Articles by woollyhugs

Having met with Tracy and the wonderful team at the Children’s Family Trust today to pass on our first collection of blankets to the ‘South Central’  group  and hearing how much our Snugs will mean to their looked after children, we are keen to launch phase two – a Snug for Christmas. We shall need your help to achieve this and have yarn if you need, please message.

Snugs for Christmas will go to children in the Midlands region, so throughout Birmingham, Solihull, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire. Yet again we come with a very big ask!

 We are looking for 12 or 6 inch squares in the Snug palette or even whole blankets if this is something you would like to make. 

Collection dates – our next for squares and whole blankets, is Monday 22nd October 2018. 

About the project

We are aiming to make blankets for children (0-16years) who are being looked after within the Children’s Family Trust. The Children’s Family Trust work with these children aiming to give them stability and security through to adulthood, helping them achieve their full potential, with the ideal being fostered within a family for life. We would like to make these children something permanent, that they can take with them wherever they are.

Crafting Info

• Yarn is Stylecraft Special DK – just this please, inc for any embellishments.
• Squares to be 12 inch ideally, or 6 inch if that is too much.
• Knit and crochet equally welcome. Beginner or more experienced crafters also equally welcomed.
• Please use a 4mm hook or needles.
• No blocking please, and please ensure you are knotting off very thoroughly when colour changing or finishing, leave a 6cm end and use a needle to sew it in.
• We are asking folk to avoid using a magic ring (crochet) to start as find that these don’t seem to always stand up to the pressures of wash and wear.
• Please read the list of colours in our palette carefully, the list is below.
• Squares to be single colour, multi colour, textured, whatever you like, they will be wonderful, thank you.
• If you’d like to make a whole blanket, please use these colours too, makes thing easier at the giving stage! Whole blankets to be 48 by 60 inches, we would like them all to be single bed size no matter what age the child.

The colours are a twist on a rainbow theme…

• Aspen
• Aster
  Bluebell
  Cloud Blue
  Cypress
  Duck egg
  Lapis
  Lavender
  Lincoln
  Lipstick
  Lobelia
  Magent
  Meadow
  Pistachio
  Plum
  Pomegranate
  Saffron
  Sage
  Sherbert
  Spice
  Storm Blue
  Tomato
  Violet

Please message us if you need the postal address, but it will be the South Coast address.

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This is a wonderful project making cuddly friends to give to children in Belarus. It is run through a charity we have supported for the last two years with summer blankets called Friends of Chernobyl Children who as well as bringing children over, work with families in remote areas in Belarus experiencing extreme poverty in very challenging conditions.

Yes, we know we are starting this in July! But we know how much time and energy these things take.

Can you help us?

• We are looking for homemade cuddly friends to go and give huge hugs to children this Christmas time.
• Knit, crochet, sewn all very welcome indeed.
• Teddies, rabbits, people, this bit is up to you!
• Avoid white and very pale colours for practical reasons.
• Size wise – approx 20 – 30cm, not much bigger please for transportation purposes.
• We don’t know exactly the ages of the children who will receive them, so please avoid buttons and trimmings that might be dangerous for little ones.  Think safety!
• These are for boys and girls, neutral is good, but we would love some aimed at each too.
• Our Christmas Hugs will be given to the children during December/January in time for the Orthodox Christmas

Last posting for our Christmas Hug project is November 1st.

Thank you so much, as always. xxx

Welcome to our Christmas Craft Sale 2018 for the amazing charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young)

So pleased to announce that this year’s Christmas craft sale will be supporting the amazing work of CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) For EVERY family affected and always remembering WatcherOfTheNight’s daughter Ashlee who tragically and very suddenly died unexpectedly, later it was found out she had died from Sudden Arrythmogenic Death Syndrome. They had no idea.

Every week in the UK at least 12 young people die of undiagnosed heart conditions. Since its formation in 1995, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) has been working to reduce the frequency of young sudden cardiac death (YSCD). CRY supports young people diagnosed with potentially life-threatening cardiac conditions and offers bereavement support to families affected by YSCD. CRY promotes and develops heart screening programmes and funds medical research. CRY publishes and distributes medical information written by leading cardiologists for the general public. CRY funds specialist referral, screening and cardiac pathology services at leading UK hospitals.

CRY offers subsidised ECG and Echocardiogram screening to all young people between the ages of 14 & 35. All of CRY’s public events are free to attend. This is a fabulous charity doing much needed work and we would like to support them. *We will send a third of all we make to CRY and use two thirds for Woolly Hugs’ own ongoing projects to help keep them running and inclusive. 

Every penny raised will go to help others, we hope you will support us, either by crafting, buying or even maybe both! Thank you so so much. x

*Crafting info…*

We are aiming to make and sell small/lightweight Christmas craft items, and to keep postage costs to a minimum we ask that ideally anything made can be sent on to a buyer in a large envelope. We are open to larger items too obviously, that is just a guide.

Some suggestions for you, but we are very open to others too…

• Stocking fillers, although obviously Father Christmas is REAL, this is just to help.
• Christmas tree decorations, bunting, garlands, general decorations. Always very popular, as are totally bonkers quirky things, yes we are thinking gin wreaths, woolly slugs and sock pigs, who knew??!  😀
• Stockings
• Small gifts – Little bags, purses, brooches, hair accessories, key rings, gift bags, tags,
• Clothing items such as gloves, hats, scarves, – if making clothing PLEASE inc the ball band or let us know so we can pass this info on to those who buy. xxx
• Lovely lovely things!

Woolly, fabric, embroidered, beaded, all crafty crafts welcome!!

*Last posting for crafts to be Monday 29th October please. It takes so long to get ready for a sale! Please PM for the posting information.*

*The Event itself…*

Our Christmas Craft sale and Auction will take place ONLINE on a Facebook Event page as before, between Wednesday 21st – Sunday 25th November.  

Some items will be up for instant sale on this event wall during this time, others through auction on our Auction Site which will help folk not on Facebook, or those who prefer to take part in this way.

We are keeping it all crossed that this Sale will be a huge success, with your love and support we have every confidence, huge heartfelt thanks.

Remembering Ashlee  x

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Welcome to the Summer of Woolly Love, 2018!

We are hoping to make as many 6 and 12 inch squares over the summer holidays focussing on adding to Snugs, Kinship’s Traditional and Classic palettes, plus Candy’s Hugs and hope you will be able to help us. So a little summer holiday project if we may, a perfect lightweight portable activity, perfect for sofa, park, beach, plane or car, 6 or 12 inch squares in the colours below – we can help there, just message us if you need yarn to be able to take part, this is an inclusive project, but please only take yarn if you will be able to use it, fundraising is a constant worry for us, and we need to be sure folk’s money is spent carefully!

All these squares will go to very much needed blankets for individuals, very much in need of a cosy comforting Woolly Hug.

• The yarn is Stylecraft Special DK. Just this please for consistency, and in these colours…
• 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.

Important re finishing off squares!

We want to be able to use all squares, and need for them to be sturdy and built to last. Finishing off is key here and very easily done. So once finished (or changing colour)

• Securely double knot off
• Leaving about 6 inches of yarn cut the end off.
• Then using a needle, sew in the ‘pesky” end so that it disappears in the edge of your square.
• All squares must have their ends sewn in please.

The palettes

Please make sure your squares fit in to one of these…

If you would like to learn how to knit or crochet in 2018, crack on! We are on hand to help talk you through.. 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.

Squares to be sent to us from September 16th, do say in your note they are from this event!  Address will be Teddington, do message us if you need it.

We are on Facebook – Woolly Hugs and Twitter too @Woolly_Hugs both are good ways to keep in touch.

Thank you so much x

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