Woolly Hugs. Supporting refugees, lovely crafters and donors, fabulous Mumsnetters we need your help.

[KnottyAndPistey]

As for so many others, we have been moved to tears by the heartbreaking plight of refugees, both in Europe and further afield, and the inhumanity which seems to surround them too often. We have donated, signed petitions on change.org and written to our MPs, and understand the feeling of shouting in the wind, we desperately want to do more.

There is something practical we can do together, and it really will help, but fabulous Mumsnetters, we are going to need your support.

We can get woolly warmth to families in refugee camps in Kurdistan, thanks to the amazing charity Knit for Peace. There are 1.8 million refugees trapped there, most have fled civil wars and ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Winter is coming, it will be even more desperate and absolutely freezing. We are also developing links to get resources to children and families elsewhere, and on their arrival in the UK. We just want to help keep folk warm. We know we can’t help everyone, but we can some.

We really need your help, here’s how…

• We need 12 inch, or six inch squares. Knit or crochet both equally welcome.
• Yarn to be used - any good quality acrylic DK, for example Stylecraft special DK
• Any colour, any style, it is all good.
• Squares equally welcome if made by beginner or expert. Truly.
• No one think their's wouldn’t be good enough. They will be.
• We'd love to receive whole blankets, but absolutely understand time constraints.
• We’d also love to receive hats and gloves/mittens for any age, baby sized through to adult, the same for jumpers. But appreciate that is a very big ask.
• If you’d like to donate yarn or funds, let us know - we’d absolutely LOVE to hear from you, we need you too. This will be a real team effort
• If anyone would like to join in crafting but can’t afford to, please PM us, we can help.

One square, one blanket, a pair of gloves, one warm hat, one step at a time, really every little thing will help. Together we can make a difference.

Sadly we cannot accept items other than home made woolly ones at the moment, if this changes we will come back.

If anyone arrives in this thread and holds similar views to Cameron, no need to post, just move along. This is a positive, humanitarian thread taking positive, humanitarian action.

Do join us on our Facebook page Woolly Hugs and Twitter @Woolly_Hugs - both good ways to keep in touch.

If you'd rather email us than PM we are [email protected]

Thank you doesn’t come close, bless you.

Morning!

Just a quick note to say that we carry on, feel like we have a lot to do, the next deadline will be February 6th for this project, but we don't see an end, so we would love to just keep going with your help.

One square, one blanket, a pair of gloves, one warm hat, one step at a time, really every little thing will help. Together we can make a difference.

We said that at the start, it really does remain true.

Aiming to make a big delivery to Knit for Peace on January 22nd, so if any treasure arrives by then it will go.

Thank you so much

and this is just amazing...

Refugee project for Lesvos and Kurdistan, sent so far:

138 Blankets of which 29 made using separate squares folk have sent.
638 Hats
78 Cardigans/jumpers
10 Pairs of baby shoes/socks
89 Scarves, neckwarmers/cowls
45 Pairs of gloves/mittens

This doesn't include anything here now nor the blankets of separate squares currently out with crafters

Truly amazing
Thank you doesn't even come close

glad of a new deadline as I have done nothing on the blanket for weeks. (christmas and needing to sortout a lot of stuff here)

I am officially a twit; I made some squares about two months ago, got the address to send them to, and then promptly forgot all about it until I found the squares yesterday, lurking underneath some papers in the study.

Very sorry, will actually send them this coming week, promise...

Also, I presume the ends need to be sewn in?

I have posted a small parcel today. I am SO sorry I haven't sent anything for so long, but there should be more on the way soon!

Hi I have some wool hanging about which I thought I could make some squares from as I'm not well and it would keep me occupied. Do you still need them? I would be knitting. Also is there a particular needle size to use or a pattern - or do I just cast on until it's 6 inches wide?!

Size 4 needle/hook - six inches square of anything!

Yes please Error

Thanks Mhw and Susan thank you too

MrsH is right Sandwich and if you are knitting garter, I find it approx 33stitches cast on.

You are all fabulous! x

For our Refugee Project, thank you to all who made these separate squares and to lovely PM for joining and edging. All just fabulous, you stars. XXXX

PH You star. This is for our Refugee Project and it is glorious. The most enormous thanks! Xxxx

For our Refugee Project from the very lovely JM. Huge thanks, more children helped, just fabulous. X

Two fabulous hats for our Refugee Project from the very lovely NPMarvellous, you star, thank you! xxxx

Great thanks I'll get knitting

you x

An enormous thank you to all who made these fabulous separate squares for our Refugee Project, and to lovely PP for joining and edging. All just brilliant, you stars! XXXX

Beautiful little cardis for our Refugee Project from the very lovely PHThank you so much. XXXX.

For our Refugee Project, super squares from the very lovely GD. Perfect. Thank you! XXXX

This beauty is for our Refugee Project from lovely PH. Thank you so much, tis glorious. X

Beautiful and all for our Refugee Project from the very lovely PM. Thank you so much. XXXX

Adorable woollies for babies in Lesvos with our Refugee Project, thank you so much PM. Xxx

For our Refugee Project from the very lovely PH. Gorgeous. Thank you! XXXX

This will be on our Facebook page later, but we know not all are on there...

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 :) 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

Easyfundraising is a brilliant site, good idea.

Sitting here crying over Bowie and crocheting like mad....

Thanks lovely Marci xx

Morning! For our Refugee Project from the very lovely WP These neck warmers are just super. Thank you so much. xxxx