We received our beautiful Woolly Hug today and thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. I have knitted for a few blankets and it is surreal getting one and a position I wish we weren’t in. You skills are incredible and every square means something personal to us that we can cherish DH and talk and remember him by. You are all truly wonderful
Our original thread is here, thank you so much again everyone xxx
The beautiful, soft, warm, woolly hug arrived safely yesterday (I armed myself with a glass of wine when I opened it in case I was a bit wobbly). Thank you so much for the love, skill and dedication that you and the WH crew have shown me and my family. The Norwegian Blue and related squares are inspired but there are so many squares that will provide comfort and remembrance in the months and years to come – especially the anniversary of his death which is just a few weeks away now. This is so precious and I know that money can’t buy this but I would like to make a donation to help get the wool to the knitters so you can all keep going. When I get a chance, I will take a photo and send that to you too. Thank you. Willowkins
We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well. This is not an easy time for any of us and we are all having to adjust to a new normal/ different way of living.
There is still a lot of uncertainty with the Coronavirus pandemic and we thought an update would be helpful. We don’t have all the answers you will appreciate, but what thoughts we have we can share.
The main priority for us is without question the health and safety of our crafters and after our initial suspension of posting to us, have decided to extend this until June 1st.
Nothing is going to happen before this date, in terms of us sending on and we would MUCH rather folk avoided unnecessary post office queues etc. We still can’t access our storage and still fear being overwhelmed which with the lockdown and all family members at home would be very difficult!
Our Chernobyl project continues, although at the moment we don’t know of any more groups who will be coming over to the UK this year, some groups may possibly host in the Autumn/Winter. Some other groups are looking to go to visit children at home. Where possible, our blankets will go to our ‘Chernob’ children this year. Any that we have left will be held on to for next year. Ultimately, they will all have a child. Thank you so much for understanding, this the hardest hit project. Deadline for squares and blankets then please is June 6th.
The Christmas Stocking project for those taking part. We have spoken with Elizabeth and she is still going to be taking them. Remember they go to the children for Orthodox Christmas which is next January. The early deadline was to help them get everything over in advance. But it will all still happen. Deadline for stockings please is June 6th.
There are still plans in place for our Billie’s Blankets for the Children’s Cancer Hospital in Minsk to travel over, but if this has to change, it will rearranged at a later date. Deadline for Billie’s Blankets please is June 6th.
All our ongoing projects continue, this is so important, we can easily get yarn to those who need. All projects need help! We know that as many of you are confined to your homes you may be looking for something practical to get on with. Maybe have a look? Snugs will be happening later this year as will Christmas Cwtches. Deadlines soon, but please do get crafting. Colour palettes will remain the same for both. Do join us too for our Christmas Sale later this year (provisionally November 17-22nd) with a last posting for crafts October 31st. We know Christmas craft takes a long time and that folk like to start early!
Our Refugee Project posting window would have closed at Easter, so please send items that you have to us, soon after June 1st. We are having to rethink this project, long before the current health climate we were finding it increasingly difficult to get our items out to folk who needed it most, as fewer agencies are travelling or are now supporting folk in different ways. We have talked long and hard about this, it is very difficult to accept but it may be we have to change our focus. What we ask is that no one makes anything new for this project until we have had a chance to finalise our decision. Thank you xxx
We both fully acknowledge that we are very behind on photographing woolly treasure which arrived into the run up the the Spring Craft Sale and at the very beginning of the pandemic. We are TRULY apologetic! We are going to endeavour to catch up. It has been very challenging with children and husbands suddenly all at home.
We hope this helps, sorry we don’t have all the answers. Please do message us if you have any questions, and as always the most enormous love and thanks to everyone xxxx
WhatWouldLeslieKnope
Do (Chrissie) touched the lives of so many, ours included, and it is incredibly sad to think she is gone. Leslie was an extraordinary generous, compassionate soul and we were lucky to know her, she was inspirational and gave unstinting support to many people on this site and elsewhere too. She was just 28 when she died, only 21 when she was diagnosed with a genetic colon cancer. Life has been very cruel, absolutely tragic. Leslie was an absolute rock to those folk on the Mumsnet cancer support threads, she organised them for years, always making time for others even when she was so ill herself, many handholds offered, gently encouraging, wise beyond her years, and the threads that still run are a legacy, a truly loving, giving, supportive safe place.
She was an absolute stalwart on the Woolly Hug threads, always ready to join in, ready to help someone else. She and her parents have made so many gorgeous things over the years, super snuggly scarves and mittens for refugees, Billie’s Blankets for children with cancer. Extraordinary. So many children and adults feeling their love and support, both at home in the UK and much further afield.
There aren’t enough words to explain how highly we thought of her, how much she was loved on here. We can all learn from her, anyone who came into contact with her did.
So glad we could make this for her folks, thank you so much everyone. Our original thread is here…
Stocking are made very early as due to transporting them over to Belarus goes, they leave when the summer visitors go back and go into safe storage! They will be given to the children around the time of the orthodox Christmas early January 2021.
Please read carefully as things are different.
So last posting is Friday 23rd May 2020.
Elizabeth Parker (Mid Suffolk Chernobyl Children’s Life line link)and her team personally take filled stockings to Belarus, to the homes/schools of very disadvantaged children. Their aim is to give the children a real Christmas present and those they give to have most likely never received a Christmas present before. It is very important to note this is absolutely not one of those shoe box appeals, so these stockings do not include functional toothpaste/brush type items, and there are no strings attached. It is just a wonderful thing to be able to do for some of the most disavanted and sick children.
Even if you took part last year, please do read the instructions, they are absolutely vital to making this work. We are grateful to you, this is a wonderful project. Thank you.
We are looking for home made fabric only please stockings, OR shop bought stockings, we found some on Ebay and Amazon but PLEASE as close to the size below as possible. Then fit it with age appropriate treasure and get it as close to the weight as possible!
We will have quite a bit of admin this end, so please send any filled stockings to us wrapped in a carrier bag with a list of the contents jotted down on a bit of paper and the weight in grammes. Do make sure you include your child’s name and number which will all help make sure the right stocking goes to the right child! All hail the folk who get these out in Belarus!
