Blanket for lemontruffles : lovely crafters, donors, we are calling for your help.

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

Very sad news I'm afraid. Lemontruffles' husband died this week on New Year's Day after living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Such devastating news. Our hearts go out to her. In her own words, he was the love of her life.

We have offered to make a blanket for her, and are so pleased that she has said she would love one. She is clearly so very moved by our offer and has said she is astonished at the kindness of strangers. We will all be holding her hand and hope that she will feel the love and support from us all, and that the blanket will bring whatever comfort it can.

Lemontruffles writes so movingly on her thread about her beloved husband, and has shared many memories, bless her heart. her thread is HERE. You will not fail to be moved by the love and warmth of her posts about him.

So to the Woolly Hug, we would be very grateful for your help.

We will need crocheters, knitters and donors (of funds or wool) I will co ordinate and do admin, and Knotty (KnottyLocks) is here and will help you with any queries you may have.

So if you are able to join with us, please PM me, and also if you are offering to donate, or need a donor, I can help match you up.

Thank you so much.

The wool we are using:

• Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK (not the Baby cashmerino)
• Rowan Cashsoft DK
• Sublime Extra Fine Merino Wool DK.
• Artesano Superwash Merino DK.

Just from these yarns please as they are very similar and we know they can be combined for wash and wear.

4mm crochet hook or knitting needles
6 inch squares

The Colours
Lemontruffles has spoken so movingly about her husband's love for the countryside of North Wales, and to reflect that passion how she sees the blanket as a landscape, so :

Greens, darker purples, blues, silvers, cream.

If going for cream please use Debbie Bliss cashmerino DK 013
(Not bright colours for this please, and no pinks or lilacs, thank you)

Just sharing some of her words about him
He was Welsh and loved the countryside of North Wales especially. He loved walking. He loved going to the pub and having the biggest laugh he could. He had a fantastic sense of humour and he loved having fun. He was warm hearted, he had a spirit of pure generosity - though with a 'sticking point' stubborn streak! - he was no angel. He was very adventurous about life. He was a proper hippy in the 60s and 70s. He had an amazing memory for all sorts of things, and a very wide ranging and strange knowledge of very odd things. Such an interesting man. A man with endless and deep humanity towards all the people he met. He was very well loved. He had a deep maturity and wisdom about other people.

Oh, and music! Not male voice choirs! Rock and blues from the 60s and 70s, and the manic street preachers. He had great taste. Also photographs. He was always photographing things, all sorts of random things, all sorts of bits of nature, and landscapes. He loved his camera.

Suggestions for motifs

• Any motifs of the natural world - trees, leaves, flowers, birds (esp crows )
• Can anyone find a Welsh dragon design or a harp? We'd love to find these for her.
• Anything to reflect he was a Welshman.
• Music, photography related
• We have an initial, could you PM me if this is something you'd like to do.

There are many relevant patterns for knitters and crocheters linked to from our website under Crafting

Reading her words gives us lots of motifs to think about for sure, but please don't feel daunted by these suggestions, we 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 on our website. We also have a Facebook page MNWoollyHugs and are on Twitter @MNWoollyHugs. If you 'like' or 'follow' us you'll be updated on progress via your feed.

As always, we thank you so much for your support.
Thinking of lemontruffles Xx

Pistey and Knotty

Can we use beads on these squares ? I know we can't on the Little Hugs, but I have always fancied having a go and thought some woody type ones would be appropriate for Lemon.

Morning all

Didi - loving how you mix it up with your name Thank you for joining with us again

HaveToWearHeels Wooden beads sound lovely, but if you don't mind, could you hold on until I have a chance to talk to Knotty about whether it's Ok to use? Sorry to be a pain.

Off to PMs, huge thanks everyone

No worries, I was just looking through my books and thought it would be nice, don't even have the beads so no hurry.

So I managed to squeeze in some unexpected wooly time last night after work. Thank you for reintroducing me to my favourite Wednesday late night guilty pleasure - crochet and Trevor Nelson on Radio 2

I'm 80% there with my first square and just wanted to say another thank you for my wool. I think it was from Pistey based on another post, as mine also arrived in a green bag. It's the first time I've worked with "nice" wool and it's so so nice! It's beautifully soft and the the colour is just lovely.

Now I just need to decide on what square number two shall be and see if I can squeeze a third out of whats left over :)

Sat down with a , and just ordered the wool ordered for my crafter today - thanks to Pistey for finding out colour preferences.

I have used the shop GlaikitFizzog mentioned, thanks for the recommendation

I started my first square today and I love the wool. I've only ever done half arsed bits of scarves, with rubbish yarn in the past and never actually followed a pattern.
I hope the extra care I'm taking shows through. I want to make every stitch as perfect as possible so I can do the wool justice.
Now, just need to get this sleeping baby off my boob and that noisy toddler up to bed and I shall continue...

StopEatingThatMud Trevor Nelson is on Radio 2 now?
When did I get old enough to know Radio 2 presenters? he read my sister's letter out on MTV many years ago

Busy, busy day

Evening all

Such a lot of love, care and effort from all, tis so heartwarming. Thank you everyone. Bless lemon, thinking of her tonight. X

Thank you Blondie

HaveToWearHeels - Knotty is coming in a bit to talk beads, thank you I shall be off to help folk on PMs.

We have some thank yous tonight, more lovely, lovely donors, honestly we couldn't manage without you, you are proper Blanketeers with hearts of gold. Now either your donation of funds has arrived safely with us, or your wool safely with your crafter. Either way we are enormously grateful to you.

Rindrecella

Zhx3

Magimedi

SalaciousCrumb

You are all stars, bless you

Hmm, just lost a message I tried to post - try again...

Evening Pistey and Knotty!
I have a question: I've finished two different squares and would be happy to make two more the same. Would this be helpful, is it easier to place them in the finished blanket if they come in pairs?
Does that make sense??? xx

Sigh, you know those days where your craft ability leaves you?

My mountain landscape chart looks like some wobbly green and purple triangles, so I won't be knitting that into a square

i've just started a celtic knot and done the first cable row wrong twice. I've pulled it down and I'll start again tomorrow I think.

Going to sit on the ogling George thingy the architect and eating fruit (back on the slimming world wagon so using fruit as a chocolate avoidance tactic).

Oh Ophelia, it's so frustrating when it feels as if you just can't do it right. Good luck with it tomorrow x

I have arrived to talk about beads

HaveTo, I think a small amount of beads will be lovely on this blanket.
What we need to be wary of is having too many as the blanket will already be very heavy because of the weight of the wool. So too many beads could weigh it down, also make it tricky to wash and can knacker a machine too! A square or two will be fine though, as long as the beads are securely incorporated into the square, so knitted or hooked in as you go.

Hope that helps.

WhereAreMyShoes he does an hour on Wednesday night 11pm til midnight, not sure if he's on any other time.

And I know! Does this mean at the ripe old age of 26 I am prime Radio 2 target audience material?

Ophelia I have just remembered I have chocolate spread in the cupboard and had to check it was ok, therefore ruining the effort of my body pump class this morning so have also moved onto satstumas whilst ogling George. Yum :)

Okey dokey, Theodora, your turn!

How many squares is entirely up to you. All are greatly apprecaited. Until we get all the squares in, we really only have a vague idea of how many we will get.

If we have quite a few, we ensure that everyone has at least one square on the blanket they have made for. Often there may be two.

Any squares beyond that have been used in the past, and will be used in the future, to create 'fundraiser' blankets. For example, we made a blanket for Anthony Nolan which raised £1,373.43 for the charity and one for SANDS which raised nearly £500. The generosity of our crafters and donors made that happen

Oh ok thanks Knotty. Sounds like you don't need squares in pairs! So will stop there as have nearly run out of wool

Out of interest is it just you and Pistey who hook/see it all together?

1st square nearly done!measuring 4x4 at the moment but I'm off to bed now as I have work tomorrow so hopefully it will be completed tomorrow then I will crack on square number 2.

First square done - crochet - will do another tomorrow hopefully then post on Monday ish. Might end up doing quite a few - anything to avoid sewing in ends on my current angel hug

It is now, Theodora, I had to drop out due to new baby who arrived in November :) any volunteers to replace me?

I may available for some gentle hooking between April and June

Skoggy - EXCELLENT!! When do you get to see the new place?

I got your last PM but haven't had a chance to reply. Stupidly busy few days.
I didn't know you're a hooker too :)
Although I've only recently joined. Pistey is posting me some wool, I can't wait to get started :):):)

Morning all

Hopefully Jacks your woolly wool won't take too long.

Shredded, are you in the UK April - June?

Ophelia hope you have a better day, bless you for trying

Busy, busy stuff. Thank you EVERYONE!

to all, am off to PMs

Morning [matchsticks]

Finished the Celtic knot yesterday. And if I do say so myself it is rather lovely! Will take a pic when the sun is up maybe Tuesday!

Morning all!

ChippingIn, get to see it at the end of the month with a view to move straight away. We are so lucky that we have a decent landlord. This like this don't come up everyday. He manages the new property himself so we don't have to deal with Letting Agents which, in my opinion, is so much easier. No need for references, deposit and no admin fees. He's such a canny bloke.

Hows the crafting coming along? I'm on square no.2 and within the week.

I love making squares for these blankets. Makes me all fuzzy inside knowing that my little contribution is going to be part of something bigger which is going to be loved by the recipiants. However, its always sad when the call for them goes out.

*should be posting within the week [so tired]