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

Last posting, does it mean to arrive by that time, or post on that day?

Are you counting the minutes down Spin?

I've got some Candy squares to send next week, plus some Kinship squares.

I've been a bit slow this last week, I've had a cold (thanks oldest son for spreading your germs) which I keep thinking is going but then comes back with a vengeance. Also, my lovely Mom's brand new hip dislocated at the weekend and landed her back in hospital. I've not felt like doing much apart from sitting here sulking.
I've not even been able to get out and walk the dog for miles to clear my head. He has one more day of antibiotics (it's his second course and longer and stronger than the first, this makes a total of three weeks of antibiotics though), a daily clean up with special doggy antibacterial wipes and hopefully the vet will give him the all clear when we take him back tomorrow evening. The paw's been looking good since the weekend but I don't want to take him out and risk it again until he's seen the vet.

Hello all. It's been quiet over here due to a toddler bout of chicken pox and keeping a grumpy 2 year old occupied in the house and garden for a week. She's nearly scabbed over now though. I have some refugee squares and bits to send next week. I then have some lovely donated yarn to use over the summer for more refugee stuff.

Claire it's the last day for us to get them in the post, then we can start posting again on 2nd September.

Hello Nerr hope your little one is feeling less grumpy now!

Afternoon!
well, its posted off. I don't like to leave it to the wire
Madison - hope your DM is okay - it is always worrying when something like that happens .
Nerr poor you - chicken pox , baby + toddler = tired I bet. I have started some refugee hats , and picked up some lovely Sirdar snowflake in a charity shop today , just need to decide how best to use it - hat or jumper .

Right, must get squares in the post next week. Thanks for the prompt all.

Progress has been slightly hampered by arrival of new mini-beasts though. They're 7 weeks old and LOVE a ball of wool... And yes, that's the Attic 24 coast ripple - still not quite complete though!

Morrrrrrrrrrning!

Morning Knotty!

Morning all!

Madison is that the same paw as before? Did they say what was wrong?

diamante You have kittens you lucky thing! They are so sweet I love your blanket too. I have started learning the ripple stitch, it's not too bad once you get into it.

I'm hoping to get a little hug in the post by the cut off. It's not coming along as fast as I would like. I'm using the shell blanket pattern and I feel like I'm having to go round twice to do one round.

I discovered yesterday that you can work peskies in as you go. There are lots of tutorials on youtube but I like this one the best because of the cat bombing.

for everyone feeling under the weather.

Morning K&P

Book thank you, she's home now and doing much better. No idea how it actually dislocated as she was sitting in an armchair at the time!

Norman yep, same paw. The vet just said it was a hot spot. He had a week of antibiotics which more or less cleared it up and then we had that really hot spell of weather which didn't help and seemed to reactivate what hadn't cleared up and it was worse than before after a couple of days. It looks fine to us now though, back to normal, just have to see what the vet says later today.

Madison oh yes, counting away!

My dad got really fannied around with with his hip replacement - loads of rescheduling etc which was deemed to be his choice (after having been very strongly "suggested") so it didn't show up as a long wait in the stats. Then eventually he got it done, and dislocated it a few days later. He was on the floor for hours until an ambulance could come and retrieve him back to the hospital. There are times when I am incredibly proud to work for the NHS... that whole episode wasn't one of them.

book it was 27 degrees yesterday afternoon, same today. Not long now, at least!

Spin is your Dad's hip okay now? My Mom had her other one done 17 years ago and it's never given her any problems.
We've had issues with appointments for our boys. Last Autumn our youngest had one, we turned up only to be told it had been cancelled a week previous. The cancellation letter arrived the next day. His rescheduled one was cancelled and then so was the rescheduled rescheduled one. Our oldest has a routine appointment next week. He went to work one day last week, the 28th, and a hospital letter arrived for him after he'd gone out at around 2.30pm. When he finished work at 8pm he opened it to find that his appointment had been rescheduled for 11.15am - on the 28th!! It'd been sent out 2nd class on the 26th.
That's just a small aspect of the NHS though, it works brilliantly in other areas.

I've finished another couple of squares last night and today.

I saw the number of kits going out to the construction crew on Facebook earlier. I'm wondering whether to have a go myself.

Yeah, this was all several years ago now. First time round they did just one side (ball? socket? anatomy not my strong point... I'm not clinical, don't worry...) but then when they revised it they did both, and since then it's been fine. He's had a limp since childhood (TB), and 75-odd years of compensation wore out the hip on his good leg!

evening!
It has been just too hot - poor you Spin , - hurry along now babySpin :)
Madison - I was thinking the same about a kit, but am just not feeling I have the experience yet for one . I am working on a bit of courage as well!
I see they are asking for Candys ready for September, so will be doing those and kinships mostly. I had started on refugee hats , and a Little Hug too. So much wool and crotchet, so little time .....

I made my own squares + construction Little Hug to train for Construction Crew and it was much easier than I had anticipated despite being a mixture of knit and crochet. Give it a go!

I'm doing a squares/sampler blanket for my DCs' first ever first cousin due in the New Year. It's in Sublime cotton and just heavenly to work with, even in this heat. It's coffee shop shades between babyccino and flat white so the opposite of Candy's in terms of colour

I'm expecting my next construction kit(s) in this batch. I'm addicted. So lovely to have a nosey over everyone else's squares and then tease them into shape - amazing how the variety of sizes all magically ease into line with a stern hook. Love it.

The hardest part is choosing layout...

❤️The Summer of Woolly Love ☀️

We have already sent 25 beautiful women a Candy's Hug so far, and requests are coming all the time, we'd love to be able to help everyone. Soooooooo...

www.woollyhugs.org/…/…/06/the-summer-of-woolly-love/

If you are looking for a lightweight portable project for the summer, we really need squares!!

Last posting for our Summer of Woolly Love collection will be September 30th, but obviously the project will be ongoing.

Colours here as well as on the post, as always our aim is to be inclusive, so if you need yarn to join us, please post below or message, we'd love all on board. xxx

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! xxxxx

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

Another two requests arriving last night, will have sent five out this week xx

That's just amazing how it's taken off - such a shame they're needed in the first place though 😞

As I said on fb I'm back on candy squares and will hopefully have enough to send off next week, then will keep on over the summer, even though it's our busy time I'm still managing to get a couple of squares done every day

My yarn is ready to be packed for my trip away (I'm halfway through a little blanket with my SSDK yarn cakes).

I'm hoping my small pile of candy's hugs grows over the summer, although it would help if I hadn't accidentally used pistachio instead of lime (I know they'll get used somewhere, so it's not the end of the world).

I'm freeeeeee!

Spin - enjoy !

Wow, that level of demand is amazing (and also really sad...)

I'm really enjoying both making the squares and also getting inspiration from everyone else. I love crocheting in the evening but don't know what to do with the output - this is so ideal. Zombie, let this be one of your many legacies - it's brought together so many people and in such a good cause.

Have been quite quiet recently due to kittens, but hopefully will pick up over the summer - we've got a week in Dorset which will include plenty of chilling crochet time.

Am back on candy's squares, and have stocked up with more colours. Need to advance to more challenging squares, but i travel a lot (trains and planes) so find crochet very convenient for this.