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

[KnottyAndPistey]

Surely the best corner of the Mumsnet, all are welcome here and if seen this for the first time, join us, you'll be glad you did. 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.

A bit of background
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

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

We have several previous threads now, have a look at the Woolly Hugs topic.

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.

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 dates are October 28th and then January 28th. 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.

We start this new thread having sent out 46 Candy's Hugs to wonderful women, extraordinary, thank you.

Thank you so much xx

Hey book lovely to see you too! We’re having a stressful time here in rl - I’ve been trying to approach it all with humour and using ‘rational adult’, as it were. Trouble is, it’s not really working, and at least two things are becoming rather major.

So, it’s nice to see all you sensible lot again! I have a large stash of refugee, Candy and possibly Chernobyl squares growing on my shelves, but at least as many peskies waiting! I can send them off once I’ve done the final colour checks. Possibly half a dozen large envelopes’ worth. Maybe more cost effective to do a parcel.

book we’re doing well thanks. DS is still, er, attached, so I’m getting plenty of crochet time .my finger might just have slipped on the Deramores website though... that’ll help my stash problem... blaming you...

Stitchit it’s a lovely pattern, and not hard - especially with the photo tutorial. I’ve done the circle in one colour and then squared it off in another. Then kept going for a few rounds until my yarn ran out. Sophie’s Universe is a bit too much of a challenge for me still though!

Jux, sorry to hear RL is tricky.

Morning all
Jux - okay to give you a unmumsnetty (hug) ? sounds like a hard time. I cannot put away anything as finished until the peskies are Done ! :)
I am just getting a big parcel to send off for the last posting ( think its Dec 2nd?) I have found a new craft friend locally, so I have hers to add to mine to send. I find the Post Office Small Parcel 2nd class the most efficient way - its 2 kgs , but just have to squish really hard to get it into the size bracket - 45 cm x 35 cm x 16 cm . Its a bit like packing for a holiday, and sitting on the lid of the suitcase
Spin - time flies - but you manage to do stuff while still attached - amazing !
I was quite good with Deramores, just the Chernobyl wool , but that is due solely to the fact that I knew I was going to a Knit and Stitch fair yesterday . I was not quite so restrained there . I erm bought wool, and now have to find what to use it for ! Though tbf , some was for making Christmas presents special stuff. But oh, there was such luscious yarn everywhere

Hugs are always lovely, book, thank you. Thanks for the tip re parcel, too.

Welcome back familiar friends!

I have a dilemma. I promised to make DS some decorations for his tree (we have two let him decorate one with all kinds of tat). I've managed Rudolph but only with a lot of swearing and frogging. And Santa is worse. So do I persevere but hate it, or admit defeat and go back to squares which I find do much more relaxing?

Oh and tried to persuade DM (knitter) to join us today but she wasn't sure - has knitted a couple of jumpers for DS but doesn't think she's very good (which is rubbish, I can't knit so am hugely impressed). Can any knitters suggest Christmas presents to get her into the swing of things?

Sorry for lack of paragraphs. Sodding app - they show as new rows on there.

Morning
Diamante - he is ^gorgeous* - my tree has all sorts on - including some very dodgy/made with love ones made by my girls at brownies and guides, but I would never, ever not use them. That to me is what christmas is all about - perfection of memories, not sterile bought stuff :)
I would not worry so much about 3D decorations - you have done two already. I would go with Stitchit - crotchet snowflakes, little circles, even flat christmas trees .
Are you on Ravelry - loads of ideas on there HERE.
For your DM as a knitter ( can you get her to knit some decs? little knitted squares into bags, padded, then maybe his name stitched on the front?) so, yes a nice knitting bag, maybe with pouches to hold needles/stitch holders /darning needle etc . how about a voucher for a local yarn shop . Even a nice book of patterns . I love those, even though I have lots !

Posted this little vibrant riot today - all made by DD. She has definitely got the hang of the granny square

diamante he is so lovely!!

Spiral what a star your daughter is!

Stitchit there'll be no stopping you now you've found a SSDK stockist!

I've been doing some early Chernobyl squares, I've got 3 12" done so it's a start!

I also bought a Christmas crochet magazine last week so I might have a look at doing something out of there tonight. I fancy filling the house with holly leaves and snowflakes.

DD started crocheting over the summer...having sneered at my hooking in the way that only a teenager can, she found herself at a very loose end once revision and GCSEs were over and BEGGED me to teach her!

I am 60-odd rounds in with Sophie's Universe, then I'll be on Chernobyl 2018 squares. DD can keep going on the Candy's and Kinship squares...

Evening!
Stitchit - join the clan of I couldn't resist buying yarn !
Spiral - clever DD - and you are doing a Sophies! I haven't had the courage to a complete blanket.
I am frantically rather busy trying to finish off a Little Hug so it can get posted off this week for last posting, along with some Candys and a few bits of refugee stuff, so the decks are cleared.
Also making some snowflakes for Christmas ...
And then I then start on my Chernobyls - all the wool has arrived
and I have 2 construction kits, but they are not urgent - I have until posting in January for those.

Stitchit my strongest memories of childhood are of sitting in the chair by the fire with my mother while she knitted. She tried to teach me but I wasn't interested then, she had much more success with my older sister, but the basics stuck with me.

I have two boys so they just humour me although the youngest, he's 17, wouldn't like it to be known that I taught him to knit when he was young.

I'll have a look at Attic24, thanks. I keep intending to look on there anyway as I'd like to use one of her blanket patterns to make myself a scarf.

Stitchit, love your Christmas things. Thanks for the pattern, I shall certainly be giving it a go!

Lovely squares by Architect’s Clever Daughter!

I have just now started a Chernobyl ‘18 square. I have quite a few refugee square to go, and really MUST pack them up and send them off.

Attic24 have some lovely patterns, don’t they, and so do Ravelry. I have patterns for a nice star and a nice snowflake downloaded, which I shall do once I’ve sent off my refugee stuff. I feel guilty doing things for me when i javen’t ‘signed off’ what I’ve already done.

Yes, I have tried Tunisian. It's hard esp the tension but so very pretty. Unlike most crochet you can't really stop mid-row so it needs uninterrupted calm time (ha!). There's a square of it in the baby blanket for DN who is due to arrive in the new year. How clever of bookbook to remember

My Candy WIP is winking at me. I'm full of a cold watching CBeebies with DC3 so I could put my fingers to work ...

I am loving tunisian.

Such a huge range of textures and techniques. Am loving practising with colour changes at the moment.

I recommend 4.5 needles for the Stylecraft Special DK wool though, as you need it a little bit looser. I don't find a problem with the tension.

I am currently making my self a blanket of different sample squares.

No idea where my Tunisian hook is. It can't live with my normal hooks because it's a foot long. But it isn't in the crochet drawer or the crochet cupboard or the yarn stash

So instead the attached. And now I must tidy up