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

[KnottyLocks]

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.

Ooh, Rumours, fantastic!

Pic of my first is on my profile, my next attempt will be filet crochet

Plain squares are to blankets as leaves are to flowers

Cross posts with you Rumours! That is fabulous and I've just PMd you!

I had an email from Fingers and Thumbs on Friday to say that my wool had dispatched. Hopefully it will be landing on a woolly-wonder-worker's doorstep very soon

Thanks, got the pm, will get them into the post soon

Finished knitting first square! Picture on my profile. The yarn is just gorgeous. It looks more like a rectangle on the photo but it's actually quite square

Now for the second. Hmmmm, what to knit, what to knit....?

Wow Nyx thats lovely where did you get the patten from its gorgeous

NYX gorgeous square, live it! You must be very talented :) May I also say what a pretty little girl you have, lively pics (sorry couldn't help but look when I went to look at your square!)

Should have said love it, not live it!!

wow nyx

Pics of my first squares on my profile, will (hopefully) try at something a bit more complex at weekend if I can find a you tube tutorial that makes sense

Lovely MrsKwazii - your woolly donation has arrived already - there is a thank you further up the thread, but your donor is delighted, so a huuuuuge thank you X

And I agree with lovely giraffes when she says wow Nyx!!

Wow Nyx and Pidj those squares are gorgeous

wowzers, you guys: beautiful squares. My wool is a soft, dusty blue; I've finished one with a letter 'A', and am now doing a flower.

Ooh, cheers Pistey. Glad it's arrived safely. And have some right back at you

All of the photos of squares being posted are just fabulous. So much talent and love.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/arts_and_crafts/1478810-Team-Hooker-One-pointy-thing-is-better-than-two

Come and join us, Wolfcub.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/1514861-Blanket-Meet-ups-Sign-in-here

Also, worth checking if there's a woolly meet nearby :)

Wow, some gorgeous squares How lovely. You [stars]

Apologies for being AWOL, have been trying to catch up with myself.

Thanks you guys, I'm pleased with it as I had to rejig the pattern a bit, to make it 6 inches, as my gauge was completely different to what was expected. It's really easy - just a square with various holes in it (k2tog, yo) at regular intervals, then sew the flowers on (satin stitch I think, but my embroidery leaves a bit to be desired). Can write it out if anyone wants exactly what I did; just pm me . I got the pattern from the web somewhere but have lost the link

I am still loving the crocheted squares! Will really have to give it a go. I'll have a nosy on the thread linked to earlier!

Thanks Jules for noticing DD's pics, you've reminded me to maybe add a more recent one (she's 6 now )

Can anyone give me a quick bit of advice before I carry on for ages going wrong! I'm trying the Stars knitting pattern from on the Woolly Hugs website for the first time and I was very pleased with how it was going until I held it against my moss stitched first square. Even though I cast on the same amount of stitches (33) one inch of the way through its still about an inch narrower than the moss stitch square. I know knitting usually spreads out as you knit up but I really can't see it stretching that much! Should I unravel and cast on an extra set of four stitches to try and even up the sizes? I don't want to keep knitting only to have to unravel in another inch or two!

Wolfcub, your squares are beautiful. Do they take a long time?

Somersaults, I haven't looked at the pattern, but yes - I would try casting on a few more stitches and trying again. I unravelled my first square twice, trying to get it right. Hope it works ok for you!

Thank you. Not sure it looks exactly like the picture but it's quite fun to knit as long as you knit fairly loosely or else you have a damn hard time trying to purl three together!

It does look more like the picture now I'm further in and I'm very proud of it! It hasn't spread out like other patterns have done and even with an additional eight stitches is slightly narrower than the widest part of my other square but I think it'll be ok. I'm enjoying knitting it though, it's a lovely pattern to knit.

Morning

Just catching up with PMs

Nyx, thank you, they are my first ever granny squares, they probably take about two hours with the Debbie Bliss wool because it's nice and slippy. I practised with some inferior wool and didn't progress anything like as fast.