Woolly Hugs. Billie’s Butterfly Blankets for a London Children’s Hospice

[KnottyAndPistey]

This is a very special project to help support bereaved families at a London children’s hospice.

We have been approached by lovely MrsDV who works here asking if we can make special blankets for the bed in their Butterfly Suite (post bereavement room) so these will be used to to dress the bed with. We are so glad she did. At an intensely bleak and dark time there is still something very positive and personal that together we can do for the child and their family.

Our blankets are always handmade with love and compassion and so are perfect. We can help care for the whole family at this time by covering the child in bed so they look comfortable and cosy whilst sending love and a hug to their bereaved parents. Loved and looked after.

The hospice would like to have these blankets in hand for time to come so that they can be ready.

We need your help to achieve this for them, we always say love in every stitch and it will be true again this time, thank you so much if you feel you can help. Our aim is to make four single bed sized blankets, two suitable for younger children and two for older. The hospice have asked for soft colours and with a butterfly theme

If you’d like to donate funds to help us achieve this, please message us, or if you need resources to take part then do let us know. We don’t want anyone unable to take part due to cost.

Crafting info

We will be using Stylecraft Special DK as blankets will need to be very practical, six inch squares made using 4mm hook or needles. Knit or crochet equally welcome.

The colours…
Duck egg, grape, sage, storm, parchment, pale rose, raspberry, cloud blue, sherbert.

NB – Just these please, no blocking of squares and please knot off sturdily when changing colours or finishing, leave a good end and use a needle to sew in the peskies.

Simple squares are very welcome, but if looking for an idea for theme, these are their suggestions…

Butterflies/Hearts
Teddies, cars, toys, cats etc
Stars, leaves, feathers etc

Last posting please to be Saturday 14th October

Thank you doesn’t seem enough, but the most enormous thank you.

Five I think I have seen some of your posts , and sounds like you could do with a shoulder to lean on too Scared

Morning bump coffee ☕️🦋

Oooh coffee! Good morning Chipping

Morning, big coffee here please! xxx

Hugs Five, always here for you lovely xxxx

Posted this on FB this morn, tis very true

Afternoon Maddison. A little 🦋 Tells me you've not been well. I hope you're on the mend, take care of yourself 🌷

Five. ((Hugs)) 🍷💐

KP That just feels so, so right for here. So right 💕

Hi all
I agree Chipping - and nice to see you urging on the troops :) ( not that we really need much urging ...!)
Managed to get another one finished. I think I prefer the size on this one
I did a square which turned out to get too big, so am carrying on to turn into a 12" kinship now ....

Two squares down, heading to London this weekend, just me, myself, a couple of books, wool and some needles.

well another square - should I have done the features in black I wonder?

Have a good time Five - a nice de stress weekend I hope

bookbook Your squares are really beautiful.

You are very kind clown - others do more beautiful squares , I'm just the one who posts pictures :)
Another one finished

They are truly beautiful. I cannot knit or crochet, but I can make a financial contribution to assist with buying wool or postage, or whatever.
We do what we can, but what a fantastic project. xxx

bookbook. Lovely squares, as always. You're so productive. He's a very cute 🐻 However, yes, I'd go over the top of his features in black if it was me, just to make him even more handsome 😊

Five. I hope you're enjoying/have enjoyed your weekend lots of snoozing, knitting & sunny walks around London. I love London, I really miss living there.

🤡🤡. Financial contributions are every bit as necessary as the squares themselves. However, if you get tempted to 'have a go' either knitting or crochet, we are all more than happy to help you learn 🙂

I have been 'on a roll' getting stuff done around the house this past few days, and it's at the stage of 'looking worse before it gets better' 😖 But I will get onto the squares this week.

Hello.
What lovely squares!
We had our memory day today.
These blankets are so important.
Thank you all x

MrsDV

book these are all beautiful!

Chipping thank you, I'm starting to feel like I'm getting back to normal now. I haven't eaten chocolate for 10 days though now so I must've been ill!!

ChippingIn Thank you but I know my limitations 🤡

Managed to finish another one
Slightly wonky balloons ...
Done with much love

Morning ☕️☕️☕️☕️

Madison. OMG I am SO sorry. I didn't realise you'd been that ill. Dr Chipping is writing you a script for 'A bucket load (technical term) of your favourite chocolate'. As it's a prescription others are not permitted to eat it 🍫

MrsDV. Hope your Memory Day went as well as could be 🌷💕

🤡 Yep. That's what they all say...

...resistance is futile, the bug will bite you in the end, might as well give in now 😂

I've knitted since I was little, but never crocheted, a MNer once tried to show me. Nope. Witchcraft. Then we needed a LOT of squares for the Chernobyl blankets & the crocheters were churning them out at a rapid rate & so many lovely patterns. I caved. Online tutorials are the 🐝's knees! Rewind watch rewind try rewind watch rewind try again...😂 But it's fabulous because it's just SO easy to undo a little bit & do it again (unlike knitting). It's very addictive 😁

Anyway, I'll leave you in peace now, but when you're ready to give it a go, just let us know 😂

bookbook. Another great square! The balloons aren't 'wonky' they're moving in the breeze!

Love the balloons book 🎈

Yep Chipping I was that ill! So strange because usually when I'm ill I comfort eat chocolate and biscuits, I'm not one of those people who goes off food when ill. 13 days with no chocolate now, it's actually done me a favour as I could do with losing a stone. Next year is crazy with big birthdays, weddings and a holiday (first time me and my husband have been away alone since 1993!) and I want to get back in shape.

That was why I started crochet too, when I knew that with knitting I wouldn't be able to make many squares for Chernobyl. My mom tried to teach me to knit when I was a child, she'd succeeded in teaching my older sister and she still knits now and does some absolutely beautiful work, but I was always too busy a child to sit still so got no further than the basics. I intended to teach myself a bit more than the basics a few years ago and kept putting it off but it was seeing Woolly Hugs which spurred me on. I volunteered to knit some squares for a blanket and then though "oh blimey, what do I do now?" when it came to actually starting 😳 so online tutorials came to my rescue. Crochet still totally mystified me at that point though 😋

A couple from me - will try and get some more done before I post them off.

The top one is meant to be a star, although now I look at it, maybe it's more of a snowflake. Oh well, good intentions and all that.

Huge hugs for MrsDV xxxxxxx

Squares are arriving - have been posting them on the FB, if anyone would like to copy them over here, please do!

We have a lovely donor to thank, finds safely here and we are truly grateful for every penny, thank you

clownfaces

You star, we have earmarked that money to buy the joining and edging wool, so you will have contributed to all four of the finished blankets, wonderful, bless you xxxx

Oh bookbook how utterly beautiful your squares are.

I can't imagine what the families must go through, if these blankets give even the tiniest bit of comfort they are well worth doing extra special love in these squares.

Thank you Knotty