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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.

A Blanket for Expat: Sign up thread for donors, knitters and crocheters.

870 replies

KnottyLocks · 10/07/2012 14:25

It is with deep sadness that I'm starting this thread asking for your support.

Aillidh passed away on Saturday evening, in peace and surrounded by love.
Many of us have followed Aillidh's journey, our hearts touched by this brave and beautiful little girl. She will live long in our memories.

Our hearts and thoughts are with Aillidh, Expat and their family.

As part of this project, we will also be making a blanket for Giraffescantdance. Since Aillidh's diagnosis, Giraffe's has been a constant support and the most remarkable friend to Expat. She has walked this journey beside her and continues to do so, sadly understanding it only too well as she, like Expat, has experienced the devastating loss of a beloved daughter. Our thoughts are with her, as well as our thanks.

We hope that the blankets may give whatever comfort they can to them all.

So, we need knitters, crocheters and donors.
If you would like to donate wool, then we will try match you with a crafter.
We think that there may be wool still in circulation because of the current blanket project. Where possible, we hope to 'recycle' as much as we possibly can.

RatherBeOnThePiste will coordinate and match crafters and donors, and deal with the admin side. I'll try to answer any queries you may have.

If you would like to be involved in any way, please post on this thread and PM Pistey with your offers: crafting, donating, need wool, etc, and she will match you up.
If you are offering to donate, we would be grateful if you would let us know if you'd like to donate 1 or 2 balls of wool. One ball should make at least 2 x 6" squares, in some cases more. We now have a Paypal facility to make this easier for all.
Whatever way you'd like to be involved, please PM Pistey: it really helps us to know how many people are involved. Thanks

If you are a crocheter and/or an experienced knitter needing donor wool, could you let us know when you PM us as we can hopefully send part balls from the 'recycled' wool stash. Thanks.

The wool we are using:

  • Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK (NOT the baby cashmerino)

  • or Rowan Cashsoft DK.

They are very similar and can be combined.

  • 4mm knitting needles or hooks

  • knitters cast on 33 stitches (this is a guide for less experienced knitters)

  • 6" squares

The two new yarns we introduced recently:

*Sublime Extra Fine Merino Wool DK.
It's another 'silky' wool that fits in nicely alongside the DB and Rowan wools and can be combined with both.

*Artesano Superwash Merino DK.
Although it isn't as silky as our normal wools, it is soft yet hardy and washes in the same way. It has the added appeal of being a good ethical option and is very reasonably priced.

The Colours:

Pinks, blues, greens, warm purples, silvers and cream (preferably Debbie Bliss 013, if possible)

Ideas for squares:

The initials A, L, S , R and E

Motifs:
Aillidh loved all things girly, so any motifs that reflect this would be wonderful.
Plus roses and bears

Please don't feel daunted by any of the ideas as we really 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 here on the Woolly Hugs website. We also have a Facebook page: MNWoollyHugs and are on Twitter @MNWoollyHugs. If you 'like' our Facebook page, you'll be updated on progress via your News Feed.

As always, we thank you so much for your support.

Thanks Thanks Thanks

OP posts:
Pancakeflipper · 15/07/2012 08:39

As I nearly complete my 3rd square - could you remind me what we do with the ends of the wool?

Do we sew them in the edge of the square or leave them dangling?
Or something else?

KnottyLocks · 15/07/2012 08:41

Pancake, if you could sew the pesky ends in, we would be most grateful Smile

OP posts:
KnottyLocks · 15/07/2012 08:41

And get you, with your third square ! Grin well done, my lovely Smile

OP posts:
Pancakeflipper · 15/07/2012 09:10

Ta Knotty. Will sew them in.

Get me indeed. Grin

Wolfcub · 15/07/2012 09:26

Managed to teach myself to make a granny square yesterday and have finished my first one, bar sewing the ends in (need to teach self how to do that too). Hopefully it's ok.

fanjodisfunction · 15/07/2012 11:32

Tried something new last night with my donor wool and Im pretty pleased with the results. The square picture is in my profile.

PurplePidjin · 15/07/2012 11:40

Please could you publicise your profile, Fanjo Thanks

fanjodisfunction · 15/07/2012 11:41

have done Pidj

MoaningMingeWhingesAgain · 15/07/2012 11:50

Lovely, fanjo. I don't say that very often Grin

fanjodisfunction · 15/07/2012 11:53

thanks alot moaningminge

PurplePidjin · 15/07/2012 11:55

Ooh pretty! Thanks

Jules146 · 15/07/2012 13:22

Very nice Fanjo, where was the pattern from?!

LadyWellian · 15/07/2012 13:26

My donor wool arrived yesterday (it was my birthday so I was hoping it might be a present Sad) - thank you to AM in Greater Manchester and I liked the addressing to 'The Mumsnetter of the House'. It's a lovely raspberry pink Cashmerino that will look gorgeous with some of the blues I have left over from my DSis's Xmas present.

So what to do? Leaves, hearts or stripes? I have a pattern that does stripes at a right angle, which is quite fun.

Pidj, I dreamt about you last night. Confused

LadyWellian · 15/07/2012 13:27

That's really pretty, Fanjo. Wish I could crochet!

fanjodisfunction · 15/07/2012 13:28

undisthreadness.blogspot.co.uk/2006/09/16-circles-square.html

this is where I got the idea, but kind of chickened out of doing the full sixteen circles.

fanjodisfunction · 15/07/2012 13:30

your a knitter then ladywellian, I would go for right angle stripes. I love stripes in a blanket. Pick up a crochet hook if I can do it you can.

LadyWellian · 15/07/2012 13:34

Stripes it is then. Grin

You should have seen my attempts to crochet at DSis's house at Easter. They were, ahem, a little freeform, to say the least.

fanjodisfunction · 15/07/2012 13:42

Smile it takes practice, when I look back at my first blanket its so bad, I forgot how to add in wool as the blanket got bigger and well its a mess, but with practice I am a little better.

KnottyLocks · 15/07/2012 13:56

Fanjo, lovely square my darlin Smile

Happy Birthday for yesterday, Welli Smile

Agree that stripes do look lovely on the blankets btw.

OP posts:
LadyWellian · 15/07/2012 15:00

Fanks, Knots. I will be striping presently.

At some point I've got to bite the bullet on crochet as I'm only 20-odd squares away from finishing my own blanket and I'm not sewing 96 squares together!

fanjodisfunction · 15/07/2012 15:14

I sewed a blanket with at least 100 squares. It wasnt that bad once I got started, but having made all the squares myself made it easier. Also sewing them together I found made a blanket that was totally flat with not ridges that I find crocheting them together does.

Ive just made a butterfly to sew on to a plain square for either expat or giraffes.

PurplePidjin · 15/07/2012 15:34

Happy birthday, Welli, hope I didn't terrify you too much Confused

The ridges are sort of my fault - it simply never occurred to me to sew squares together by length like crazy paving. My anally retentive brain had to have them like a chess board, which has sort of turned into How It's Done Blush

LadyWellian · 15/07/2012 15:48

Nah, you were fine, Pidj, thanks.

I was more upset to wake up and find that DH hadn't in fact completely remodelled the garden overnight. Hell had frozen over though, so there's still hope. Grin

fanjodisfunction · 15/07/2012 15:49

I like the ridges and its right it takes less time than sewing and doesnt hurt your arm as much (and you have less pesky ends to sew in later! especially as you can crochet them in as you go along). And as Knotty says gives you more wiggability! Smile

PurplePidjin · 15/07/2012 15:53

That and my sewing tension is utter shite!