Woollyhugs > Articles by: woollyhugs

Welcome to the Winter of Woolly Love!

We know some folk like a project over our winter break, and this year we have the most perfect project, our newly launched Chernobyl 2022 project!

 

Knitters and crochets alike and all levels of ability, let’s aim for as many squares as we can?!

All crafting info is in the link, if you need donated yarn to be able to join in, just message us.

Thank you so much everyone! Last posting for our Winter of Woolly Love will be February 1st.

Chernobyl 2022!

LAST POSTING FOR SQUARES AND BLANKETS IS JUNE 14th! THANK YOU XXX

 

 

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia as we all know is incredibly devastating and many of our families have had to leave. Obviously this project was up in the air for a while, but Elizabeth and team and going to take our blankets to them, final details will be sorted later, but in Poland/Moldova and potentially Ukraine too. An extraordinary effort.

 

For many years we have been making warm, comforting blankets for Belarusian and Ukrainian teenagers and children visiting the UK for recuperative holidays during the summer with the fabulous charity the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline, Chernobyl Children’s Project and the Friends of Chernobyl’s Children. Devastatingly for the children and their families COVID has put these trips on hold. But as 2021 proves, we can get the blankets to these children AT HOME!

You will, we hope have seen the beautiful happy and heart warming photos over the last week or so of children in Ukraine receiving our blankets in their schools and at home. So much more than just a blanket, these Hugs send love, hope, friendship and warm comfort to the children and their families.

So in 2022 we hope to repeat this, and with your love and support we’d like to get as many blankets to as many more children and their families as possible. We will need to pay to get them over (think this year it was around £1400, which per child is very little) but we can do this!

So in 2021 there were 175 blankets, could we dare hope to match this?

We need YOU!!

Here’s how you can help…. We are focussing on collecting blankets and separate squares

Squares. We need twelve inch squares in the Stylecraft Special DK palette as in photo and listed at the bottom of the page, if 12 is too much, 6 inch squares are fine too, just this yarn in these colours please, inc for embellishments so the blankets come together and are consistent for wash and wear. Knit and crochet equally welcome, beginner or expert, as simple or complex as you like, single colour, multi colour. Design of square up to you, but not too lacy, they need to be hardy. Please use a 4mm hook or needles. If sizing is a challenge with your pattern/tension, we prefer them just under sized rather than over! SO IMPORTANT! Please ensure you knot off every end/colour change very very securely, leave approx a 6 inch tail end and use a needle to sew in. These blankets have to be super sturdy as there is no way back to fix them if squares collapse.

Whole blankets We know some crafters love to make their own whole blankets and this is wonderful! Please use SSDK. Finished blanket size remains the same at 48inches by 60 inches, and please work within the colour palette.

Donating funds As always we like to be inclusive and would love to send yarn to folks who otherwise would not be able to craft. In addition,we already know there will be the cost of transporting them to Ukraine and would be incredibly grateful to anyone who would like to donate funds for this project.

Our Paypal is admin@woollyhugs.com

Bank transfer

• We are a Cooperative account in the name of Woolly Hugs
• Account number: 65579631
• Sort code: 089299

Please do inc your name so we can thank you properly.
Any funds raised from our Spring/Easter sale in 2022 will be used to support this project too. 

 

The 2022 Palette

  • Aspen
  • Aster
  • Bluebell
  • Boysenberry
  • Bright pink
  • Candy floss
  • Citron
  • Claret
  • Cloud blue
  • Cornish Blue
  • Cypress
  • Denim
  • Duck egg
  • Emperor
  • Empire
  • Fondant
  • Fuchsia pink
  • Grape
  • Grass green
  • Kelly green
  • Lapis
  • Lavender
  • Lime
  • Lipstick
  • Lobelia
  • Magenta
  • Meadow
  • Mustard
  • Pale Rose
  • Parchment
  • Petrol
  • Pistachio
  • Plum
  • Pomegranate
  • Raspberry
  • Saffron
  • Sage
  • Sherbert
  • Shrimp
  • Spearmint
  • Spice
  • Storm blue
  • Teal
  • Tomato
  • Turquoise
  • Violet
Bless him, Tortie always has to get in there……. Thank you lovely Lisa McA for doing these pics xx

 

 

 

These photos are from Belarus, taken in 2019. Just lovely!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much everyone!

Little Hugs for the Teen Cancer Ward at the Royal Marsden.

 

We are delighted to be adding the wonderful teens and young people being treated at the Teen Cancer Ward at the Royal Marsden into our Little Hug project. The Teenage Cancer Trust Unit (TCTU) at The Royal Marsden’s hospital in Sutton is a purpose-built unit for teenagers and young adults aged 16 to 24 years. The first delivery will go just before Christmas 2021 but we will be continuing into 2022. So pleased we can do this, we hope you are too. Thank you so much everyone. xxx

 

All Crafting info is under Little Hugs in Ongoing, there link is here…

 

 

And there is more about the Hospital here…

A Snug for Christmas 2021 – the Photos!

Absolutely delighted to let you know that ALL Snugs for Christmas are now away – to SE London, East Midlands and Middlesborough. All truly made and sent with so much love. Thank you so much everyone. We do love to take a big photo, made challenging this year with storms and grey skies, but for the briefest moment the sun shone ( on the righteous!) This project will run again in 2022, same crafting info as this year, destinations confirmed as soon as poss. This is such a wonderful project, so grateful we reach as many children as we do. And that is all down to our wonderful, generous crafters.

Thank you again lovely people xxx

2022. Calling all knitters! We need hat and scarf sets for wonderful Care Leavers this Christmas!

Last posting please November 21st

We’ve been contacted and asked to help a wonderful group make as many hat and scarf sets to be given to care leavers at their organised Christmas Dinners this year.

Care Leavers Christmas Dinners were originally set up by the poet Lemn Sissay to help communities provide a Christmas Day for young care leavers (of foster and care homes) aged 18-25, who often spend the day alone.  It aims to be a magical day to be cherished and remembered by those who attend. Please see the link which gives more detail regarding The Dinner: http://thechristmasdinners.org.uk/

One of their lovelies, Katie coordinates knitters to gift hand knitted hats and scarves to include with the presents given to the care leavers. The Care Leavers project collected around 200 hand knitted and donated hat and scarf sets last year to gift to care leavers in Leeds and Bradford and two Christmas Dinner groups in London.

The aim this year is to gift hat and scarf sets to as many Christmas Dinner groups across the UK as possible. Hopefully the dinners will go ahead as normal this upcoming Christmas, with care leavers being able to gather together for food, pressies, company and fun on the 25th. Regardless of what happens, they still gift these young people hand knits to ensure a cosy Christmas.

Here is where we come in….

If you would like to be involved with the project and knit a hat and scarf set for the care leavers attending the upcoming Christmas Dinners in the UK, READ ON YOU LOVELY PERSON!

The crafting info is specific and precise, so if you are keen, make sure you are meeting their criteria!

We will need folk to commit to a hand AND scarf set

Crafting Info

  • The chosen patterns (Wheat Scarf and Barley Hat) can be downloaded for free from the Tin Can Knits website (see link below). If any knitters prefer to knit flat rather than in the round the alternative hat pattern we ask them to use is the Basic Family Knit Hat pattern which can be downloaded for free from the Yarnspirations website (see link below).
  • We ask that the hat is made WITHOUT the pompom.
  • We ask that the yarn used is machine washable, aran weight  in solid, gender and cheery neutral colours. Thinking about this we’d suggest reds, oranges, blues, greens, plums, purples, greys, black?
  • Adult size please.
  • Add a Christmas label sending Christmas wishes and letting the recipient know how best to care for their gift.

Unfortunately hookers will have to sit this one out as there is no given crochet alternative. Or maybe this is the time to learn??

http://tincanknits.com/thesimplecollection.html

https://www.yarnspirations.com/gb/caron-basic-family-knit-hat/CAK0316-004426M.html?fbclid=IwAR2Y-QzmXUr_yN0XH4vNw3KsAvR-FJdwVJmdgbmE-9RFNH7xW3wLA6cMzM0

They would also greatly accept any knits for children and babies, as young care leavers attending the dinner sometimes have children of their own. The two hat patterns include sizes for babies and children, but any pattern can be used be it hats, garments, booties, etc. Any colour of yarn can be used for children and babies knits.

Posting will be Teddington. 

 

Thank you SO MUCH!!