Woolly Hugs: The Babettes, Billie's Blankets and Little Hugs.

[KnottyLocks]

This is a continuation of our Little Hug and Billie's Blanket projects.

Little Hugs will continue to go to babies and children who are seriously ill in Yorkhill hospital and Billie's blankets will be sent in Billie's name, via the wonderful charity World Child Cancer, to children undergoing treatment for cancer in low and middle income countries.

Our aim with the Babettes is to make some bigger blankets for older children, both for Little Hugs and Billie's Blankets.
We will still make blankets of other sizes too.

THE BABETTES

The idea is to make a 12 x 12 inch panel, either crochet or knit, that can be added to others to create bigger blankets.
The panel can be made as one piece, or as a combination of squares, stripes or patterned. For example, a large granny square, or 4 six inch squares together, or a panel of stripes.
The design is up to you as long as it isn't too holey and will be fine stitched or hooked to others.
If you choose to use separate squares as part of your design, can we ask that they be either stitched together, hooked as you go, or hooked together with the seam on the back.

Yarn for Babettes: Stylecraft Special DK only, so we know that the blankets will wash and wear well and, unless your tension is very tight, use 4mm hooks or needles.

Colours: your choice although for practical reasons, we advise avoiding white and cream.
Some colour combinations that would work: blues/greens, purples/pinks, spring colours, primary brights, rainbow shades.

If you Google 'Babette blankets', you'll get an idea of what we have in mind once the panels are combined.

***

FOR WHOLE BLANKETS - Little Hugs and Billie's Blankets:

Minimum size: 18 x 18 inches for Little Hugs; 24 inches by 24 inches for Billie's Blankets.
If you would like to make a blanket that is bigger, that would be lovely.
The children we send Billie's Blankets to are aged 0 to 14 and Yorkhill treat children of a similar age so we will need bigger blankets too hence our Babettes.

Colours: Your choice.
Although again for practical reasons, we advise avoiding white and cream.

Things to avoid:
Any embellishments that could scratch delicate skin or could be swallowed.

Materials:
Suggested yarn for Billies Blankets: Stylecraft Special DK, a soft, non-scratchy acrylic yarn.
If you would like to make a whole blanket, you could use a different weight and make of acrylic yarn. The essential thing is that it needs to be soft against sensitive and delicate skin and that it can be washed and dried quickly and easily.
For Little Hugs: As above, plus any of our usual Woolly Hugs woolly wool or yarn that is soft and can be machine washed.

We would also love fleece backed quilts, or edged fleece blankets if you prefer sewing.

As always, we also welcome any 6 inch squares made using the Stylecraft Special DK or any of the usual Woolly Hugs blanket wools.

If you would like to take part in this project but feel you can't due to the costs involved, please PM Pistey and we'll try to help with materials.

As ever, thanks for your support.

Knotty and Pistey

Website- www.woollyhugs.com
Facebook ? MNWoollyHugs
Twitter - @MNWoollyHugs

12kgs of Little Hugs on their way! And a message from RHC, Glasgow....

Thank you so so so so much!! I cannot tell you how delighted the children will be - we'll make sure they go to poorly children who need their warm hugs. Much love and thanks.

Yeah! Now to get my other bits and pieces finished for the next deadline!

Our Billie's Blanket collection for Ghana is ready.

It leaves the UK next Sunday but will start its journey tomorrow by going up to World Child Cancer's London office. Love in every stitch for the children and families who receive these, our thoughts are with them, with Billie's family too.

Huge thanks to all crafters and donors alike, just fabulous! xx

*We will be launching the next phase of our ongoing Billie's Blanket project this coming week, do keep an eye out, and thank you .

*We are delighted to be launching the next phase of our Billie's Blanket project. With your help and support, we will be sending a collection to children in the Philippines in January. As always huge thanks to the fab folk at World Child Cancer for transporting them for us.

Last posting will be January 8th.

We love whole blankets and 12" squares in Stylecraft Special DK, please send squares by end of Dec, and clearly mark they are for Billie.

All crafting information is here, all welcome to join us!

Billie's Blankets for the Philippines

We have slightly longer, the trip is later than initially thought, so we can push back the last posting to February 6th. Thanks everyone.

Sorry to come begging, tis will be on our Facebook page later, but we know not all are there. xxxx

Please if you can, your help is needed…… Woolly Hugs crew, you are fabulous, everything you do for others is quite extraordinary, you contribute to our cause in all manner of ways, and there would be no Woolly Hugs at all without that smile emoticon Apologies, we come with another request.

We run Woolly Hugs entirely on a voluntary basis, but it costs approx £2,000 a year to run, postage, yarn, running the website, labels, the list goes on. We know folk are strapped for cash, this is also a bad time of year. But there is something that you can do it won’t cost you anything, but would raise on-going funds. We have have signed up with easyfundraising – here www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/woollyhugs/

So easy, tried and tested with lots of other groups/schools etc. It all centres around online shopping. You register and pick Woolly Hugs as the charity you want to support, and then every time you buy something on-line, it will offer you cashback and you can choose to donate it to WH. We’ve done this and had a go and it’s very simple, the ‘how it works’ section on the easy fundraising site has a very clear explanation. The best bit I think is the ‘donation reminder’ which means you don’t have to login to the easy fundraising site itself to make a donation when you buy on-line, but a reminder will pop up wherever you are buying from a participating store.

We know lots of you will already do this for others, we don’t want to take money from anyone else, but if you haven’t and can, plus your friends and family, it would make a fabulous difference and help keep us going – it’s also a brilliant way for non-knitters and non-hookers to get involved. All shares very warmly welcome too.

We have also added our wish list to the website, if anyone would like to look, thank you
www.woollyhugs.com

The most enormous THANK YOU!! xxxxxxx

Such a beautiful start to the day.

This is the latest collection of Billie's Blankets which is off to give love and hugs to children suffering from cancer in the Phillippines through World Child Cancer. Heartfelt love and thanks to donors and crafters alike who make this happen. Truly you are stars. xxxxx

Always thinking of beautiful Billie xxx

The next phase of our Billie's Blanket project will be to Cameroon.

Last posting to us is Friday 6th May, crafting info is linked above, all welcome to join at any time. We'd love to have you on board.

This project really does bring light, comfort, love and colour to children and families going through incredibly difficult and horrible times. As always thank you to the fantastic folk at World Child Cancer for delivering them for us.

Urgent help needed - I am crocheting my first ever C2C blanket which is earmarked for the Billie's Blankets deadline however I've misjudged the dimensions.

I now have a blanket measuring 35" x 60" which is fine in length but too short in width.

How can I salvage this????
If I add a border it will increase the length as well as the width which will perpetuate the problem. I have plenty of wool left over but need help with my dilemma.

Can anyone give me suggestions to help me increase the width on a C2C.

Thank you.

Could you post a photo Fairy?

I'm attaching pics of the blue blanket which, as you can see is definately not wide enough.

Someone else suggested that I crochet some C2C squares and use these to add extra width on each side.

I've adapted this idea and started a C2C border in cream which I am planning on using for each side which will alter the blanket dimensions from 35"x 60 " to 43" x 60". I will then border the entire blanket in the main colour using either rounds of double crochet or a crab stitch.

I am hoping this will visually pull the blanket together and not make it look like a hotch potch.

Do you think it will look silly??

I think that'll look lovely :) The cream goes very well with the blue.

I'll persevere and see what it turns out like.

It's so disheartening when you start a project with good intentions then, when you've put hours and hours of work into it, you realise things are not working out!!!

I will post a picture in a week or two (or three!!!!!!) when I've finished it.

Thanks for helping

It will be lovely Fairy, thanks Ria xxx

Well, it's finished!!

I added a couple of side panels and then edged it in the blue which appears to "finish it off" nicely.

It's amazingly warm so I hope it can be put to good use.

Knotty - I have PM'd you.

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!

Looks absolutely gorgeous, well done you!

It's lovely!

Morning

Such beautiful photos, two such a gorgeous little lads in receipt of our Little Hugs in Newcastle at the Great North Children's Hospital. Love to them and their family, xxxxx

and here too

fabulous Little Hugs for very poorly children in hospital from the very lovely ME. Heartfelt thanks to her, what a star. xxxx

Mrs Baker! Thank you so much, two adorable Little Hug blankets for babies in hospital, these are beauties. xxxx

Away for a few days, please no one worry because of lack of posts :)

Marking place again, seemed to have lost this thread