, this new thread will allow phone-based MNers like RedRosie to return from Special Phone Exile where she goes whenever the thread has too many messages on.

This is a thread of peace where knitters and crocheters, donors and crafters are all equally welcome.

OP posts:
DancesWithWoolsEnPointe · 29/05/2012 20:14

It could be worse Rosie - I have an android and there is no app for androids, so I can only access it from my lappy.

RedRosie · 29/05/2012 20:26

I'm NOT YET gone Pitsey. But it won't be long. The "add your message here" box disappears at somewhere between 300-400 posts ... My DH mostly has our laptop and I can't really post at work (except for emergencies when Pitsey is really rude about me ...)

Oh Woe.

And every time I post, I contribute to my own banishment. You couldn't make it up.

Umami · 29/05/2012 20:27

I can see whole ginormous threads on iPhone Grin

GlaikitFizzog · 29/05/2012 20:32

Dances I use the mobile site on my android and it is quite good. I don't like the app on my iPod touch or the iPad so just use the. Normal site.

I M only here because someone pistey keeps pumping me!

RatherBeOnThePiste · 29/05/2012 20:40
Hmm
RatherBeOnThePiste · 29/05/2012 20:40

You are a Bag of Woes Rosie.

GlaikitFizzog · 29/05/2012 20:41

Pming bloody iPad Blush

tribpot · 29/05/2012 20:45

I didn't like to inquire, Glaikit, as to what Pistey was doing to you. What two MNers get up to in the privacy of their own inboxes is nothing to do with us Wink

OP posts:
RatherBeOnThePiste · 29/05/2012 21:14
Confused
DancesWithWoolsEnPointe · 29/05/2012 21:17
PurplePidjin · 29/05/2012 21:39

I

MinnieBar · 29/05/2012 22:57

I think you'll find you suggested that square in the first place, Trib Grin

Honestly, don't worry about it if you haven't already started - I can pick another Smile

prettybird · 29/05/2012 23:08

Finally got to grips with the "square with swirl increases" - after a lot a few more froggings. I perhaps shouldn't have used cream wool HmmBlush.

The first few rounds of "yarn over/yarn forwards" are a bit dodgy too.

Oh well, nothing a wee flower embellishment won't cover!Grin

tribpot · 29/05/2012 23:09

I can find no documentary evidence to support your conclusion, Minnie Wink But I did link to a number of stitch libraries, which the discerning blanketeer might peruse at their leisure, tis true.

As you know, however, once the challenge has been set and the gauntlet thrown down, I shall not be beaten by some bloody old knitting. Game on!

OP posts:
DontCallMeBaby · 29/05/2012 23:25

FB isnt letting me comment on my own photo, so i shall have to apologise here for my inability to make my squares 6" square. Or square, for that matter. I hope they're usable - one is just a tidge OVER 6" in one direction, two are under (but stretch) and the fourth is 5.5" square, and stretches. I think I need to stick with garter stitch ...

RatherBeOnThePiste · 30/05/2012 06:37

Baby - there is always quite a range of sizes of 6" squares Grin Yours sound ideal and lovely.

More woolly dreams for me last night... Confused

I had the busiest PM day ever yesterday! Currently though my inbox light is off and all is quiet. I anticipate when I get back at lunchtime the light will be back on. Catch up then!

Morning btw Brew

DancesWithWoolsEnPointe · 30/05/2012 07:18

Morning all Brew

I also cannot walk away from a challenge trib - I'm pathetically competitive.

RedRosie · 30/05/2012 07:28

(Squeaks)

Still here! Morning all Brew

If I were a difficult and recalcitrant piece of knitting, I wouldn't want to come up against Trib. Oh no.

I'm v glad that Pitsey says that there is a range of sizes that might constitute a 6" square ...

KnottyLocks · 30/05/2012 07:33

Morning all Smile

Baby, your squares sound workable Smile If they stretch to 6", we'll be fine.

DontCallMeBaby · 30/05/2012 07:57

Phew!

I like the garter stitch one best anyway after all that!

tribpot · 30/05/2012 08:09

Right, I have done it. Sort of. It's one of those things which is simultaneously quite easy and really, really hard.

My first attempt ended as Minnie described, in a complete dog's breakfast of nothingness, like a blind person who had never learnt how to knit trying to do it with two different colours. Not great.

Then I noticed in the instructions that this was a Zimmerman stitch, so Googling took me to this page (and actually the basic brioche rib stitch is quite well described in Her Zimmerness' Knitting Without Tears). Anyway, said page then took me to an entire website about the brioche stitch which began the clarification process for me. The k2togs of the original pattern are here described as 'brk1' or 'brp1', in other words, knit the brioche stitch (regular stitch with the yarn over) as one stitch. A slightly subtle difference in description that helps to clarify what you should and shouldn't attempt to knit together in any given row. Just blindly doing k2tog won't help if you're on the wrong stitch in the pattern.

So, I started off just with how to knit a plain brioche stitch (the first section on this page) and this little sample. Well worth trying to get your head round the concept of the brioche, which is basically to create a standard rib but with a lovely raised effect to make each rib stand out. Not sure the photo does it justice but there are fairly deep valleys between each rib, much more so than you would see by just knitting and purling.

Basically all you're doing is slipping a stitch purlwise and yarning over it to create a messy-looking stitch/yarn over (pics below), followed by knitting or purling together the same messy-looking stitch+yarn over created on the row below. Simples Confused

The two colour version is basically the same only you do each side twice so that on one side it's main colour rib + contrast colour valley and on the other contrast colour rib + main colour valley. I managed to bugger this up again even on a sample of like 10 stitches but you can see the end I've managed to do right at least. This side is donkey-colour rib with camel-coloured valleys, and this side is camel ribs over donkey valleys.

Hopefully in this example and this you can see that every other stitch looks normal and the one in between is the stitch + yarn over.

The original pattern tries to add a couple of edge stitches to stabilise the edge for a scarf. For the squares I'm tempted to put a couple of bog standard garter stitches in to make it easier to see what's going on, although based on the end that hasn't gone wrong, it looks okay. One of the trickier bits is doing a yarn over right at the end of a row and then making sure it's still there when you come back to knit the stitch again later, the second pattern explains this better.

Marvellous. It does look lovely when you do it right, but godawful when you do it wrong (with no obvious means of recovery).

OP posts:
Umami · 30/05/2012 09:57

ShockConfusedShock

[brainexplode]

nickelbarapasaurus · 30/05/2012 11:05

at some point I will finish.

I've done 2 squares, but not yet sewn in the ends.

I'm not sure if i can get a full square out of the rest of the wool.

If I can't, can I send it anyway to be finished by someone else?

MinnieBar · 30/05/2012 11:07
PurplePidjin · 30/05/2012 13:54

In other news, trib and studiously ignoring the complicated knitting talk I managed a fluffy bear from the pattern you linked all that time ago! He's super-chunky and came up massive which means I only need 3 more for my blanket. Pic later :)