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.

Am sitting crocheting a hat as we speak.

Sorry to be reading the OP and then asking yet another question that contradicts the instructions...but if making a whole blanket (as opposed to individual squares for joint blankets) or hats/scarves/gloves etc., can we use wool? I bought a lot of wool at the start of the summer (Rowan superwash merino) as it was on special offer at £2 a ball in John Lewis and have enough to make a large blanket or several small items. Just thinking that wool would be warmer. However, realise that you may be specifying acrylic as it is easier to wash or for getting-through-customs reasons!

Also..have you changed the privacy settings on facebook? I can't view the facebook page anymore: it keeps asking me to log in!

Would it be ok to use aran or even chunky for adult hats and scarves, as it will knit up a lot quicker?
I haven't knitted gloves for years, I'll give some a try and I should be ok to do some mittens too - will mittens be of any use to adults do you think?

was wondering whether you were going to do this.

another request for chunky/aran. Not for squares but for scarves.

Morning all

How could we not BlackeyedSusan? And what a fantastic response, so heartwarming, brilliant. THANK YOU

**Chunky and aran is perfect for these smaller items like gloves, mittens, hats etc. We totally hear you about how much quicker things work up! Thank you

We are recommending using pure wool just for smaller items, easier to dry than say a whole blanket - is that ok Mhw ? Thank you

We haven't changed any settings for our Facebook account, but that doesn't mean that FB hasn't Sorry for this, we know not everyone is on there, will have a look today, see if there is anything Knotty or I can do.

And re the mittens Ginxed They are supposed to be warmer aren't they? I'd def say go for it, and thank you

Thank you everyone! Such s

Just sorting offspring - will be away to PMs as soon as possible, thank you

Just a thought if you are making a scarf make it a bit longer and then turn the ends up and you have a scarf with mittens attached, much less easy for a child to lose a mitten.

Can you PM me the address please, just finished a scarf.

I'm in! Thanks for the opportunity to do something practical. Will start tonight.

DD and I have been pompomming and when I told her about this thread she wanted to knit her first square!

We've got some Stylecraft and also some Patons Fab DK which looks similar - will this be OK? Might have a go at scarf/hat too, I think I've got some chunky wool

I'm so glad we are doing this

Thanks, I do have some stylecraft as well so all good! Have finished a hat. Have now decided I like making hats, so will make some more.

Ooh I'm so pleased Woolly Hugs are doing something. I just saw another thread on here and felt so angry and ashamed of how people were talking about fellow humans so it is lovely to come here and see lots of people who do care.

I'm already working on the simple baby jumper pattern as a friend shared the Knit for Peace website elsewhere. It's really easy and knitting up quickly. I've recruited my mum, she's going to donate a jumper she's been making anyway and then hopefully some gloves. Now I'm going to badger my sister too, I recently taught her to crochet so I reckon she could manage a simple scarf or some squares :)

Thank you for organising something so positive

Baaaaaaaaaaaaackkkkkkkkk

Knotty and I are avoiding engaging with all negative threads here, because the reaction of some just beggars belief, it's like they have forgotten that we are all just human beings.

But this isn't a thread for political debate, this is about humanitarian action, and about folk with big hearts, and what we can do together. So bless you all, thank you doesn't even come close.

Pompomming!

Love it, Jules thats just brilliant, how lovely she is, and what a great project for her to learn on. Love how lots of our children are getting involved too, really very special.

Patons Fab DK is um, Fab

Away to Pms now, so glad we are doing this, thank you everyone, such s

sashh - you have mail from us xx

Thank you Mhw, teawamutu and LeslieKnope

and all the fabulous Mums, sisters ALL rellies joining us, such a huge family effort, we LOVE IT!

I'd love to help with this - I've ordered some of the stylecraft wool but I've just found a ball of 90% acrylic/10% polyester sirdar snuggly dk which I'm guessing should be okay to get started with. Will see if I can get some friends or my daughters (aged 6 and 8) involved - I taught them both to knit over the summer. So glad you're doing this - thank you!

I have put a call out to my Mum and my crafty friends at the office so am hoping to be able to get a good few squares together to send in. I will PM you re posting details when I have something more tangible to post (managed 2 and a half squares last night ).

What is the date to get them to you?

Morning, thanks both, marvellous, we've said last posting to be October 31st, but any time sooner is marvellous, especially for squares so we can get our hooky crew compiling into blankets.

Thank you

Bump

I have sent you a message, I think!

Yes , you have and you should have a reply

I've sent you a message too, Knotty

I have some 6 inch squares here to send you - could you PM an address please? New to this :) Thank you to all those who organise this and work quietly and tirelessly to help others.

Also, when I search Woolly Hugs on facebook I get a page that's all in German

There is something very nostalgic about a group of mums knitting blankets for refugees, even if we are an online group. It's nice to think they will be going to people who truly need them.