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

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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

Just checking in, RL has been getting in the way (nothing important, just that paid work stuff) so I forgot to check the thread.

Awesome dragon Trib!

Evening all

Thanks Oma

Time for tonight's thank yous, one lovely donor and one lovely crafter tonight Starting with the donor, huge thanks, you donors really do make these blanket projects function and enable all to participate who wish to, it is a very generous thing you do

bbpants

And to the lovely crafter,such woolly treasure

RoguePixie Five beautiful and very different knits, in blues, silver, cream and purple. Of these one of the patterns is called Marriage Lines, which I agree Rogue is perfect, she really did love him very much. Another design is called Waterfall which is so perfect for Wales, and the cream one has L O V E reading in a square,from top left. So thoughtful. Bless you, these are just so lovely

Huge thanks to all, such amazing support

Minnie, for the avoidance of doubt, mine is a crow, Oma's is a dragon. Key similarity - er, both have wings.

Yes, sorry, I am actually able to tell the difference

You should see the crows on the trees here! Easily mistaken for dragons!

Tis an easy mistake.

Morning all

You're up early Pistey! Have some more

Morning Pitsey! 'Tis chilly in these 'ere London parts.

Wool should have got to my crafter by now ...

Morning all

Tis chilly everywhere!

Frrrizzzzin

Was tempted to wear my woolly nork this morning

Droitwichmummy i think you're onto a winner there... woolly norks warmers its certainly cold enough!

Should have done DWM

This evening's thank yous coming up in a bit Hope everyone is managing to keep warm?

And here we are

Thank you so much to everyone for everything they are doing for lemon

Once I have done the thank yous, I have a message from her to share with you all. This Woolly Hug really means so much to her as you will see, bless her heart.

Starting tonight then with a very lovely donor, you really are a star my lovely and have a foot in both camps, this is very generous of you, your woolly wool has arrived with your lovely crafter, bless you

RedRosie

We also had some funds donated to us this afternoon at 2.15pm, no MN name and are not outing you, but thank you so much X

And lovely woolly treasure has arrived too, absolutely smashing, thank you so much, you are a star

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes Just perfect! Tis a lovely crocheted square in pale blue and cream, with a 3D pale blue daffodil, how lovely!

Heartfelt thanks to all

(Our lovely hellymelly is embroidering "Cariad Anfarwol" onto a square which means "love undying" in Welsh.)

From lemontruffles.......

I am moved beyond words by what you are doing for me. My wedding ring has the word Cariad written on the inside of it: that's what my husband said to me all the time. I used to ask him to speak to me in Welsh simply because the language is incredibly beautiful and loved the sounds of the words from his mouth.

I keep thinking about this blanket. To me it represents the benevolence of the human spirit; for strangers to pour out such love in such a way to another stranger shows something extraordinary and magnificent about the human spirit. And this is what this blanket will always represent to me.

I strongly believe that my husband is in a spiritual place now. This place is not constrained by physical bonds, or the absolute ties of the inexorable, linear progress of time: it's a place that humans can't understand now (we will when our souls have to leave our bodies) but which is a place of absolute love and joy and happiness and peace and, in the case of my husband, a man who couldn't even walk a few yards by the end of his life, flying. I've never ever felt anything like this in my life before, and I'm astonished by this strange understanding.

But the reason he's there is because of love. And your blanket is because of love. And this love is the essence of everything that is good in our human natures. And this is why this blanket means so much to me: it's not just about my wonderful husband, and me, and the love we shared (and still share, at least thats what he tells me - he's still around), but it's also about the best in other people. Kindness, love, connection, benevolence, generosity, altruism, faith.

I really am moved beyond words by your gift to me, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

lemontruffles x x x

Much love to you lemon, we are keeping you and your family close in our thoughts X

What beautiful words, lemon. You speak so eloquently of love.
xxx

:):)

Yes. Much love Lemon.

Anyone with a loved husband or partner (or indeed a loved anybody) will be thinking of you. It is an honour to be doing even a small thing in the face of your loss.

To my crafter: I am banking on you crafting better than me ... no pressure!

What a lovely message from Lemon. I'm honoured to be part of this blanket, as I feel like it is a tribute to their love.

Such meaningful words.

x

2 squares completed!!and a beautiful message from lemon, love to you and your family xx

I'd like to contribute a couple of squares (crochet) if I may, do I need to PM you Pistey?

Much love Lemon.

Much love Lemon