Woolly Hugs. Supporting the Chernobyl Children's Project. Can anyone help us?

[KnottyAndPistey]

There will need to be a quick turnaround on this but we know hope we can do it!

We have been approached and asked if we can make Little Hugs for a group of teenagers coming over to Leeds for a recuperative holiday in the summer with the fabulous charity the Chernobyl Children's Project.

Each year these marvellous folk bring children over from Belarus who live in the most contaminated area near the Chernobyl reactor. It is in the summer, when the dust causes radiation levels to rise, that it becomes even more important for as many children as possible to leave their contaminated homeland for a few weeks of fresh air and clean food. The rates of childhood cancer are at 75%, the most common cancers being thyroid and leukaemia. Coming to the UK for a four week break increases their immunity against the awful disease by up to 3 years when they return home.

This year the group in Leeds (organised by an amazing Mumsnetter) are bringing twelve children who have had cancer and are now in remission. Sadly though there is a high chance of these children falling ill again. This summer there are four boys and eight girls coming, aged between 11 and 14. They all suffer living in such difficult conditions and with very little. How perfect it would be to make them each a Little Hug.

Here's how to help with this project.....

• We would like 12” squares in bright and cheery Stylecraft Special DK colours, but please AVOID bright green, bright pink, browns, greys, citron, fiesta and jaffa. This will help squares fit together more easily. Make for a boy, girl or in a non specific colour theme. We will be happy to accept 6” squares if making a 12” one feels too much.

• Crochet or knitted, 4mm hook or needles. No blocking and please sew in pesky ends.

• We can supply all yarn for this. Let us know if we can send to you.

• Our last posting is Saturday 14th June, so we have a fighting chance of getting the blankets ready to go to the children on their arrival in the UK.

• If anyone would like to donated funds to support this, we would be so grateful. Our paypal is [email protected], cheques and cash are very welcome too, just PM for the address to send.

We know together we can do this in time! On behalf of these children, a huge THANK YOU.

Pistey and Knotty X

Wiggleability - that's what you need Ophelia

Absolutely YES PLEASE to more 12" squares for Billie's Blankets, and they are so quick to hook together, I'm working on a 'boy' blanket, did all the horizontals and one vertical yesterday, but was flying along. Marvellous! Using cream and turquoise to edge. Did have to get my head round hooking on the back as we normally hook on the front for the big Woolly Hugs, but all is well, and whereas there tis lovely to kinda frame each square, for this its lovely to have as one.

Thank you so much Belle - sounds fabulous. You can send your leftover yarn with your squares, nothing is ever wasted, it will all be used in our projects, or you could make more 12" squares for our Billie's project, see here for more info

And the thread is here

We are going to start a new thread linking in with our next Billie's project, which will be for Myanmar in October. Just need to firm up dates with WCC for that trip.

Lovely squares arriving yesterday from the very lovely Bellavita Thank you!!

Well, turns out I have a ruptured ganglion cyst in my foot. See the surgeon/consultant tomorrow night. Huge relief :)

I never think I'd say this type of thing, but what a huge relief that is, ilove! Hope it gets sorted out quickly and you recover well.

Phew!

Oh good ilove. That's a relief.

Oh hoooooge relief!

Now my friend's lovely mum had a ganglion on her wrist and her mum said the only way to treat them was to bash them with a Bible.

I leave that with you. :)

Am onto edging the blanket I'm doing. And I seem to be sitting in the sun doing so. Happy days.

This has ruptured, i think I will still need an operation - no flipping idea where I can fit in an op though! Too blooming busy!

Pistey I've hooked on the right side, like you normally do, is that wrong?

Aha!

Please fret not! Front or back equally lovely, thank you so much!

ilove you poor thing :(

I bet she doesn't say that to everyone, Ophelia. You must be really special.

yegods I just lol'd rather loudly and was shushed by World Cup watching DH

Finally finished my squares! I don't know what happened, I'm not normally this disorganised. Anyway, they're done now-where do I send them? (I've pm'ed for an address but I thought I should ask here too)

My square is now 4" despite me knitting away whilst posting this evening. This is multi-taking at its best. Sadly, it won't be in the post this week methinks.

Posted my squares this morning.

Just spotted my squares on the FB site. I'm sorry the one is so wonky - I promise it will stretch but I was scrabbling for a 12" square pattern and I used a 4mm hook rather than the specified 5mm so I had to improvise to make it up to 12"

Poltergoose and mhw02 I'd love a link to the patterns you used if poss :)

JuanFernandez both of mine started with patterns for smaller squares and then I just sort of fudged them to make them bigger!

The one that's mostly cream was the flowers in the snow pattern, except I increased it from three rounds of colour to seven, with each group having the same number of stitches as the number of the round it was in, if that makes sense?! Then I fudged round eight to make something vaguely resembling a square, using double trebles where I wanted the corners, then a mix of trebles, half trebles and doubles (sorry, I really can't be more specific than that - I didn't write it down when I was doing it!) for the sides. Then round nine it was three trebles in one stitch, skip two stitches all the way round to create the granny square for the rest of it (it wasn't quite even, so I think I skipped three at the end of each side!)

Sorry I can't be more helpful than that!

The other one, I can't remember where I found it! Will try and find it and let you know when I do!

Ah! Here it is!

www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/catalina-afghan-square

Once I'd finished the pattern, I just kept going round - 8 rounds of double crochet, three rounds of half trebles, and one round of trebles (I think).

Brilliant, thanks :)

I did the same with my second square, expanded a 6" pattern that I'd already used. And the first one used sc, hdc, dc, tr, dc, hdc, sc to square off a circle.

Having all kinds of interweb issues this eve. Wifi and 3G down, am hooked onto not next door but one after's internet for a mo :)

Hopefully will be back to help properly tomo and write about gorgeous squares arriving then. Sorry everyone. Tis a right pain.

Thank you!

Help! I need advice from accomplished hookers

I am edging my blanket, but it's looking a bit uneven. Do you normally crochet into every stitch around the edge, or do you wiggle it a bit so you get a similar number of stitches per square, no matter how many stitches each square has? I've noticed some tight hookers have a lot more stitches per 12" than the looser hookers do, so my edge is looking a bit wonky and inconsistent.