Zombie and Woolly Hugs. Our second thread! Come and find out about Candy's Hugs, all very welcome.

[KnottyAndPistey]

Welcome to our second thread, may it be as vibrantly riotous as the first!

Anyone reading this thinking Shall I? Can I? Yes you can! :) We would love to have you on board, from someone who is keen to learn crochet or knitting to the more experienced, ALL are welcome here. And a lack of funds is no barrier, we have wonderful donors who want to take part and need a crafter, so we can send you yarn, needles and hooks if necessary. It is all about being inclusive and team work.

So let's crack on!

This then a C&P of the crafting info from thread one.

Our lovely Zombie (who has said she doesn’t mind being outed as Candy) has long been a supporter of Woolly Hugs, bless her for it! Recently she made a very kind donation to us, and we would love to start an Ongoing project to honour this remarkable woman, who we have both had the privilege of meeting, dancing and drinking with. wine wine She is utterly fab-u-lous. :)

After a chat with Zombie we have made a plan which she loves. We would like to make comforting cosy blankets with love in every stitch for women going through treatment for breast and other cancers, and at times these may form part of palliative care. They will be called Candy’s Hugs.

Zombie is a bright and beautiful woman so we have chosen a palette to reflect this which we call Vibrant Riot; it is inspired too by a blanket that was made for her to give big hugs as she goes through treatments.

Will you join with us? If you would like to be involved in any way, we’d love to have you on board. Please post on this thread and PM with your offers: crafting, donating, need wool, etc, we can help you with all of it.

The yarn is Stylecraft Special DK. Just this please for consistency, and in these colours...

Vibrant Riot Palette
Boysenberry
Claret
Empire
Fuchsia
Grass
Kelly green
Lavender
Lime
Lipstick
Magenta
Meadow
Petrol
Plum
Pomegranate
Saffron
Sherbet
Shrimp
Spice
Turquoise
Tomato
Violet

Squares to be 12 inch or 6 inch, crochet or knitted equally welcome, please use 4mm hook or needles. No blocking necessary and please sew in ends, and make sure any colour changes are firmly knotted.

All crafting abilities genuinely welcome, squares made by beginner or expert will be equally cherished. Simple, complex, single colour, mixed colour. It really is the love and thought that counts.

If you would like to learn how to knit or crochet in 2017, let's do it! We have help for the complete beginner here…. And are on hand to help talk you through as well. YouTube has lots of tutorials, you WILL find one that suits! smile

If you feel ambitious and would like to make a whole blanket, then that is wonderful, we are aiming for blankets approx 48 inches by 60 inches, certainly no smaller.

Candy’s Hugs will be an ongoing project, our first posting date is to be January 28th. Do message for posting info when ready.

We are on Facebook - Woolly Hugs and Twitter too @Woolly_Hugs both are good ways to keep in touch.

Thank you so much xx

Have posted my riotous squares this morning - here they are all together!

Chipping, the light colour on that heart square is sherbet. I think it being next to the lipstick and empire makes it seem a little paler than normal.

Chipping thanks! Accidental advanced shape . I've got a rectangle now, it's a bit bulgy at the edges, but after ten rows it is still twelve stitches wide, so that's progress!

So, I need some help, I've bought a practise ball of wool because I'm running out and my tension is all over the place, but that's just practise right?! (She says hopefully). Having established that I can't get Stylecraft in my town or the next nearest town I'm looking at Wool Warehouse and I'm thoroughly a bit overwhelmed by the colours. I want to get three or four colours, Petrol is leaping out at me, and Plum, but they are far apart on the screen and I can't tell if they go. Please can someone suggest two more to go with one or both?!

Perhaps something brighter? Saffron or shrimp?

Bear in mind that although a combination might be striking on its own (so you'd never make a jumper out of just those colours) you're making a square for the overall blanket which contains all the colours. The colours have been chosen to all go together iyswim so you can't be wrong.

In real life I find Plum and Petrol quite similar in that they're a similar brightness/saturation. Going for something pingier would give you a good contrast for stripes or other patterns, whereas knitting those two together is more subtle.

Okay I'm a novice knitter here and I haven't RTFT so sorry if this has been asked before. My first square was 32 stitches and has come out about 6 and a half inches (it was 6 after 4 rows but seems to have grown). The next one I did 30 stitches and it's coming out at 5 and a bit!

Are they ok at this size - can you sort of stretch them or squash them a bit or should I start again? and if I need to start again can anyone advise me how to hit 6 inches!

I am hoping to get started on my squares as soon as I get some Stylecraft wool, but could anyone tell me when the next posting dates are please? So I know when to have some ready by x

I've now got some wool, and I've started my first square. I'm doing these at work in my lunchbreak, as I'm finding it's helping me stick to my diet. I picked some reddish colours for a change, I normally go for blues and purples.

Although, I'm home sick today, got some bug and the mere thought of food is nauseating. Can't even wear my hearing aids as I've gone supersensitive to sound and touch.

SpiralArchitect

I wish we had the option to "like" posts, as I think your squares are lovely, and hope mine are as good.

RIght, I am finally getting there! Been a few years since I last picked up some knitting needles and not been feeling my best recently. These are just one row of knit Andy one of pearl but it gives a nice tight stretchy finish. Next one should might be more adventurous! Is it to post these or wait until my wools gone? I sat making them watching the BBC documentary on the nhs and it gave me a warm glow rather than thinking this is so sad and hopeless. To show some stranger that people really do care

I'm in. Just need to go upstairs and root out my box of Special DK. I am pretty sure I've got a couple of these colours!!

Spiral. I Love them all. My fav us still the spring/summer one (bottom left). I can see it's sherbert now, it must have been the horrible light in here last night. Eco friendly maybe, but colour friendly not!

FrenchDucks. Woohoo! Go you! I agree with MrsH. Petrol goes with loads of colours. I bought 12 the other day and there really using one I wouldn't put it with. Unfortunately I didn't buy plum as they were out of it.

As MrsH said, it's a part of a big blanket full of colour, you really can't go wrong. says she who spent an hour last night deciding what order to put the stripes in! I need Knotty to come & stay!

This is

Saffron
Lime
Tomato
Petrol
Violet

Just taken another shot on a slightly better background & in daylight.

When I was in the shop, some of the screen colours were very close to the real colour, others were WAY out and that was on the retailers order site.

Some are VERY oddly named too. Lime really is not, for example.

Afternoon everyone, just catching up. Spiral they are beautiful.
I finished a 12" square based on Melinda Miller's Basket of Berries. I just needed to add a few rounds to bring it up to 12". Now started another of hers called More V's Please. That will probably be my last one before posting. Think i'm going to do some Chernobyl squares then (70! ), before coming back to Candy's hugs for the March deadline.

Gah! Forgot the photo

Oh FFS it keeps eating my bloody posts! Grrrr

NotVeryHappyValley. They will be fine 😊 The very talented Hookers will do their magic. You'll get better with practice and with getting to know the yarn. Different styles will knit different sizes. If I was you I'd just do some plain knit squares until you know what is 6" for you with that. You can always do stripes or mix garter & stocking stitch if you get bored.

Raspberry. I hope you feel better soon 💐 I love knitting for Woolly Hugs because apart from everything else, I love knitting in colours I'd never choose for myself. white, grey, navy

Chipping that's what I love too, knitting in colours I wouldn't normally use or choose. I love getting a Woolly Hugs parcel and seeing which colours have been sent for me to knit up.

Feel better soon Raspberry

Medway. They look great! I don't know who Andy is, but he looks good in knit 😬 K&P have said that it's totally fine to post them as you go or all at once, so do what suits you. It's a good job they're in charge, my control freakery would frighten everyone off 😁

Hello Puppet - welcome to the madness 😊

Captain. That's lovely. I really like the stitch on the outside. I'm doing a 12" knit, I was going to do it for the Chernobyl blankets, but have put so many Zombie tears thoughts into it, I'm going to send it in for Candy's Hugs, then I'll start on some for C2017. Finish the 4th for Tunnocks and some for Little Hugs... I'm losing track. I have NO deal how K&P keep on top of it, I really, really don't. Knitting is SO slow compared to crochet, but I'm sure every little helps in some small way.

Chipping thanks for that

I'll carry on then and hope they can magic them into place.

It's lovely to be able to contribute and get all this great free advice. Keep up the good work.

Spiral I love all of those!

I reckon I'll have square number two ready to go by the 28th - yay! This one's lace in petrol with a knitted background of tomato.

I have no eye for colour, and no access to this yarn except online, so can you lot help me too? I've got tomato, petrol and kelly green. I think tomato and petrol go well together, but neither really goes with the green.

I want to buy two or three more colours to get lots of different two or three colour combos. Hopefully some lighter colours. What would you go for?

Madison. I was in the shop the other day [thankfully their Stylecraft is tucked away around a corner (though in a window, so, I was a 'live display!' 😁)] and I had one of each colour from the Vibrant Riot list (a couple they didn't have in the DK i pinched for 'colour' from another range) picked up, mixed up, moved about, stacked...it's really, really, not good for an indecisive procrastinator to be faced with so many options. I left with 12 balls 😂 I've had a lovely time with them at home deciding which ones to use first and I really want to go & buy more, but I'm making myself knit at least some squares first!

NotVeryHappyValley. You're more than welcome. I'm glad you found us, it's a lovely place to hang out 😊

Spindelina. The square I posted above has those colours in them. Spice, saffron, shrimp go with all three, meadow goes with petrol & tomato. I can post more later, but running late for work now....😁

Thanks so much MrsH and Chipping, that has really helped. I usually cross stitch so never have to figure out what colours work. I've absolutely never turned up to work in colours that my colleagues have had to tell me don't go together. Ahem. Anyway, wool (spice and saffron added) and right size hook ordered, exciting!

Hello lovely Woolly folk, need to catch up here!

Captain I love Melinda Miller's designs too. I will probably make some of hers for the Chernobyl project.

I feel all the angst over colours! I spend ages waving balls of yarn or my pegs around trying to decide what looks best...

I've got so many projects on the go right now.
Candy's Hugs, C2017 and the spring craft sale.
I've just bought turquoise and spice for C2017 it may sound odd but they look fab together.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight, and back in the room :)

Hopefully all PMS are answered, for now!

Welcome all new comers, very glad to have you here

Love how this thread is full of wondrous colour, beautiful squares, keep them coming!

How's it going SecretSix ? Gin?

Marci That leetle bag is totes adorable!

FiveGoMad Exam & outlaws? Gin for you too my love. GOOD LUCK!

Spiral Beauts as always!

Notveryhappyvalley It is easier for us if squares are under rather than over 6 inches, and if they stretch easily to 6 inches, all is well. Think your tension is just settling down. All will be well.

Zing Working on Monday - so it will have to be a shove through the door, soz x

Raspberry Hope you are feeling better x

Our second Candy's Hug is away to its new owner today, one of our own here on Mumsnet. ❤️ Truly love in every stitch and full of warm cosy hugs, we are thinking of her. xxx

Thank you lovely JE for your construction skills, and photos! X