Zombie and Woolly Hugs. ALL very welcome to join us, come and find out about her legacy of Candy’s Hugs.

[KnottyAndPistey]

We knew her time left with us was short, but the news of Zombie’s death on January 30th was still a sad shock, we send so much love to her family and her many, many friends who love and will miss her greatly, we hold our happy memories of her very dear. Bless her.

Just before Christmas, Zombie donated funds to Woolly Hugs and together we hatched a plan to develop an ongoing project with her, which she loved, 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.

So glad we could establish Candy's Hugs with her and thanks to you wonderful people achieve her ambition of seeing it all well underway before her death. Her legacy of Candy's Hugs will be one of love and strength, of friendship, learning and developing crafting skills, of creativity, of coming together to show compassion, support and give and receive comfort, Such a beautiful inspirational woman. How lucky we were to know her. X

Raising a glass or two to the fabulous Zombie, we go on together

Anyone seeing this project for the first time, wondering about joining in, make this the day you do! This project is ongoing, and a friendlier more supportive bunch of folk you couldn’t wish to meet. 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.

Our previous threads are the first one here and the second one here..

[[https://www.facebook.com/pg/Woolly-Hugs-349028448480855/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1339798112737212
We are keeping a photo album on our Facebook page.]] All welcome to join us over there too.

Zombie was a bright and beautiful woman so we chose a palette to reflect this which we call Vibrant Riot; it is inspired too by a blanket that was made for her as she went through treatment. She had it with her at the end, we were so glad to know it still gave her love, big woolly hugs and comfort.

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 all on this thread are on hand to help talk you through as well. YouTube has lots of tutorials, you WILL find one that suits! :)

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 next collection date is March 11th, then April 22nd. 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. All welcome over there.

Thank you so much xx

Wool has arrived yay, house and DC may be lightly neglected today as I get to grips with hugging.

Good luck Bear enjoy snuggling.

Good luck Bear

How exciting - a Woolly Hugs baby!

LEM Hope you're feeling better and that Bob is looking after you! DH & the DCs have had a vile cold but I've managed to avoid it so far.

Lovely squares everyone. I am still Chernobyl-ing but keeping an eye on this thread.

Yunno, this is feeling suspiciously like a quiche now.

Right you lot . Who's chopping onions?? My friend has just emailed me to show me the stunning Candy's hug that her friend has just received. She has terminnal bowel cancer and is hoping to get to Germany for treatment that may extend her life a little. She has 3 small children and its just not fair :( She love's her blanket and is planjing on taking it to Germany with her

Thank you so much on my friends' behalf and thank you Candy. What a legacy

Good luck Bear! LEM that looks very cosy, hope you feel better soon.

I knowwhat you mean Polter. It is very bittersweet. She is a friend of a friend. Ironically, the friend who taught me to crochet in the first place. I remember her from ballet lessons as one of her Dc is the same age as my dd2. Life can be cruel sometimes. Fuck you cancer, fuck you to hell.

Lots of love with it, I'm sure LEM. If good wishes have any power at all, she'll feel it.

LEM huge good wishes to your friend, lovely to hear that Candys legacy is already reaching those in need of hugs. But I have to agree with a massive FUCK YOU to cancer, it's just so bloody cruel

bear how exciting that today is baby bear's birthday. I am uber jealous of snuffly newborn cuddles

chipping I suck at asking for anything so the thought of pestering K&P is giving me palpitations! Seeing all the projects they're involved in they must be snowed under

And MrsHathaway A quiche? Like an actual mumsnet quiche?! I feel like a fully fledged member of mumsnet now! I was one of the many lured in by the penis beaker and ended up staying when I realised what an amazing collection of people mumsnet attracts. I think Zombie's thread going on a midnight trip to help someone in trouble and the surrounding furore was one of the first I read

Hello everybody, I introduced myself on the old thread by accident! Oops.

Anyway, I have started learning to crochet so I can join you. It'll be a while before I'm up to Wooly Hugs standard. My mum's teaching me and she's left handed (I'm not!). She's also somehow managed to learn the US terms. But we're muddling through.

I had a go at a granny square. It's not very neat and I used a variegated wool so it looks wonky because it changed colour at a funny place. I did it though!

And here's my wonky first attempt.

Thank you Polter that's very kind of you! I'm just playing around at the minute, getting used to the stitches. When I get the hang of it I'll get some of the right yarn and have a crack at a proper one.

That looks pretty good to me Bella

Yarn arrived, thank you kind yarn donors, making a plan & will start knitting this afternoon while visiting poorly mum in nursing home xx

love in every stitch

Oooh, I'm envious of those of you whose wool has arrived already. I hope mine will be tomorrow.

I've just finished a baby blanket for a friend due in march and I'm going to whip through another hopefully before the wool comes. I have so many patterns in my head!

Bella, that's MUCH less wonky than my first attempts just over a week ago! In fact I may have inadvertently invented a new stitch and not in a good way.

LEM, so sorry about your friend. Not anything I can say to make it better, I know. But it's lovely to think of her wrapped up in all the love from Candy's Hugs. Wishing her all the luck in the world. Life is such a bugger.

MrsH, I'm rather partial to quiche!

Am poorly in bed. Very poorly indeed. Can't knit and am hoping that my mum will come and look after me as I Am Very Ill Indeed.

glares at Baby Dilligaf who made me ill

Hello all

Just popping in quickly to catch up, but can't stop for long 😡 Irritatingly boring crap needs doing. Grrrrrrr

Glad to see my link worked Bella 🙂 Annoying about the colour changes, but the square itself is great!

SevenTillFour 😬 I hope you love the bamboo needles!

Amethyst. It grows a lot after the initial couple of rows. Still, on everything you've knit a bazillion squares you'll know exactly how many you need for this wool in various styles 😫😳🙂

LEM. I hope it brings her some comfort to know she's being thought of. 3 small children 😢 Definitely a large Fuck You cancer. Bastard thing.

Bear. Come on! We need baby news!!
hope you're all doing well 💐

I'd love to stay & chat & crochet, but got run! Deep envy of you all snuggled up in woolyness!

LEM All good wishes to your friend - hope she can feel all that love from her Hug.

Get well soon, MrsD

Bella I do so many US patterns that I get mildly confused by UK terms now. It's probably heresy to say this, but I think the US terms make more sense...

I forget who asked but yes my needles are definitely 4mm not size 4

I cast on 25 stitches and that seems to be coming out slightly under 5.5 inches so I think I will continue then stick a crochet border on perhaps?
I'm glad to be making progress anyway!

I've been looking through all the lovely WH pics on FB and saw these blankets - does anyone have a link to a pattern/guide as I'd love to make one

Those are lovely Vittys - look like a marathon effort!

Here are the results of my sickie day - really pleased with the tricolour square as it had 3 hooks (expert - preens) 3 hooksin the book not 3 actual hooks! I love looking at everyone's squares.

Bob hasn't ventured far!