Zombie and Woolly Hugs. Please join us, newcomers very welcome. Come and find out about Candy's Hugs.

[KnottyAndPistey]

Her legacy of Candy's Hugs will be one of love and strength, of coming together to show compassion, support and give and receive comfort.

Seven blankets already with women on the rocky road of cancer treatment in Candy's name. Love in every stitch we say and it really is true. Together we go on, Candy is with us every step.

For anyone joining us, and please do, this is an ongoing project, just jump right in, this explains what we are doing and all crafting info. Thank you EVERYONE! x

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.

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.. and third 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 to give hugs and comfort 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

pterobore that blanket is lovely! Lots of lovely squares on here too.

I'm just bagging a seat until I can join you properly, I'm nearly halfway through a Chernobyl blanket which I'm loving doing, but I'm sort of jealous of all the lovely square patterns everyone else is doing

Thanks Chippin and WitchDancer for the peskies advice. I think I've done it all wrong. I used a fat darning needle to take the end back to the edge and then I sewed on the spot about 5 times. Sometimes I've taken two ends that we really close together and have joined them with a double reef knot and then snipped them. It all looked secure but not elegant - I hope it's not going to undo - knew I should have asked first - damn!

I promise I will sort out posting my squares this week!

In the meantime, can anyone recommend a good wool for direct contact with newborn skin? Would need to be washable too. Bear Cub is going into a Pavlik harness on Monday and I want to make her some little leg warmers to keep her pins warm but a lot of the wool I was looking at today in the shop felt scratchy and/or stiff (its going into town tomorrow where there is a better class wool shop).

bearfrills I always like Sirdar snuggly for newborn baby hats and things like that. Knits up so soft. John Lewis sells it

Fab, thanks pterobore! I can pop there when I'm in town if the bigger wool shop doesn't have it

Bear what weight/yardage do you need? I've got a load of milk cotton I'd be glad to share. Coffee colours and I think some navy. Let me know.

Don't worry Scallion I'm sure the assemblers will be able to disguise it

I usually just use Stylecraft for hats and things but I want something really soft with it being on her bare legs.

Bear I am impressed you made it to the shop, never mind making squares! I think I was still shell-shocked and living in a very grubby dressing gown when mine were so little Hope you're both OK now.

For everyone saying they've not managed many this week I've done 3 total - every little helps though I guess!

I normally work in double knit MrsHathaway, she's only got little legs so wouldn't need very much to get a pair of leg warmers. What can I give you for it?

Amethyst DH is very grumpy that I'm not camped on the sofa his face was a picture when I announced I was taking the DC climbing, had to point out that I wasn't actually going to be climbing.

I have literally spent the whole day sewing in ends & I have a parcel of 8 x 12" & 4 x 6" for Candy's Hugs & a blanket for Little Hugs ready to post off on Monday. My bum hurts from all the sitting

pterobore that blanket is gorgeous - what a lovely job

bear I've replied to your other thread - sorry to hear about your wee girl but it's fabulous that they've picked up the issue so swiftly, my DD was 16 weeks before she was diagnosed so we had a slightly different journey

I'm about to get my act together to finish off the 2 that I've started before night shift tonight

i too have spent a good part of the day weaving ends. I REALLY need to do this as i go along.

7 12" squares and 9 6"ers. The 12"for chernobyl and 6" for Candy's.

Is the adress for posting the same?

Still have loads more yarn - happy happy happy

well, having a quick break, and thought I would pop on here to see waht everyone is up to. Doing an irritatingly easy, and at the same time, slow pattern, so decided chocolate was appropriate - (not much left after DH scoffed half of it the other night-- good for my diet I guess ,< sigh> )
bear hope you and baby bear are okay - a relative of mine had a baby who needed a harness, but fingers crossed all goes well. I was going to suggest Baby Bamboo by Sirdar Snuggly.
Laniakea - that is an impressive pile -!
Right - back to annoying square....

just seen your post LEM - address for Chernobyl is different - you need to pm K&P

Norman. Just join us, we've been chatting about all sorts, K&P haven't told us to shut up yet 😁 (We did offer to bugger off to another thread, but we are quite comfy here). I'm looking forward to seeing your blanket. I've done a couple of CTC 6" squares, I couldn't face doing a 12" - then I see whole blankets done like that...and I just want to run screaming, the idea of the same stitch 40 million times just does my head in. Shame really as I love the look of the wave or ripple blankets.

Scallion. It sounds like they'll be secure enough, especially being on the edge they'll probably get 'caught' in again when the Constructor crochets the squares together.

Bearfrills. So sorry to hear about BearCub having to endure the Pavlik harness, poor little mite. I've had some experience with them with cared for children, we went with baby grows or leggings, either under or over the harnesses, depending on how often we could remove them. If you don't want/can't do that, I'd try a Baby Cashmerino, such as THIS

Laniakea. Ooh that looks very exciting, I wish I could open them!

RedGrape. I hope you have a peaceful night at work.

LEM they look lovely all stacked up, you've done loads. Poor Bob will wonder where they're all going 😁 A couple of days ago Pistey said to send all of mine to the same place as I sent Tunnock's. They might get the Chernobyl only sent to one place & mixed ones sent to another, there are SO many blankets they might be spreading them out a bit.

Hi all - thanks for the peskies advice. I had a 12inch stripey with loads of ends and have just woven them in as recommended - looks good and secure and I can't believe I didn't know that.
Bearfrills - good luck for baby bear not minding the harness too much. I was born as extended breech apparently and was in one (a long time ago) - I don't remember it! and my hips are fine. My mum's main problem was that at the time most babies wore little dresses and she had to amend them. The consultant at the time told her it was a recent idea and was thought of by observing that African women carried their babies over their hips and the babies didn't have hip problems. My mum still gets a bit teary about it though.

Oooh new thread!! My assembly line is still in progress. Funny though, the pesky endy stage is a bit full. Must do ends, must do ends...

Nowt to do with squares I know, but I'm quite pleased with this for the church fair. Now it's done I can crack on with squares again!

Back

Having a proper break now . I've done 2 x 6" today for Candy's, but off to do another 12" for Chernobyl when I have recovered

I am still managing to sew in ends before I start another square
Witch - that owl is adorable - do you have a pattern I may use? ( my DD loves owls....)

Bookbook it was one I bought from www.knittingbypost.co.uk
Fun to do but I really don't like doing loop stitch!

ooh, neither do I ! - may give it a miss :)