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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.

Original poster

Support thread for Woolly Hugs - summer (sort of) 2013

428 replies

tribpot · 25/04/2013 07:36

Our sympathies and thoughts are with daisydotandgertie, who lost her husband this month.

Woolly Hugs is now in action and this is the support and chat thread at which all are welcome - knitters, crocheters and donors. If you are a first time crafter please do have a go. There is bags of support and plain squares are just as important to our endeavour as fancy ones.

As flowers was one of the requested motifs, I'll just note there's a flowers section in the crafting guide. I might try the posies pattern on this sock pattern. For Welsh (or at least Celtic) patterns, I did this for a previous blanket.

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KansasCityOctopus · 15/05/2013 10:26

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BeerTricksPotter · 15/05/2013 10:33

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GlaikitFizzog · 15/05/2013 10:40

Kansas, please don't stress about tiny mistakes or uneven tension. I think every square I have ever done has had a slight oops in it. And where would be the joy in perfection? You would then have nothing to aim for in the future. :) These blankets aren't about perfection, they are about the love that is in every stitch, dropped or not. Please don't beat yourself up Flowers

BeerTricksPotter · 15/05/2013 10:42

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Original poster
tribpot · 15/05/2013 10:42

Kansas - the squares don't have to be competition-standard. It's much more important that you contribute because the point of the blankets is for us to send love and good vibes to a Mumsnetter in need.

Why not start completely simple and just for a knit square? The tension doesn't have to be 'right', there is no automatic rejection for anyone who can't knit to 33 stitches on 4mm = 6 inches. At least I HOPE there isn't Wink I don't knit on 4mms, I normally use 3.25. My gauge is very loose and this is the best way I can get most simple patterns to fit in.

If the yarn is splitting (are you another victim of the James Brett split-fest?) you could try a different one, although I accept they're not cheap. Otherwise go slowly on each stitch to make sure you get it all.

Simple squares are needed by Knotty and Pistey as they are easier to place on the blankets and can be used to hold motifs made by other people, so there is no need to do something more complex as your first one than a garter stitch square - with the right number of stitches for your gauge. As long as it's about 6" that's fine. Cast on the number you think is about right for you, do maybe 5 or 10 rows and then measure the width.

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Original poster
tribpot · 15/05/2013 10:43

BeerTricks - 27 works for me as well unless I go down a few needle sizes.

OP posts:
BeerTricksPotter · 15/05/2013 10:45

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KansasCityOctopus · 15/05/2013 10:53

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Original poster
tribpot · 15/05/2013 10:56

That's probably the splittiness of the yarn, Kansas. Go v-e-r-y slowly for a bit to make sure you don't make two stitches out of one, and/or do a count at the end of each row, and if you've accidentally made a new one, just do a knit two together near the edge of the next row - voila.

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MinnieBar · 15/05/2013 10:58

Hello all... can't believe it's three blankets, all so close together.

Hookers, or indeed German speakers: can anyone help me with this flower pattern? It's in German, but with pics, and I can sort of follow it thanks to Google translate but I can't work out what the 16x cluster stitch is. Is it some kind of quadruple treble??

Original poster
tribpot · 15/05/2013 11:03

Minnie - you realise the notes say this is a German translation of a pattern in English? This one I think.

It says it's treble crochet - American treble.

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NeitherShreddedNorSmug · 15/05/2013 11:16

Hello blanketeers. Like Minnie, I can't believe we're making three blankets so close together.

I'm cabling for daisydot and gertie and teamsurvival, and will make a lighthouse for Trinity to go with the seashore theme.

RatherBeOnThePiste · 15/05/2013 11:22

We are looking for someone to help with initials, if anyone can do that for Trinity, could they PM me? Thanks

MinnieBar · 15/05/2013 11:22

Ooops. Blush

Sorry Trib, I just skipped to the pattern bit, and then floundered... although I'm assuming the person who linked to the pattern from Ravelry did the same as me!

I like that lighthouse. Smile

NeitherShreddedNorSmug · 15/05/2013 11:32

Minnie, I made the lighthouse for DS2's blanket last year. I'm going to have to remember how I adapted the pattern - it needs a few rows taking out in the middle otherwise it comes out too long.

Original poster
tribpot · 15/05/2013 12:05

Thread has been renamed since we are now knitting for daisy, Survival and Trinity all at the same time. :(

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UniqueAndAmazing · 15/05/2013 13:20
does anyone feel up to that?
BIWI · 15/05/2013 13:23

Actually, now I've got going, this yarn is really nice to work with. It slides off the needles really easily. It's much easier than the Stylecraft, which is kind of scratchy and sticky, IYKWIM.

Original poster
tribpot · 15/05/2013 13:29

Is it like <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=lindysknitslaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/TrinityStitch.jpg&imgrefurl=www.lindysknitslaces.com/tag/trinity-stitch/&h=611&w=800&sz=149&tbnid=PO_qHdKmIpMnxM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=123&zoom=1&usg=__U1rVzGJY85GiwcMBA5Fq5Ndim_U=&docid=OoHLyO728i7skM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=bn-TUcFvjpHRBYvWgegF&sqi=2&ved=0CDcQ9QEwAA&dur=970" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this BIWI? I'm in the office so don't want to open a YouTube link :)

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MinnieBar · 15/05/2013 13:39

Ooh that's nice Trib.

And thank you for yet again solving my blanket isshooos even though you don't crochet. Grin

BIWI · 15/05/2013 14:04

Oh my goodness, Trib - I wouldn't be posting/considering anything so complicated!!!

BeerTricksPotter · 15/05/2013 14:14

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Original poster
tribpot · 15/05/2013 16:31

Looks like that Trinity Stitch is done as follows:

Row 1: Purl all stitches
Row 2: (P1,K1,P1 all in same stitch), K3tog ? repeat across the round
Row 3: Purl
Row 4: K3tog, (P1,K1,P1 all in same stitch) ? repeat across the round

Rows 1 and 3 look okay Grin

OP posts:
droitwichmummy · 15/05/2013 16:58

We'll get Glaikit on that next Trib Grin

UniqueAndAmazing · 15/05/2013 19:14

Yes, trib - that's the one.
you confused me by calling me BIWI Wink