Zombie and Woolly Hugs. OVER HERE!! Come and find out about her legacy of Candy’s Hugs, newcomers and old hands, all very welcome

[KnottyAndPistey]

Welcome to the most beautiful corner of Mumsnet, here the love and support is boundless, these are the folk you need to be around, come and join us, you'll not regret it :) Our inspiration comes from the wonderful Zombie, a true legend who continues to inspire us.

We knew her time left with us was short, but the news of Zombie’s death on January 30th was still a 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

So many blankets with beautiful women going through treatment now because of your love and support. Thank you doesn't even come close. xx

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, maybe a bit unsure, 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 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 xx

Nothing wrong with a bit of ambition Cheep I have so many things on Pinterest or bookmarked on my laptop that I want to make (honestly, it'd take a lifetime ). I think it's seeing 'new' patterns/stitches that keeps me interested, there always seems to be something new to try. When I get round to it, I need to attempt cuddly toys but I think that really does need serious stitch counting skills.

I still have a habit of missing the last stitch and ending up with something that's more triangular than square sometimes

I have to use stitch markers for anything over 10 stitches (mine are just like plastic safety pins).

I did some Manchester squares last night and then realised I'd used a colour not on the list so they've been diverted back to Candy's hugs. So I've had a proper sort out of my yarn today and now have 5 different bags relating to different projects so I don't get mixed up again (that's totally normal right?). I'm starting to understand people who have a 'craft room'

I love Sarah and Duck :) - we all start with interesting squares Cheep
Raptor - I don't have a craft room , but my spare bedroom does have an impreesive full chest of drawers with wool sorted out. And yes, mine is in project bags ( well, almost....) !

Crying at FRUIT BOWLS

We totally love them already, thank you

Morning all

Celebrating the start of #VolunteersWeek today with the most enormous THANK YOU to our wonderful Woolly Hugs crew, crafters and donors alike.

Every stitch, every moment, every penny given freely, ordinary people doing extraordinary things, proving one person CAN make a difference. So many children and their families feel love, support, comfort, kindness and compassion through your overwhelming generosity.

Loved and looked after. To you all who make it all possible THANK YOU!! xxx

Can I please propose a toast to KnottyandPistey for all they do in organising, encouraging, persuading, sorting, constructing, and generally making this world a better woolly place. You make us all feel included and that our small (for myself) contribution is worth it, and for that THANK YOU
(am terrified of "public speaking"!)

Hear hear Seven

Well said Seven chin chin

Woolly Hugs is so very inclusive and so very welcoming to everybody. K&P really do do spectacular work

I've been on a long hiatus from volunteering (burnt out from a decade of PTA crap - the idea of committees still brings me out in a cold sweat ) and I'm so pleased I've found something to be a part of again.

Cheep I don't have a toddler but I have cats who think yarn is very tasty (especially when it's moving)

hear hear seven / (delete as appropriate)
raptor i have cat/crochet issues too...... He gets very disgruntled when I try to crochet as my lap becomes unavailable (or i move too much)

Very much agree Seven
(and now its later ) for K&P -
they really make me feel as if I am doing something so worthwhile :)

Yes, wtas. So very encouraging!

EvilDoctorLad would like to know: does he have to give the Hug back if he gets the all clear? 😆

Hear hear Seven and 🍾

My cats just try to eat the wool or steal the balls, but MadKitten still thinks they're her babies (though that might just be a ploy to get dd to give her treats or catnip).

I have the same problem with my eldest cat. Everytime I get my crocheting out he thinks he can play with the ball which makes it that bit more difficult to work with. Can I give a belated cheer to K&P for all the help, effort and work they put into all the different projects they start up and keep track of. I don't know how you both do it xx

< late to the party, checks out leftover nibbles and decides on another instead >

Totally in agreement with Seven and Crafty , who summed up The Fellowship of the Wool much more eloquently than I could have done .

Evening all!

Looks like I'm a little late to the party too, but I would like to add my thanks to K & P as Woolly Hugs wouldn't be what it is without them.

I confess to working on a shawl for myself at the moment, as well as blankets for each of my sons. It's coming on a treat and I'm left wondering if I will ever go back to knitting now as I'm completely addicted to crotchet 😳

Pictures of it a couple of days ago 😁

Joining in the "Thank you"s to K&P, this is probably the first real charity thing I've ever done, it's very rewarding but also inclusive and so friendly that it really does make me feel happy to be doing it. So win win I guess
I saw my puff flower squares on the latest Candy Hug on fb, going to a young girl with bone cancer, I'm really pleased to have contributed to something that will give her some comfort.

Lovely shawl Witch , I'm currently working on Manchester squares but I'm planning on making a blanket for my DM for Christmas, it's a bit daunting but if I start now and do it in between WH projects I might have a chance of finishing it in time.

I'm a bit late but I'd love to toast K&P too

Witch that's really lovely. I know just what you mean too about knitting. I've only been crocheting for a few months but enjoy it so much more than knitting. I can't imagine picking up my needles again.

Lovely shawl Witch - I have been eyeing up the virus shawl instructions :)
And I totally agree with you and Madison about crotchet. I have to just finish a knitted baby jacket , and I will knit for the personal hugs as I feel I can interpret better with knitting, but crotchet is so easy in comparison, and much easier to pick up and put down. A true revelation to me :) so may thanks again to K&P

RR I noticed your puff flowers too. Looking good.

Love the shawl, Witch. I'm picking up DD's blanket again now I've posted a parcel of squares.

I joined these threads somewhen in Jan/Feb as a lacemaker who could knit/purl but had to look up how to cast on and off. Now anyone who comes between me and my crochet hook (or my knitting needles, actually) will feel my wrath!

It's nearly done, just one more lot of the pattern to go, which is 4 rows. Trouble is it takes about an hour per row now! 😱

Am already addicted to crochet, and am really enjoying Tunisian crochet. Back in Feb, my brother told me they were expecting in July. So I thought I would bite the bullet and make a baby blanket for them. He now says it's June!! Argh!!! Am frantically crocheting away now and wishing I didn't try to make a pair of booties instead!

I've just mailed a parcel of Manchester squares, Candy squares and some baby-sized Little Hugs.

Just looking through Facebook and my local woolshop (which is absolutely wonderful and has the nicest staff) has a large number of squares for Manchester. I read through and thought that someone else must've had the same idea as K&P - but further on it said that they're on the way to WH! They've put a link to the WH Facebook page too so hopefully that might tempt more people to join in the projects