Please or to access all these features

Woolly hugs

Woolly Hugs is a charity established by a group of Mumsnet users. They knit / crochet handmade blankets and other items for families experiencing difficult times.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

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

977 replies

KnottyAndPistey · 15/01/2017 09:33

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

Thanks
Zombie and Woolly Hugs. Our second thread! Come and find out about Candy's Hugs, all very welcome.
OP posts:
Thread gallery
162
TheWoollybacksWife · 04/02/2017 09:45

Oh my, that is stunning Shock. Thank you Purple. I love the "Rainbow" colour way.

KnottyAndPistey · 04/02/2017 09:55

Ah no this was in Chichester!

Have a look at this too LEM for variegated yarn in brights

Thread is coming but MN on a go slow, won't currently let me preview, so going to make aBrew and try again in a mo

OP posts:
KnottyAndPistey · 04/02/2017 10:17

There is a real glitch in MN this morn, new thread is ready to go, but preview just isn't working, trying to update and add links and it is wonky, have even tried switching it on and off!

Gah

Will try again later, if it looks like we will run out we might just have to go with wonky!

OP posts:
Lucysdiamonds · 04/02/2017 10:51

Wool and needles arrived this morning, thank you! I'll get started this evening Smile I haven't knitted for such a long time, hoping it'll all come back to me.

ChippingInLovesWoollyHugs · 04/02/2017 10:55

K&P. It's a shame you can't make Candy's funeral, but we all know she'd rather that you were having a fab time & just gave her a thought while having fun! What day & time is it, I'd like to do something to mark it. I'll even wear something flamboyant - not my usual white/white/white 😁

I know you wouldn't just randomly decide to use squares for an Auction blanket, I was just saying, that as far as I'm concerned, anything you decide to do is more than fine by me. I'll definitely do some squares for it if you decide to Auction a blanket.

MrsD. It would appear your DD is causing far too much trouble at your house, I could drop by & pick her up this afternoon if you like...no bother. I'm not giving her back though, she's FAR too cute

Ferret. Welcome 🍫Brew.

Norks. It's lovely to have you joining in the woolly chatter after all this time. I think we convert most people eventually 😂 I love 'squectangles', it's a nice word to say too! I'm going to have to find ways of elbowing it into my daily life....🤔

RedGrape. I LOVE your flower. I do NOT crochet, but I'm going to have a go at that later.

Salad. That's a fab square. That tighter, orderly, style temps me to think about learning to crochet.

Chaz. Well done! 💐 That a fabulous first square!

SittingInTheSun. I cast on 35 in this wool for plain knittng.

The school blankets are going to be 'interesting'. Infants & juniors, knitting or crochet, any wool. 🤔😂

ChippingInLovesWoollyHugs · 04/02/2017 10:59

Lucy. Good to see you! It's great they've arrived! What colours do you have? If you struggle to remember how to knit, there are loads of good online tutorials to get you going again. I use the 'make a slip knot', knit into it & then knit between those two, to cast on.

Lucysdiamonds · 04/02/2017 11:07

Hi ChippingIn Smile [waves]

I've got lovely vibrant turquoise and pink.I think I'll be ok getting going, just unsure of patterns .. I'll have a look at some of the links.

BiggerBoatNeeded · 04/02/2017 11:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

KnottyAndPistey · 04/02/2017 11:28

Totally beautiful, and be right with you, thank you Thanks

OP posts:
fivepies · 04/02/2017 11:29

Hi everyone. I have a dozen or so squares ready to go, can someone let me know the postal address please? Thanks x

KnottyAndPistey · 04/02/2017 11:31

Knotty and I have just left a trail of pesky ends over to our new thread...

Please no one get left behind :) Come on Zombie, we are moving Thanks

Last one out please switch off the light. x

OP posts:
SpiralArchitect · 04/02/2017 11:51

K&P, there is a C&H in Chichester, so you weren't hallucinating Grin

They have about 10 stores in the wider SE area...

ChippingInLovesWoollyHugs · 04/02/2017 11:55

BiggerBoatNeeded. Fab squares, nice to have you 'on board' (pathetic pun intended 😂). If you PM Knotty AndPistey they'll give you the address. (just in case you don't know, go to one of their posts and to the right of their name is 'message poster').

Lucy the turquoise is lovely, I'm knitting it in stripes. Have fun!

MadisonAvenue · 04/02/2017 13:55

Started to get somewhere with making a granny square whilst learning from Bella Coco. Did four rounds and it actually looked like a granny square, then on the fifth round she fast forwarded and didn't give a voiceover so I'm in a mess again.

FrenchDucksSayCoinCoin · 04/02/2017 14:31

Well, that was a lovely way to spend a morning... The crochet workshop was fab. I'm extra pleased with myself because I struggle with anxiety around new people and new places. I was shaking so badly that one of the other participants carried my cup of coffee for me. That's the thing though, isn't it, people are nice, they help each other out, and I can go again now that I've done it once.
I made three flowers and a heart. I also finished my latest square late last night, so photo attached. I'm going to try that pattern again now, it was nice to do once I got going.

Zombie and Woolly Hugs. Our second thread! Come and find out about Candy's Hugs, all very welcome.
MrsHathaway · 04/02/2017 15:34

How lovely, Ducks, on all counts Star

Marcipex · 04/02/2017 15:40

Ducks those look great.

ChippingInLovesWoollyHugs · 05/02/2017 05:28

FrenchDucks. They're FAB! They look really good on the dark weave square. Really well done for going - it's not easy pushing outside your comfort zone! 💐

BellaGoth · 09/02/2017 20:57

Hello everyone, I hope you don't mind me sneaking in. I've admired what you all do for a long time so yesterday I started learning to crochet. It will be a while before I'm up to Woolly Hugs standard I think. My mum is teaching me and she's left handed (I'm not). For some reason she's learned the US terms, though goodness knows how, she learned from her Mum in the 70s!

Whilst I practice, may I hang out here and hope that some of your creativity rubs off on me, please?

MrsHathaway · 09/02/2017 21:28

More than welcome Bella!

ChippingInLovesWoollyHugs · 10/02/2017 01:59

Hi Bella

You're more than welcome 💐

We are all over here on this thread now.

Come & join us!

bookbook · 10/02/2017 08:50

Bella - my DD has been using the Bella Coco tutorials ( see the link? Grin ) and its fab - I decided to try while on holiday , as I am a knitter, and it's very good!
and yes - we are on a new thread , as per *Chipping :)

BellaGoth · 10/02/2017 14:06
RainbowDashing · 10/02/2017 18:21

Question from a newbie... When you say 6" do you mean corner to corner diagonally or along one side? Thanks Flowers

flutterworc · 11/02/2017 00:37

According to t'governm't, knitting and sewing needles are permitted on aeroplanes, so I can't see an issue with crochet hooks...

www.gov.uk/hand-luggage-restrictions/personal-items