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Continuing into 2024 with an additional new pattern! ! Christmas Hand Knits for Care Leavers is GO!

Please do not post until we are back after our Summer break next year! Last posting please November 22nd

Variety is the spice of life with a new additional pattern!

This is a wonderful project we have worked on for the last couple of years.

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, with care leavers being able to gather together for food, pressies, company and fun on the 25th.. Please see the link which gives more detail regarding The Dinner: http://thechristmasdinners.org.uk/

One of their organisers, 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.

Here is where we come in….

If you would like to be involved with the project and knit a hat and scarf gift set for the care leavers attending the 2023 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 to knit??

http://tincanknits.com/thesimplecollection.html – the wheat hat and scarf are here

https://www.yarnspirations.com/en-row/products/caron-basic-family-knit-hat?_pos=3&_psq=caron%20basic&_ss=e&_v=1.0

The NEW SCARF! https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/boyfriend-scarf-8

New for 2024

– The Classic Cuffed Hat, which can be downloaded from the Purl Soho website https://www.purlsoho.com/…/2014/10/22/classic-cuffed-hat/. Again, please make the hat without the pom pom.
– No-purl ribbed scarf from the Purl Soho website https://www.purlsoho.com/…/09/12/no-purl-ribbed-scarf/

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.

Please remember you are making a wonderfful Christmas gift so do take time to write a gift tag, wish them a Merry Christmas, and tie up the set together. No need to wrap, the young people get to choose a colour they would like.

Posting will be Teddington. 

 

Thank you SO MUCH!!

 

Looking forward! The Great Spring/Easter Craft Sale and Auction 2024. March 5-9th

Thank you so much for joining us.  All funds raised will go directly into our own Woolly Hug projects. 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 would love our crafters to make Spring/Easter 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. We will then sell these beauties through the sale.

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

  1. Spring and Easter decorations, bunting, garlands, Easter egg themes etc
  2. Anything sheep wise is always popular!
  3. Small gifts – Little bags, purses, brooches, hair accessories, key rings, gift bags, tags,
  4. Clothing – but lightweight please, we find heavier winter hats, scarves don’t sell well at this time. PLEASE include the yarn type or ball band so we can let folk know how to wash their new treasure. Socks are always very popular!
  5. Woolly, fabric, card, embroidered, beaded, all crafty crafts welcome!!
  6. Lovely lovely things!

Absolute last posting for crafts to be February 12th please, earlier is better for us if at all possible.

Please message for the posting information if you need, but it will be Teddington.

The Event itself…

Our Spring/Easter 2024 Craft sale and Auction will take place ONLINE on a Facebook Event page and our own Auction site attached to this website as before, between Tuesday 5th March and Saturday 9th March. ( Sunday is Mothers’ day)

Some items will be up for instant sale on our 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. Do message us if you have any questions.

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.

THANK YOU!!!!

The Great Woolly Hugs’ York Hugathon, Saturday 2nd March 2024

The Great Woolly Hugs’ York Hugathon takes place on Saturday 2nd March 2024 between 11am and 3.30pm. Our venue is at St Olave’s Church Hall, Marygate Lane, York, England, YO30 7DS. This is very near to the beautiful Museum Gardens, and easily accessed by public transport, The venue is accessible, with accessible facilities.  All further information is on the Eventbrite page, link below.

Please join us! And if you are worried about not knowing anyone,

Tickets will be on sale on Eventbrite from 7pm on December 1st, The link is here….

 

2023. It’s a WRAP! Our Review of a Woolly Whirlwind!

Appropriately on one of the Chernobyl blankets, photo taken in Lublin.

We trust everyone is enjoying the rest from the woolly whirlwind that was 2023! We feel we are still processing the Poland trip with the Ukrainian children and families, we were still there (at time of writing) less than 2 weeks ago. However exhausting it was, we both feel inspired to do more, energised too, so glad we could be there. Feeling the message of HOPE is so central.  More of this project later…

So as the old year draws to an end, we love to pause and to reflect upon the Woolly year just gone. We are filled with awe at the response and enthusiasm to all our projects, yet again folk never fail to amaze, the Woolly Hug crew are full of spirit, compassion, generosity, LOVE and care, truly it feels boundless. Crafters and donors what you do is incredibly special and precious, giving woolly warmth comfort to others. Incredible. We never take any of this for granted. Ever. What a woolly journey we are all on together!

It was BEYOND WONDERFUL to meet so many of you at our 2023 Hugathons. Our Hugathons are a wonderful opportunity to meet fellow Woolly Huggers who share a love of crafting. They are friendly and inclusive. It is a great time for chatting with your fellow Woolly crew and sharing ideas. We work towards creating squares for a given project, it was Chernobs at our most recent meet up. Hugathons are always vibrant and joyful. (With somewhat bonkers games of Bingo) If you worry about not knowing anyone, just let us know in advance and we will link you up, you’ll be glad you came!

We had the most fabulous journey around the UK in 2023! We started with our first Hugathon in January 2023 at Manchester, inc such a beautiful venue in the the stunning Victorian Grade 2 listed Stretford Public Hall, Manchester, (we are back there for our Christmas event 2024!)

Then in March we were off to the glorious St Columba’s by the Castle Church Hall (with the BLUE DOOR!) which is in central Edinburgh, just off the Royal Mile, close to Edinburgh Castle. We absolutely love this place and are back there in September 24!

Onto Central London next in September! Holding our Hugathon at the stunning Friends House, Euston Road. Friends House is a Grade II listed building, completed in spring 1927, for which the architect, Hubert Lidbetter, won the RIBA bronze medal for “best building erected in London”. How lucky were we?! Except I had Covid and had to stay home <sob>  thank you to everyone for picking up the slack,  but I had at least visited the place so knew what it was like!

Still not done, we were away to Portsmouth Harbour in October! Click on the link for the film clip… Thank you to Alexsis for letting us join with her Destash event!

And finally to Oxford for our Christmas Hugathon in December. All absolutely enormous fun, and it won’t be long before we start our 2024 Hugathon travels with Brighton at the end of January! 2024 will see us run events in Brighton( SOLD OUT), York, Lulworth, Edinburgh and Manchester. Watch out on our social media for Hugathon promotions, or follow us on Eventbrite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2023 saw the continuation of our Ongoing projects. Each really is going from strength to strength. It is wonderful to have such a range because it allows crafters to pick the most appropriate/relevant/most interesting to them. From here in the UK to as far away as Ukraine and Poland, children and families feeling love, warmth, support and comfort through our crafting. Isn’t that just amazing?

We sent a RECORD BREAKING (get hold of Guinness someone!) number of beautifully knitted hat and scarf gift sets for Care Leavers. These are part of the Christmas Dinners’ project started by the inspirational poet Lemn Sissay. There are now 34 of these dinners held right across the country, the aim is to create a positive memory, and bring happiness and Christmas joy to this group of 18-25 year olds who can be terribly isolated and lonely, especially around Christmas time.  The entire collection below and a close up. Very much a gift set. Absolutely fabulous and this will run again in 2024. All info is here…. Thank you! 

Our Little Hug project continues apace. We send to Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, which was our very first destination. This is a 256-bed hospital specialising in paediatric healthcare for children and young people up to the age of 16. When we first started of course it was Yorkhill. Our other destination is to Ward 2 at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle. We do send on request to individuals too. It is a very special thing to be ale to do for the whole family. Knit, crochet, fabric – all equally welcomed here.

    

Just a sample, there have been hundreds and all glorious!

We are delighted to have sent big collections of teen sized Little Hugs to the teen ICUs at Great Ormond Street and to the teen and young person cancer ward and children’s cancer wards at the Royal Marsden this year, most recently to the Marsden just before Christmas. Thank you to lovely Lucy Jarvis for delivering again in person. We know how much effort goes into these single bed sized blankets and so are truly grateful, thank you – these are loved so much by the recipients and their families. Thank you. This project will continue in 2024, all crafting info is here….

This beautiful bronze sculpture of two children is just outside the entry to the teen cancer unit.

Our Christmas Cwtch project is a festive edition of the Little Hugs project and these go to the Great North Children’s Hospital. We make them as cheery and Christmassy as possible, to help children and families in hospital and away from home have a bit of colour and joy. It is ongoing in 2024, all crafting info here, thank you! 

Hi, i just wanted to say a massive thank you as my son Milo received one of your amazing blankets whilst critical in hospital over christmas… it made it feel like even though we couldnt be home as a family to celebrate xmas, we were able to wrap him up in christmas thank you to all involved xx

“Little Iris wanted to say thank you for the gorgeous blanket she was given on the children’s ward where we spent a good chunk of her first five weeks of life and also the special Christmas one she received as a gift on her first ever Christmas. They definitely brightened our time there and we still use our rainbow blanket every day. Thank you to the lovely talented people who made them! Xx”

And who can forget the Christmas Cwtch Flying Tortie production this year?!

Our Candy’s Hug project, now into its eighth year goes from strength to strength. Our aim there has always been to make comforting cosy blankets with love in every stitch for women going through treatment for breast and other cancers, at times forming part of palliative care. It’s a project of love and strength, of friendship,  of creativity, of coming together to show compassion, support and give and receive comfort. Its a wonderful collaborative project, folk sending individual squares. Each blanket comes from so many. We miss Candy but are so glad her legacy lives onNo photo description available.

Thinking too of all the families in Glasgow and the surrounds who have received our Angel Hugs and Teds in incredibly bleak and devastating times. Love in every stitch we say and it really is true. These blankets are so precious and beautiful inside and out. 

Our Snug collection 2023.

 

This has been the fifth year of our Snugs for Looked after children project, our aim is to make blankets for children and young people (0-16years) who are being looked after in the foster care system. We make these children something permanent, that they can take with them wherever they are.  As always it was a wonderful response. The Snugs going this year to Looked after children in the South coast area. Here we are dropping off in Waterlooville. It is almost exactly a replica of a photo taken five years ago, except it was sunny this year. AND FREEEEEEZING!

New to us this year was our project with the Transplant Team. We were delighted to be approached by the Lead Governor for the Hampshire Hospital in Basingstoke who were desperately trying to find blankets (woolly and fabric) and 3D hanging hearts for their organ donation team to use with organ recipients their families and the families of those who are bravely donating loved ones organs. We jumped into action and have sent three deliveries so far, blankets and hearts. Just fabulous to be able to help. It is a lovely project and it will continue into 2024. All crafting info is here….

One of our first blankets for the Transplant team.

Our peony project has had a very successful first year, we are now sending both blankets and twiddlemuff/sensory toys etc. This project continues into next year, all info for both parts can be found here…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peonies on the way to the lovelies on elderly care at the RVI back in April.

 

And if this wasn’t enough folk together we very recently sent £500 to the Multiple Sclerosis society through our Christmas Craft Sale, with over £4300 going to support our ongoing projects, and earlier in the year held a wonderful Spring Sale, funds from which directly went into supporting our Chernobyl Project. We are eternally grateful to all who wave pompoms, craft, donate and buy THANK YOU!!!!!

Just the smallest sample!

A tiny sample from our Spring Sale 2023.
A tiny sample from our Christmas Sale 2023.

We were absolutely delighted to be back at Camp Bestival last summer. In our hearts we were headlining… We had the most wonderful and EXHAUSTING time sharing the woolly love, running pompom making workshops with hundreds of children and their families and selling the adorable Besties you had all made! It was epic, both on the spreading the word and fund-raising front. Thank you for sending all the kits and Besties!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly we aren’t able to make Camp Bestival in 2024, but have been invited to take part in the Carry on Crafting Festival at Ardingly Showground. All info is here... It is new to us, but has good reviews. Held between 20th and 21st July 2024 at the South of England Showground.We plan to run a sort of Hugathon with square making for a Snug, also pom moms too. Still planning. Please do join us, and obviously explore the whole experience too. We’d love to see some familiar faces!

Our Square Squad is now five years old! We couldn’t manage without them, it’s Facebook group made up of fabulous Woolly Hug folk (all welcome to join) who are able to make squares for specific Little Hugs or family blankets. It enables us to reach more people and families with personalised Hugs and kinship blankets. They are astonishing, and rally every single time there is a call. Thank you so much everyone. It’s been a hugely busy year in there, super successful. Awesome work everyone. Below are just a few examples, but do check it out and join us, link is here….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All hail the incredible Construction Crew AGAIN! What an astonishing bunch of folk. Truly extraordinary.  At times our requests (Cwtches, Candy’s, Kinship, Snugs, Refugee blankets, Chernobs) are relentless and often with short notice. For this and several other projects, we could not function without you. The sheer joyful enthusiasm our calls for help is met with makes us so teary and thankful. What wonders you are. And the SPEED OF RESPONSE! Its like having our own team of Woolly Avengers. Thank you! If you think this sounds like something you’d like to try, come and find us, all welcome.

  Our very special blankets for bereaved families have continued this year, each family’s loss is beyond measure, we hope our Woolly Hugs can give a little comfort, they are full of personalisations, memories, a true tribute to a life lived with love. They mean so much to the recipient families, thank you so much for all your help.

One of the absolute highlights again this year has been our social Facebook page, born from lockdown adversity, we wanted to have a safe, happy, supportive and chatty space. We couldn’t be happier with how it has worked. It’s a fabulous place to be, all we hoped for and more! Thank you so much to our wonderful admins, Agatha, Ali, Lisa, Steph, Jo, Jenny Alexsis without whom it wouldn’t be.  It’s called the Woolly Pack, do request to join, and do answer the questions. Can’t wait to see you in there. This is the profile pic!

OOOOOOOOOOOooooooo! And we’ve hit over 10,000 followers on our main Facebook page, are you one of them?!  Come and join us if not over there already. 

So back full circle to where we started this Review, with our Chernobyl project 2023. With your unfaltering love and support we made an epic 150 blankets to go to children. Then in the Autumn we received the most amazing invite to go with the CCLL and meet the children and hand out these blankets ourselves. We blogged throughout our time, the link is here, you’ll need to scroll back to reach day one. 

These children already have very little, still with the threats from the legacy of Chernobyl, made worse by the invasion of the area,  now with war looming all around and the impact that has on every part of daily life. Historically of course we used to make these blankets to give to children visiting the UK with the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline for a respite break. These children need support even more now. So on December,  children were driven out of Ukraine from their home town of Korosten, near Chernobyl and Kyiv to Lublin, just in Poland, and others came who are refugees in Lublin with their mothers. The time was full of food, games, activities, outings, fun and laughter. Children being children. And it was wonderful to see. These kids are now back in Ukraine with the uncertainty, dangers and chaos, or continuing in uncertain, unsettled life as a refugee with loved ones fighting in Ukraine, with all the fears and anxiety. But they’re all taking love and woolly warmth from us. It doesn’t fix anything but it’s a tangible sign of love and care.

Blanket giving was such a wonderful thing. Honestly your love shone from the blankets. Do visit the Blog for all the photos, This project will run again in 2024, we need all hands on deck for this, do check out the timings and crafting info, the link is here….

And a huge thank you for all those torches and power banks. Think that night we requested those really shows the generosity and empathy of the Woolly Hugs crew. Astonishing reponse.

                                     

 

The whole collection is here

And do watch this…..

Just reading this is exhausting, can you imagine how many stitches for Woolly Hugs there have been in 2023? We are absolutely thankful and grateful for every single one.We truly salute all the Woolly Hugs crew, proud to be in amongst the most awesome bunch of folk. We all do what we can do, we all fit in this in around families, busy lives, work commitments, a hundred and one other things, which truly makes it all so amazing. No one can do this alone. We just do our best, tis all we have. And if you are reading this thinking you’d like to jump in, PLEASE make 2024 the year you do, we’d love to have you with us, message us if you you’d like a chat about how. Our aim is always to be inclusive, no one should be excluded because they can’t afford to join in and we welcome all levels of ability, from someone keen to begin to learn to someone with a lot of experience.

2024 already looks exciting, we’d best be ready!

The most enormous love and thanks from us both xxxx

Thank you!