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

Evening all. Just catching up, work getting in the way these past few days.

Some stunning things being created , you lovely people

Wow, in awe Skoggy

Thank you MNP :)

Evening/morning all :)

Fab dragon Skoggy - I'm well impressed by it, not to mention how quickly you did it. [I have just seen where you are living! I have a lot of family near you :)]

Glakit (Rosie) Music Note Have you actually knit the music note before? I knit it blind from your instructions (which I like doing, I love not knowing what it's going to look like!) However, I knit it in DB DK Cashmerino and it has come up to 7.5". I could see it was going to be too 'long' but by then it was too late to turn back! The actual music note itself is 6". I'm a tight knitter, so I think others may have problems too. (Width would 'pass' for a 6 as long as it wasn't handled too much, it's probably a genuine 6.5")

I have started another twining trees. I've chopped some off the bottom this time - they are not looking too stunted so far. I wanted to stick with the two trees with interlocking branches because it makes me think of LT and Mr LT. The previous one, which is too tall, can go into DS2's blanket along with some other tall squares .

Wow Skoggy that dragon is wonderful!

MY WOOL HAS ARRIVED!!!!!!

Sorry for shouting but I'm so excited to get started. The colours are lovely :)

Now I just hope my crocheting can do the beauty of the wool justice.

Oh, meant to say when I looked at the picture of the dragon I went oh.... Oh dear, I don't think I should be participating here because I can do nothing like that... but I so want to help and am going to suck it up and do my best :)

Skoggy, wow, it's gorgeous!!

Go Jacks! Enjoy your crocheting .

......and the Canadian Branch of the International Blanketeers is cleared for take off. Huzzah, go Jacks, go!!!

Morning all

Yes chipping ... I got 11 rows in, and its looking big.

I was planning to ask if someone clever like Trib or anyone in fact, competent would resize it for me. But I know people are busy. A square that was mostly "note" rather than background would look great. But I have no idea how to re-write the pattern - and I need it written out for dummies.

:)

Right, this is what I did when I made the musical note for mumof's blanket. I'm looking back at my scribbles so hopefully it makes sense.

Instead of 4 rows of garter at the start And end idid 2
The knit 3 and the beginning and end of each row I took down to knit 2
And on the first and last purl instruction on each purl row lost a stitch.

I can try to write it out, but I won't get a chance until tonight or tomorrow.

I frogged it quite a few times if I remember right! We were on holiday!

And I'm sorry for not remembering I had to resize it Rosie. I have stuck a film on for DS so that'll keep him out of my hair for a while I try writing it out!

Ok that didn't take as long as I thought it would!

Cast on 33stitches
1&2: Knit across
3: k2, p29, k2
4: and all remaining even numbered rows; knit across
5: k2, p4, k6, p19, k2
7: k2, p3, k9, p17, k2
9: k2, p3, k10, p16, k2
11: k2, p3, k10, p16, k2
13: k2, p3, k10, p4, k6, p6, k2
15: k2, p4, k9, p3, k9, p4, k2
17: k2, p6, k3, p1, k3, p3, k10, p2, k2
19: k2, p10, k3, p3, k10, p3, k2
21: k2, p10, k3, p3, k10, p3, k2
23: k2, p10, k3, p4, k9, p3, k2
25: k2, p10, k3, p6, k3, p1, k3, p3, k2
27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37: k2, p10, k3, p10, k3, p3, k2
39: k2, p10, k5, p8, k3, p3, k2
41: k2, p10, k7, p6, k3, p3, k2
43: k2, p13, k6, p4, k3, p3, k2
45: k2, p15, k6, p2, k3, p3, k2
47: k2, p18, k8, p3, k2
49: k2, p21, k5, p3, k2
51: k2, p23, k3, p3, k2
53: k2, p29, k2
54 & 55 knit across
Bind off

The pattern bit between the border stitches should add up to 29 each time. I think they all do. My adding up gets better the more coffee I have! I've only had one today!

You are my new hero Glaikit. Thanks so much!

:)

I need a hero name!

You are more than welcome Rosie. It should be ok, but I can't guarantee!

Glaikit - How sure are you about that? Losing 4 rows will definitely not make mine 6" As I said, it's 7.5" at 59 rows. I'd need to do more like 47 rows for it to be 6" (in the DB DK Apple Green at least).

Not 100% chipping, but our gauges sound completely different. Could you try the original pattern on a smaller needle?

If you lost the borders top and bottom it would curl but it wouldnt be impossible to hook together I don't think?

Pistey, I can't remember how big my last musical note was, but i'm sure it wasn't over 6inches. If it was it wasn't by much.

Glaikit - I agree our gauges could be completely different, but for me I'd expect it to go the other way as I'm such a tight knitter?? Anyway, I think I'll try this below later on - I'll let you know how I go :) [It's my wool, not donor wool, so it doesn't matter how many I make ]

Cast on 35
1 & 2 - Knit
3-10 As per pattern, only changing from k3 to k2 at each edge (that should take it to 6" across)
Miss out rows (11 - 14)
15-20 As per pattern, [except k3 to k2]
Miss out rows (21- 24)
46 & 47 Knit

I'll probably end up with a 5" square with a very squished 'note' on it

Anyway, out for a stomp around in crunchy snow now!!

The Canadian Branch of the International Blanketeers just woke up.

Morning all.

Coffee, tea, and pancakes with (of course) maple syrup on the sideboard.

I can't wait to get started. I absolutely must speed-skim my way through the remainder of "Pride, Prejudice and Zombies" for a book club meeting tonight :o and then I'll get started.

Let me know Chipping? I'll await instructions from you or Glaikit before starting again. I will be on the correct wool and 4mm needles - although I'm happy to go down a size if necessary.

I don't know if I am a tight or a loose knitter - but I do know that I am a not very good knitter! :)

Evening all

What a snowy day, hope everyone has kept warm? X

Fizzy, I've just hooked your lovely note square into Mumof2s blanket and it was just the right size! It is a lovely pattern.

Rosie - you ARE a good knitter, Basil was gorgeous!

Pitsey... You have been to "being lovely" school. I am a truly terrible knitter.

In London, everyone else is panic buying apparently. I panic-purchased some wine and Pringles on the way home from the office. We may freeze and starve, but we will be smiling.

My lovely DSCs are here with chocolate. There are massive advantages to grown-up children!

Bring on snowmageddon.

:)

Evening!

I've been laughing today at all the snow stuff people have been posting on Facebook. I'd have quite a pretty penny if I had a pound for everytime I read the word Snow on there today.

Haven't done any crochet today. Been doing me 'ousework. -_- zzz!

Hope everyone is ok.

I know my six inch squares vary vastly in size pistey! But for the reassurance!

Rosie, if you gauge is similar to mine (33 stitches for a 6" garter stitch square) then my instructions up thread should be ok for you. My socking stitch gauge is nearer 40 sts for 6".