Category: Past Projects

Welcome to the Spotty Posse! We were delighted to be approached by the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle to help with their 10th anniversary celebrations. Their logo is this gorgeous giraffe and they would like as many cuddly giraffes as possible to give to the very ill young patients in their care. Due to Covid their physical party celebrations has sadly been cancelled, such a shame, but the giraffes are very much wanted!  We’d love to send as much woolly love as possible in the form of giraffes and hope you will be able to help us. Maybe this will be the moment you learn a new skill even

Thanks to lovelies Lisa McA and Steph D we have knit and crochet patterns, which are tried and tested. If you get stuck hopefully they will be able to help! The crochet and knit version are slightly different in size but we don’t think this matters at all.

 

We are using Stylecraft Special DK in Saffron and Walnut only please.

For Team Hooker!! It’s Gertie Giraffe!

Pattern adapted from I love buttons by Emma http://ilovebuttonsbyemma.blogspot.com/2013/01/crochet-giraffe-pattern.html

You will need

• 3mm hook for main giraffe
• 2mm hook for hearts
• Stylecraft Special DK in Saffron (60g) and Walnut (20g)
• 70g toy stuffing
• Wool needle for sewing up

 

 

 

 

Abbreviations
Ch- Chain
Dec- Decrease
SC- Single crochet
Rep- Repeat

(US Terms)

Arms (make 2)

• 
In Walnut 
R1: Ch 2, 6 SC in second Ch from hook (6) 
R2: SC 2 in each SC around (12)
R3: SC 1, 2 SC in next SC , rep 6 times (18)
R4-5: SC 18
R6: SC 1, Dec 1 (12)
• Change to saffron
 R7- R23: SC 12
• 
Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing together
• Stuff firmly as you go, leave near the end lightly stuffed.

 

Legs (make 2)

• In Walnut
• R1: Ch 2, 6 SC in second Ch from hook
• R2: SC 2 in each SC around (12)
• R3: SC 1, 2 SC in next SC, rep 6 times (18)
• R4: SC 2, 2 SC in next SC, rep 6 times (24)
• R5-R8: SC 24
• R9: SC 2, Dec, rep 6 times (18)
• R10: SC 1, Dec 1, rep 6 times (12)
  Change to Saffron
• R11-R33: SC 12
• Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing together
• Stuff firmly as you go, leave near the end lightly stuffed.
• Horns (make 2)
  In Walnut
• R1: Ch 2, 6 SC in second Ch from hook
• R2: SC 2 in each SC around (12)
• R3-R5: SC 12
• R6: Dec 1, rep 6 times (6)
• R7-R13: SC 6
• Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing together
• Stuff walnut end firmly as you go, leaving the Saffron part unstuffed

 

Head

In Saffron
 

• R1: Ch 2, 6 SC in second Ch from hook
• R2: SC 2 in each SC around (12)
• 
R3: SC 1, 2 SC in next SC , rep 6 times (18)
• R4: SC 2, 2 SC in next SC , rep 6 times (24)
• 
R5: SC 3, 2 SC in next SC , rep 6 times (30)
• R6: SC 4, 2 SC in next SC , rep 6 times (36)
• R7-13: SC 36 
R14: SC 5, 2 SC in next SC , rep 6 times (42)
• R15: SC 6, 2 SC in next SC , rep 6 times (48)
• 
R16-18: SC 48
• R19: SC 6, Dec 1, rep 6 times (42)
• 
R20: SC 4, Dec 1, rep 7 times (35)
• Sew on eyes if you don’t want to added them when fully made up.
• R21: SC 3, Dec 1, rep 7 times (28)
• 
R22: SC 2, Dec 1, rep 7 times (21)
Stuff firmly as you go
• R23: SC 1, Dec 1, rep 7 times (14)
• R24: Dec 1, rep 7 times (7)
• 
Fasten off and weave in end

Ears (make 2)
In Saffron

• R1: Ch 2, 6 SC in second Ch from hook
• R2: SC 2 in each SC around (12)
• R3: SC 1, 2 SC in next SC, rep 6 times (18)
• R4-9: SC 18
• Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing together

 

Body

In Saffron


• R1: Ch 2, 6 SC in second Ch from hook
• R2: SC 2 in each SC around (12)
• 
R3: SC 1, 2 SC in next SC, rep 6 times (18)
• 
R4: SC 2, 2 SC in next SC, rep 6 times (24)
• R5: SC 3, 2 SC in next SC, rep 6 times (30)
• 
R6: SC 4, 2 SC in next SC, rep 6 times (36)
• R7: SC 5, 2 SC in next SC, rep 6 times (42)
• 
R8: SC 6, 2 SC in next SC, rep 6 times (48)
• R9: SC 7, 2 SC in next SC, rep 6 times (54)
• 
R10-R19: SC 54 
R20: SC 7, Dec 1, rep 6 times (48)
• 
R21: SC 6, Dec 1, rep 6 times (42)
• 
R22: SC 5, Dec 1, rep 6 times (36)
• R23: SC 4, Dec 1, rep 6 times (30)
Stuff firmly as you go
• 
R24: SC 3, Dec 1, rep 6 times (24)
• 
R25-38: SC 24
  R39: SC 1, Dec 1, Rep 8 times (16)
  R40: Dec 1, Rep 8 times (8)
Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing together
• Firm stuffing as you go

 

Hearts (6-8)
In Walnut using 2mm hook

• Make Slipknot and Ch1
• Into Ch1 work 3 DC, 3HDC, TRC, 3 HDC, 3 DC, SlSt into hole in centre and fasten off
• You can split the ply in the walnut yarn to make smaller hearts or just work with the DK as it comes. If using DK without splitting, you might want to stick with the 3mm hook.

Making up

Head and Face
1. Add horns to top of head. As a guide you want to place them roughly where the Decreases start about 1 cm apart. Sew round the bottom edge making sure there are no gaps between head and horn.
2. Add the ears. In line with the horns. Fold the ear in half and pull the sewing up end through the other corner and draw it together to form a little cup shape. Sew round the edge making sure there are no gaps between ear and head
3. Eyes (Make 2) – Using Walnut and 3mm hook Ch3 and fasten off. Now weave fastened off end through the chains and back again, then pull tight into a small knotted ball. Knot both ends together and sew into place about 1cm below the horns, about in line with the gap between horn and ear. Repeat for other eye.
4. Add nostrils using Walnut

Body, Arms and Legs
1. Using cast off tail sew closed the open ends of the 2 arms and 2 legs. Leave the rest of the tail for attaching to body
2. Place Arms at the point where the Decreases finish before the neck section, sew flat following the stitches in the round. Make sure you sew over the “shoulder” and under the armpit to create a strong join that isn’t too floppy
3. On giraffes bottom you want to place the legs, so the toes are pointing at 10 and 2 on a clockface looking at the bottom with his front facing up. This will help him balance and sit up on his own. Sew both legs on firmly as you did with the arms.
4. Attach head to body. This is fiddly. The top of the neck should be flush with the back of the head. Sew in place firmly all the way round. You might need to add a stitch or two under the chin to pull the face into a more natural resting place.
5. Scatter hearts around the neck and torso area.
6. Give him a squeeze to add more love

 

For Team Knit!! It’s Ginny Giraffe!

Giraffe measures 10 inches ( 26 cms)  in height 

Materials

• Stylecraft Special DK in Saffron and Walnut
• 15 gm walnut
• 60 gm saffron 
• Oddment of black for features
• a pair of 3.25mm (US3 :UK10) needles 
• Acrylic toy stuffing 
• Plastic headed black marker pins 

 

 

Abbreviations 

• alt                  alternate
• beg                beginning
• cont               continue
• dec                decrease
• foll                 following
• garter st        garter stitch – knit every row
• inc                 increase by knitting in front and back of stitch)
• k                    knit
• k2tog             knit 2 stitches together – if these are the last stitches on the row, then work together through back of loops
• LH                 left hand
• m1                 make one stitch – pick up horizontal loop between the needles and work into the back of it.
• p                    purl
• p2tog             purl two stitches together – if these stitches are the first in the row then work together through back of loops
• rem                remaining
• rep                 repeat
• st(s)               stich(es) 
• stocking -st     stocking -stitch -knit  on the right side , purl on the wrong side
• tbl                   through back of loop(s)
• tog                  together
• ( )                     repeat instructions between brackets as many times as instructed 

Body (make 2 pieces) 

• Beg at lower edge, Using thumb method and saffron cast on 35 sts.
• First and next foll 4 alt rows : P
• inc row : K10, m1, k15, m1, k10 (37sts)
• inc row : K11, m1, k15, m1, k11 (39 sts) 
• inc row : K12, m1, k15, m1, k12 (41 sts)
• inc row : K13, m1, k15, m1, k13 (43 sts ) 
• inc row : k14, m1, k15, m1, k14 (45 sts) 
• Next row : P
• work rows  1- 4 in stocking-st starting with a knit row 
• All odd rows  5-35
• K2tog , knit to last 2 sts , K2tog tbl
• All even rows 6- 36
• Purl 
• 13 stitches remaining 
• Rows 37-56 stocking- st 
• Cast Off 

 

Base

• Using thumb method and saffron cast on 20 sts
• First row : P
• Inc row : K1, m1, k to last stitch , m1, k1 
• rep these 2 rows 5 times more ( 32 sts ) 
• Beg with a purl row , stocking- st 5 rows .
• Dec row : K2tog , k to last 2 stitches , k2tog tbl
• Next row : P 
• Rep last 2 rows 5 times more (20 sts) 
• Cast off 

Hind legs ( make 2 )

• Beg at hoof using the thumb method and walnut cast on 6 sts 
• P 1 row
• Inc row : (inc  in each st to end) 
• rep last 2 rows once (24 sts) 
• P 1 row
• work 2 rows in garter st
• Beg with a k row stocking- st 2 rows
• Dec row : (K1, K2 tog ) to end (16 sts) 
• beginning with a p row , stocking- st 5 rows
• Change to saffron
• Dec row : (K2 tog) to end  (8sts) 
• P 1 row
• Inc row : K1 , (m1, k1) to end  (15 sts) 
• P 1 row
• Inc row : (K1, m1,k1,m1,k1 ) 5 times  (25 sts )
• Beg with a p row , stocking -st 21 rows
• Dec row : K1, (k2 tog ,k1 ) to end (17 sts)
• P 1 row 
• Cast off 

Forelegs (make 2 )

• Beg at hoof using the thumb method and walnut , cast on 6 sts 
• P 1 row 
• Inc row : inc in each st to end 
• Rep last 2 rows once (24 sts) 
• P 1 row 
• garter st 2 rows 
• beg with k row, stocking -st 2 rows
• Dec row : (K1 , k2tog ) to end (16 sts) 
• Beg with a p row, stocking- st 5 rows
• Change to saffron 
• Dec row : (K2 tog ) to end (8 sts) 
• P 1 row 
• Inc row :K1, (m1,k1 ) to end (15 sts) 
• P 1  row 
• Inc row : K3 , ( m1, k3 ) to end ( 19 sts) 
• beg with a p row , stocking- st 21 rows 
• Dec row : K3 , (k2tog) twice, K5, (k2tog) twice. K3 (15 sts) 
• P 1 row 
• Dec row : K2 , (k2tog) twice, k3, (k2tog) twice, k2 (11 sts) 
• P 1 row 
• Cast off 

 

Head

• Beg in centre back using the thumb method and saffron cast on 8 sts
• First and next foll 3 alt rows: P 
• Inc row : (inc)  to end (16 sts)
• Inc row : (K1, inc) to end (24 sts) 
• Inc row : (K2 , inc) to end (32 sts)
• Inc row : (K3 , inc) to end (40 sts)
• Beg with a p row , stocking- st 7 rows 
• Shape head
• Row 1  : K2 tog, knit to last 2 sts , k2tog tbl (38 sts)
• Row 2  : P
• Row 3  : K2tog, knit to last 2 sts , k2tog tbl (36 sts) 
• Row 4  : P
• Row 5  : K2tog, knit to last 2 sts , k2tog tbl (34 sts) 
• Row 6  : P
• Row 7  : K2tog , knit to last 2 sts , k2tog tbl (32 sts) 
• Row 8  : P
• Row 9  : K2tog , knit to last 2 sts , k2tog tbl 30 sts)
• Row 10 : P
• Row 11 : K2tog , knit to last 2 sts , k2tog tbl (28 sts) 
• Row 12 : P2tog tbl, p to last 2 sts , p2tog (26 sts)
• Row 13 : K2tog , knit to last 2 sts , k2tog tbl (24 sts)
• Row 14 : P2tog tbl, p to last 2 sts , p2tog (22 sts)
• Row 15 : K2tog , knit to last 2 sts , k2tog tbl (20 sts) 
• Row 16 : P
• Dec row : K3, (k2tog) twice, k6, (k2tog) twice, k3 (16 sts) 
• Beg with a p row, stocking -st 5 rows
• Dec row : K1, (k2tog, k1) to end (11 sts) 
• P1 row
• Cast off 

Ears (make 2 )

• Using the thumb method and saffron cast on 8 sts
• P 1 row
• Inc row : K1, (m1,k1) to end (15 sts) 
• beg with a p row, stocking- st 3 rows
• Dec row: (K1, k2tog) trend ( 10 sts)
• Beg with a p row , stocking- st 5 rows 
• Dec row : (K2tog) to end (5 sts) 
• Thread yarn through rem sts, pull tight and secure 

Inside ear piece ( make 2 ) 

• Using thumb method and saffron cast on 6 sts 
• P 1 row 
• Inc row : K2 ( m1, k2 ) twice (8 sts)
• Beg with a p row , stocking -st 3 rows
• Dec row : K2 tog, knit to last 2 sts , k2tog tbl 
• Next row : P 
• Rep last 2 rows once (4 sts) 
• Thread yarn through rem sts , pull tight and secure

Horns (make 2 )

• Using thumb method and saffron cast on 8 sts
• Beg with a p row, stock st 4 rows, ending on a k row.
• Change to walnut and p 1 row 
• Inc row : K1 , (m1.k1) to end  ( 15 sts) 
• Beg with a p row , stocking- st 3 rows
• Dec row : (K1, k2tog) to end (10 sts) 
• Thread yarn through rem sts and leave loose 

Making up

Body 

• Place the 2 halves of the body together, matching all edges and join row ends. Stuff the body, leaving neck and lower edge open.

Base 

• Pin base to lower edge of body and sew all the way around , adding more stuffing if needed .

Hind Legs 

• Gather round the cast on stitches of hooves, pull tight and secure. Stuff and join row ends of hooves . Join row end of legs on right side using mattress stitch. Stuff legs. Place body on a flat surface , pin legs to body and sew cast off sts  of legs to body all the way around .

 

Forelegs 

• Work as for hind legs leaving gap to stuff. Stuff , close gap and with seam at centre inside edge, over sew cast off sts. Sew cast off sts of forelegs to base of neck at each side 

Head

• Join row ends of muzzle and with seam at centre underneath, join cast off sts. Gather round cast on sts, pull tight and secure. Join row ends , leaving a gap, stuff and close gap. Pin body to head, adding more stuffing to neck if needed. Attach head to bodily taking small horizontal st from head, then small horizontal st from body . Do this alternately all the way around

Ears 

• With wrong sides together, place inside ear piece down the centre of the ears, matching cast on sts, and allowing edges of ears to roll toward the centre. Sew in place and attach ears to head at each side 

 

Horns 

• Roll each horn up from one set of row ends to the other. Pull stitches on thread tight and slip stitch in place. Attach horns towhead between ears 

Embroidering the features 

• To make eyes , tie a knot in 2 lengths of black yarn, winding yarn round 6 times to make each knot. Check the knots are the same size. Tie eyes to head halfway down, with 5 clear sts between. Run ends into head.
• Embroider nostrils in black taking 2 long sts. To begin and fasten off invisibly for the embroidery, tie a knot in the end of the yarn and take a large st through work coming up to begin embroidery. Allow knot disappear through knitting and be caught in stuffing. To fasten off, sew a few sts back and forth through work, inserting the needle where the yarn comes out .

HEARTS

Abbreviations for Hearts 

inc  –  knit into front and back of stitch 

kfb  –  knit into front and back of stitch 

B&T – Break yarn, leaving a long end. Thread through remaining stitches on needle, draw up tightly and secure by threading yarn a second time through sts 

SSK -Slip, slip, knit (Decrease – slip the next stitch on the left needle knitwise, then slip the next stitch on the left needle purlwise. Take the left needle and knit through the front of the two slipped stitches on the right needle)

Knit all in brown 

Small heart 

• Row 1: Kfb (2 sts)
• Row 2: Kfb, K to end (3 sts)
• Repeat row 2 until 10 sts on needle 
• Rows 10 & 11: Knit 
• Shape top of heart: 
• Row 11: K2tog, K3, turn
• Row 12: K2tog, K2
• Row 13: K2tog, K1. Slip 1st stitch over 2nd, bind off. 
• Rejoin yarn at centre. Continue, reversing shaping:
• Row 1 –  K3, K2tog 
• Row 2  – K2, K2tog 
•  Row 3. – K1, K2tog.  Slip 1st stitch over 2nd, bind off. 

   

Large Heart 

• Begin at the bottom of the heart and  cast on 2 sts
• Row 1  Inc1, K1 (3sts)
• Row 2  Purl
• Row 3  K1, Inc1,K1 (4sts) 
• Row 4 Next and every following alternate row: P1, Knit to last stitch, P1 
• Row 5 K1, (Inc 1) 2 times, K1 (6 sts)
• Row 7 K1,Inc1,K1,Inc1,K2 (8sts)
• Row 9 K1,Inc1,K3,Inc1,K2 (10sts) 
• Row 11 K1,Inc1,K5,Inc1,K2 (12sts)
• Row 13 K1,Inc1,K7,Inc1,K2 (14sts)
• Row 15 Knit 
• Row 16 Left side P1, K5, P1, turn (work on these 7 sts only) 
• Row 17 K4, SSK, K1 (6 sts)
• Row 18 P1, K2, SSK, P1 (5 sts)
• Row 19 SSK, K1, K2tog (3 sts) B&T 
• Row 16 Right side Re-join yarn  P1, K5, P1 
• Row 17 K1, K2tog, K4 (6 sts)
• Row 18 P1, K2tog, K2, P1 (5 sts)
• Row 19 SSK, K1, K2tog (3 sts) B&T 

 

Posting will be to Teddington after September 12th please, with a last posting of October 1st. Thank you so so much, just thinking about the happiness these giraffes will bring makes for a teary moment!

 

Tortie is enjoying their company!

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. The situation regarding coronavirus is rapidly changing, our last message was only eight days ago but it feels a life time.

The main priority for us is without question the health and safety of our crafters and so have decided to suspend posting to us to stop for the foreseeable, we will review this after three weeks. Our projects are continuing, but we can wait.  At the mo as well we can’t access our storage and fear being overwhelmed which with the lockdown and all children at home would be very difficult! A lot of woolly treasure is safely here already and we will work our way through, but it may take significantly longer. Thank you for your understanding.

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?

Our Spring Craft Sale is going to take place, it starts tomorrow at noon. Join the Facebook event page and check out the parallel Auction site. Gorgeous crafts to be had and we can send them wherever, so if you are going to be missing someone this Easter, we could send from you to them. Do check it out, we shall need more support than ecevr! Thank you so much xxx

Do keep messaging us if we can help you, but please do bear with, only two of us here and we will do the best we can.

 

So really it remains to say, keep safe, keep crafting.

With all our best wishes,

G&G x

 

 

Last week’s message…

 

The Impact of Coronavirus. Monday 16th March 2020

Fast changing times at the moment due to the coronavirus and its impact, so we thought we should post and let everyone know where we are at.

All our ongoing projects continue, this is so important, we can easily get yarn to those who need. All projects need help!

Our wonderful Chernobyl project will undoubtably feel the greatest impact, see the message from Dennis their CEO below. Visits are being cancelled and postponed and the situation regarding the later summer visits is very up in the air. We do though know how much the children and families love our blankets and the tradition of them and so are determined to keep making and get blankets to them, either through their rescheduled visits or out to them. See Cecilia’s message from the Helpston group below. Can’t bear to think how disappointed this year’s cohort will be 🙁  So let’s keep going, so that we are ready as soon as they are. We are lucky as have recently acquired storage for a very low rate so aren’t worried about that part.

 

In terms of posting to us. the next deadline is for Chernobs and it is April 12th. We are very happy for folk to keep posting, but please no one go out of their way or make a special trip and we will see where we are in April.

 

We are setting up an extra Woolly Hugs Facebook page for anyone who would like to join. We see this as being a chatty/social page but also one where if anyone is stuck for help they can post and we can endeavour to find a local Woolly Hugger who can help with groceries etc. We also know we have quite a few wonderful crafters in the 70+ bracket and are keen to be able to help, not only those beauties but anyone who finds themselves in isolation.. Will add a link very soon! the Torties are keen to run this page and we are going to have to let them down gently. It would be CHAOS!

 

Our Spring Craft Sale is delayed a week. We had gone very early with this because of the (now cancelled) Gloucester Hugathon and have struggled to be ready in time! We have no excuses really it has just totally snuck up on us! It will now run between Wednesday 25th and Sunday 29th March. We’d love your support in our Craft Sale, all funds are due to go into our Chernobyl project and we shall need them more than ever if we are to deliver blankets further afield!

 

Sending so much love to everyone at this uncertain time, but please do keep crafting! THANK YOU SO MUCH.

 

G&G xxxxx

 

We have deliberately not been posting on Facebook regarding the Coronavirus situation as we did not want to add to the growing amount of misinformation and panic being spread. We would urge our friends and supporters not to subscribe to this regarding the visits of the Chernobyl children. The following is the most up to date information, anything else can only be conjecture:
The Belarusian authorities have suspended the visits of all groups of children to the UK for the Spring holiday period. This currently only applies to group travel and not private individuals . As of yet we have no further confirmation regarding future visits. Regrettably some decisions have to be made well ahead of the scheduled visit dates due to the visa application process. Obviously we must take a sensible and responsible approach and are monitoring the situation on a daily basis. We must be considerate of both our hosts and supporters and the children and their families. We are as disappointed as you will be. We hope you will all remain positive and look to a time when things will return to normal and we are able to continue our work which remains as important as ever in these difficult times.
We wish you all the very best and hope you keep well.
Dennis & The Board of Trustees

 

 

 

As I expect you have already realised, very sadly our Chernobyl Children are not visiting this summer. We still have some hope for a shorter visit this autumn. We also have plans to get aid out to the families, so we will still be taking blankets and teddies once the emergency situation is over. Such a shame for the children and I know that the mothers will be worrying about how to cope without the warm clothing, vitamins, toothpaste etc that they always receive each year.

Thank you so much for all the wonderful work that you do. The blankets and teddies are really loved by the children and it is always wonderful to see your cheerful blankets on the beds of the children! Please give my best wishes to your lovely ladies and gentlemen. Things will soon be back to normal and our work will be underway again.

Thank you

Cecilia and Helpston Chernobyl

As the  old year draws to an end, we love to pause and to reflect upon the Woolly year just gone and although we say this every time, it really has been an extraordinary year, full of extraordinary days! What a woolly journey we are all on together.

 

The Woolly Hug crew seem unstoppable, a true force of good, and we never take any of this for granted. We are filled with awe at the response and enthusiasm to all our projects, the 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. Saying thank you just doesn’t seem enough, but the most enormous thanks to everyone.

 

2019 saw the continuation of our Ongoing projects with new ones added in. From here in the UK to as far away as Syria, Kurdistan, Belarus and Vietnam children and families feeling love, warmth, support and comfort through our Refugee Project, Billie’s Blankets, Little Hugs inc Hugs for Manchester, Kinship Hugs and Candy’s Hugs. Thinking too of all the families in Glasgow and the surrounds who have received our Angel Hugs and Teds incredibly bleak and devastating times. Love in every stitch we say and it really is true.

 

Again all hail the incredible Construction Crew who have really exceeded themselves in 2019, at times our requests (Chernobs, Snugs, Refugee blankets) are relentless and they never fail to support even when they must be on their knees! 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. Thank you! Thanks too to the wonderful Square Squad who are utterly fabulous at quickly and beautifully making squares for special Little Hugs/Kinships etc. We put up our request and we are never surprised at the SPEED of the replies! Thank you everyone. If anyone would like more info about either group, just shout, we have separate Facebook groups so not to get lost on the main Page!

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019 will never be forgotten as the year we made it to Osipovichi , Belarus in April to meet our ‘Chernob’ children and families at home and school. This was a life changing trip for us, heartbreaking in many parts, uplifting and inspiring in others. Such a joy to meet again some of the children who had come to the UK (Bristol) in 2018 and see our Chernobyl blankets in their homes.We could see how treasured and loved they were and it renewed our energy and passion for this project. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to you all, we were able to take over so many beautiful Billie’s Blankets and Little Hugs for the Baby Home 1 in Minsk, these often forming part of palliative care, some for respite care and others for children for whom due to circumstances this is their home now. This was a truly wonderful thing to do for not only the children, but the wonderful staff team there. Folk had made wonderful Hearty Hearts which were loved by all we could give them to. Fantastic.

 

We blogged during the whole trip, although at times just couldn’t find the words, our Belarus Blog can be found here.. https://www.woollyhugs.org/category/blog/belarus-blog/page/3/  Then one afternoon we had a really joyous moment, we got to meet Alexey. 

Alexey is a very special person as he was the first ever ’Chernob child’ and he visited Surrey. He’s now 33, has his own family and works for the Chernobyl Children’s lifeline based in Minsk. Amazing. He had his own blanket from us on this day. It seemed the right thing and we were delighted we could. It was a special day to meet Alexey as that day was the 33rd anniversary of the devastating Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

We know we want to go back, there was never any doubt that we wanted to do more and reach more children and their families. Sadly 2020 is out because of family commitments, but 2021 could be something for us to work towards! Thank you to Andy at the Bristol link for letting us tag onto his trip, as we’ve already said, it was life changing.

 

 

 

Our Chernobyl project 2019 was wonderfully well supported, not all groups host every year but in 2019 but because of your generosity and love, we were delighted to send beautiful blankets, extras and ice cream funds to..

• Aberdeen
• Ayrshire
• Bristol
• Chet and Waveney (Norfolk)
• Dublin
• Fife
• Gloucester/Glossop (children split their trip between these two)
• Isle of Wight
• Mid Glamorgan
• Mid Suffolk
• Northamptonshire (Helpston)
• Shropshire
• St Ives
• Swindon
• Yeovil and Sherborne

It was great to meet the Bristol children again and deliver their blankets in person, many of whom we had met in Belarus back in April. Thanks to everyone for their enthusiasm and wonderful support, this project really does draw upon the strength of everyone, and we know for sure it is so worthwhile, so a huge thank you again xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ooooo, and there was another film!! Guess who is happily using a DRONE??!! This of the blankets heading to our wonderful Helpston group.

Our Chernobyl project 2020 will be bigger than ever!  We REALLY need your help, do check it out here… Thank you so so much! Think we are initially aiming for 175 blankets. Say it quickly, it makes it EASIER!

 

So what about the Torties!

It  all started with a request from the amazing folk at the Children’s Family Trust (who receive our Snugs for looked after children) They were after a mascot, and had come up with the idea of a tortoise. 

Because of confidentiality and privacy the wonderful CFT can’t put pictures of the children and their activities on any social media platform, the idea was to have something the children could take with them to all their school trips, events etc and take pictures of them so they can them celebrate their achievements!! They even drew their ideas and the staff searched around and found Theresa’s pattern to match their work!

We are eternally grateful to the very lovely Theresa (from TheresasCrochetShop) because she has very kindly donated her pattern for our use to help these children, so altruistic, super kind and generous of her, and even more wonderful of her – she’s not from the UK, she’s from the USA! Her patterns are absolutely fabulous, totally gorgeous, very straightforward and can all be found over here…. on Etsy, please do check her out!

So our Tortie Sortie began, thank you to so many crafters for taking on the challenge, we had a lot of fun and games with the Torties, one even made it to New York, before  delivering a little Tortie army to the Children’s Family Trust in the summer, this was an emotional day, but they needed to go and work hard! Thanks to lovely Ali though we were not Tortie-less for long, so Tortie is now our mascot too, long may the adventures continue!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Our Bee’s Blanket project is now just one year old and we love seeing our crafters creativity! This project has been inspired by not only Bee but by others who have children with autism and also by wonderful people who have either been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s or have had to support loved ones whilst often feeling helpless to know how to support them. These are sensory, tactile blankets which can be a soothing, stimulating  and comforting resource and the feedback we have had from those we have made has been very positive. Taking this forward we hope to help many more wonderful individuals. 

 

Making Christmas Cwtches was a new project for us in 2019, we even celebrated with a film!  We were asked to make special festive Little Hugs for very sick children stuck on ward 2 at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle over Christmas. We leapt to the challenge. All absolutely stunning, thank you so much everyone, we know these have been loved by families going through incredibly difficult times.. xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019 saw our first Woolly Festival, and what an introduction! Victorious festival on the August Bank Holiuday. Glorious weather, fabulous people and the Torties acted like celebrities and got stuck into the glitter! Thanks to everyone we had an enormous number of Woolly Huggers to promote our work. And then we got to see Lewis Capaldi!

 

Thank you so much to the wonderful Rebel Yarnstormers and Seeded for all their love and hard work!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Ongoing projects continue and grow, our Little Hug project (blankets for very sick children at The Royal Hospital for Children,  Glasgow, the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle and Royal Manchester Hospital for Children) enters its eighth year, bigger than ever and we were truly delighted to be contacted by Great Ormond Street asking for blankets for some of their desperately ill teens and we were truly delighted to help and will continue to do so. Thank you so much to Catherine at GOSH. Love to all the families and children who have received this year. Our Angel Hug project continues too, helping support bereaved families in Glasgow maternity wards. Loved and looked after.

 

 

 

 

 

A Snug for Christmas 2019 was supporting children in the NE region of England. So many beautiful blankets, we hit our target of 54, thank you so so much. All going to wonderful looked after children – our aim is to give them something unique and permanent which they can take with them wherever they are. A Snug for Christmas 2020 will go ahead, region to be confirmed, thank you so much.

Our Candy’s Hugs are reaching out to even more wonderful women going through different stages of cancer treatment. Requests are coming in all the time and we need to work hard to ensure we can keep up with demand. The project started on Christmas Eve 2016 so we are entering our third year. We know Candy would have approved. We miss her. 

 

 

 

 

Our Refugee project is well supported and folk are adapting to our Posting window and requirements on sizing and colours. If in doubt, do have a read, we love our crafters who send such thoughtful beautiful items. Hundreds of items have already gone this year, truly love in every stitch for those who receive them. Thank you everyone, our posting window closes again on Easter Saturday 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Hugs. Very recently we were able to send an enormous collection of cuddly toys off to Cecilia at the  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.They take them over as gifts for children who have next to nothing so you can imagine how much they are loved.

 

 

 

 

We mustn’t forget the Christmas Stocking project to help Father Frost! It feels AGES ago (last posting was May 31st!) as Elizabeth (Mid Suffolk Chernobyl Children’s Life line link) had to start transporting them over from the summer in readiness for the Orthodox Christmas in early January.

 

They personally take filled stockings to very sick children in hospitals and also to the homes of very disadvantaged children. No strings attached, just a gift for Christmas. 

 

It is clear that we all love doing this by the sheer numbers we send, folk are incredibly generous and fro experience it is great fun and a challenge to get the maximum in whilst keeping under the 650g weight restriction per stocking! Hopefully some photos to come in a few weeks, these from last Christmas. We won’t know if this project is running again until they return from their trip, so please do just wait before starting again. Thank you so much xx

 

We held two very successful craft sales this year, honestly folk are so generous, super talented and we are constantly amazed. We have enormous fun running them! It was an absolute pleasure to pay our donation of £1250 on behalf of us all to Shine Cancer charity in memory of and with love for the gorgeous Leslie a few weeks ago after the Christmas Sale. Sending so much love to her family. xx Our next Sale will be in the Spring, but we know folk like to get ahead, March 17th – 21st with a last posting of March 4th. Thank you! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of this and a Hugathon too! We revisited Portsmouth in September on possibly the wettest windiest Sunday of the year, but inside was merry and bright, lots of wonderful crafters chatting, making squares for our Snug project.

 

 

 

It is such a cheery occasion, very few know each other but we all have the common woolly core. Oh and there is a BAR! We love doing these, the Lucky Dip and Gin Raffle are now legendary!

 

We branch out in 2020! Leeds on February 29th ( yes it is a leap year!) and Gloucester in March. Tickets for Leeds are on sale, we’d love to see you there if poss. Gloucester tickets within a week or so.

https://www.woollyhugs.org/2019/10/20/the-great-woolly-hugs-hugathon-event-3-leeds/

 

 

 

 

 

 

All these beautiful MN Woolly Hug blankets have been made/delivered to families this year. All utterly stunning and so personal. We are so glad we can do this but how we wish there was ever any need. Several more are still in the construction phase. Thank you so much to the crew who work tirelessly and never seem to get fazed by requests <ahem> f – ing red trousers, Monty Python parrots, these folk can literally do anything!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019 proved to be yet another woolly whirlwind! Who knows where 2020 will take us!

Thank you again for every thought given to our projects, every piece of ours you have read, the likes, shares, every SINGLE stitch, ball of yarn, search for pattern or idea, every single penny spent, every choice from our Amazon wishlist, every penny donated or raised, every single moment, every BLOOMIN pesky end, every ounce of support, every resource, every Post office queue, everything!

 

We lost some of our wonderful crew this year, always loved, never forgotten, Ursula, Chrissie and TQ, we miss you so much, we were lucky to know each of you, sending love to their fabulous families xxx

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  2020, we are ready for you.

 

Meet Fred the Tortoise!

Amigurumi folk, we’ve had a request from the amazing folk at the Children’s Family Trust (who receive our Snugs for looked after children) and we hope some of our lovely crochet friends will be able to help out. As you know we are always up for a challenge!

Because of confidentiality and privacy the wonderful CFT can’t put pictures of the children and their activities on any social media platforms, so they have come  up with an idea of a mascot!! The children wanted a tortoise that they could take with them to all their school trips, events etc and take pictures of them so they can them celebrate their achievements!! They even drew their ideas and the staff searched around and found Theresa’s pattern to match their work!

We are eternally grateful to the very lovely Theresa (from TheresasCrochetShop) because she has very kindly donated her pattern for our use to help these children, so altruistic, super kind and generous of her, and even more wonderful of her – she’s not from the UK, she’s from the USA! Her patterns are absolutely fabulous, totally gorgeous, very straightforward and can all be found over here…. on Etsy, please do check her out!

Thank you SO much again Theresa!!

 

So can you help us?

Thank you so much to lovely Ali O for being our tester, these are her Freds, she loved the pattern, she says…

it was very straightforward. I followed it exactly and it was fine, the pictures are really helpful too!

Ali has been able to come up with this info. The pattern itself calls for worsted weight, but we have used Stylecraft Special DK Chunky to make the Freds a little bigger, and she used a 5mm hook. It came out at approx 7.5” sitting down. 9” standing. We will happily send you a crafting kit, but each Fred takes

• 46g meadow
• 13g camel
• 1 metre of dark brown
• one pair of eyes, we used 15mm, solid black
• We have stuffing here if you’d like to send flat to save on postage.

 

So who is up to join our Tortie Sortie??!!

We’d love 10. Deadline for the Freds is no later than Friday 14th June please, so we can get the Freds away to enjoy the summer with the children! Please send to Teddington.

Theresa has emailed the pattern, so if you would like to take part, please email us on admin@woollyhugs.com and we can forward it to you. If you do take the pattern, please only use for this project, please don’t share it and do buy a copy if you’d like to make more Freds for yourself!

Thank you!!

Top pic specially for any Fleabag fans 😀 x

We hope everyone is enjoying the rest from the woolly whirlwind that was 2018! Looking back it truly has been the most extraordinary year full of the most extraordinary days! 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.

Thank you again for every thought given to our projects, every piece of ours you have read, the likes, shares, every SINGLE stitch, ball of yarn, search for pattern or idea, every single penny spent, every choice from our Amazon wishlist, every penny donated or raised, every single moment, every BLOOMIN pesky end, every ounce of support, every resource, every Post office queue, everything!

Thank you xxx

What a woolly journey we are all on together! 2018 saw the continuation of our Ongoing projects with new ones adding in. From here in the UK to as far away as Syria, Kurdistan, Belarus, Malawi and Ghana children and families feeling love, warmth, support and comfort through our Refugee Project, Billie’s Blankets, Little Hugs inc Hugs for Manchester, Kinship Hugs Thinking too of all the families in Glasgow and the surrounds who have received our Angel Hugs and Teds incredibly bleak and devastating times. Love in every stitch we say and it really is true.

OurCandy’s Hugs are reaching out to even more wonderful women going through different stages of cancer treatment. Requests are coming in all the time and we will need to work hard to ensure we can keep up with demand. This year we went through mixed emotions as over 100 blankets have now been sent to their new owners. Truly love in every stitch for these women and their families. We hope our wonderful friend Candy would be proud of her legacy, we certainly are for her. We get the most wonderful messages from recipients, so glad we can do this for them. Thank you everyone. xx

Our Christmas Hugs for children living in the Chernobyl contaminate zone was wonderfully supported again this year, we know how much the children adore their new cuddly friends, children living in extreme poverty, it is a fantastic project as we were so glad to send so many again off to their new homes this year. We were delighted to be able to add to this with a new project this year,  the Christmas Stocking Project to help Father Frost in Belarus. Our wonderful friends at the Mid Suffolk Chernobyl Children’s Life line run a fantastic Christmas project where inthe run up to Christmas, they personally take filled stockings to Belarus, to very sick children in hospitals and also to the homes 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 disadvantaged and sick children. Our first collection went in the middle of the hottest summer in many years, was a very odd and yet wonderful thing to be sorting Christmas stockings in such intense heat!

2018 saw the advent of Snugs for Looked after children and we were totally blown away and humbled by the incredible response. Or aim was to make blankets for children and young people (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 wanted to make these children something permanent, that they can take with them wherever they are.  We set a palette and together we were off making squares, hundred of them! Some wonderful crafters even made their own whole Snugs, just awesome, we can’ thank everyone enogh, including the ever awesome Construction Crew who keep on giving their time and energies to magic squares into blankets, dealing with different textures, <ahem> variations on size and sometimes dreaded left on peskies. THANKYOU!! So Phase One was a collection of blankets for their ‘South Central’  group, so those based around Hampshire and the collection of blankets went in July, the staff were utterly thrilled, knowing how much they would love them, and were busily sorting them in their minds, looking at colours and styles, was wonderful!

A Snug for Christmas (Phase 2) achieved 72 blankets (we had aimed for 60!) for looked after children in the Midlands region. Extraordinary. And all 72 became a rather glorious and short lived yarn bomb, just look at that!

Because of your love and support we keep moving forward with the ambition to help as many folk as possible

Chernobyl 2018 was yet again quite extraordinary, not least because it was running alongside our first Snug phase! For the last five years now we have been making warm, comforting Little Hugs for Belarusian teenagers and children visiting the UK for recuperative holidays during the summer with fabulous charities inc the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline. Our aim was to achieve 100+ and we blew this out of the water achieving 120. Not all groups host every year, but this year we were able to send to all children visiting these groups…

Fife, Isle of Wight, St Ives, Bristol, Northampton, Chet and Waveney in Norfolk, Mid Suffolk, Aberdeen and Ayrshire

We had a wonderful day meeting the children visiting the Bristol group this year, a total privilege such amazing dedication from their organisers and host families. What they all do for these children is incredible!

Again all hail the incredible Construction Crew who have really exceeded themselves in 2018, at times our requests are relentless and they never fail to support even when they must be on their knees! 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. Thank you!

We all love seeing photos of the children wrapped in love and cosy comfort which continues as they go home to Belarus. And to all those wonderful folk who sent extras and ice cream funds too, it all makes a real difference to the lives of these children, what amazing empathy and generosity, thank you. This was also our first year of Hugs for Heads, and it really was fantastic to be able to send the children home with a hat, sometimes two to wear this winter. Thank you so much to all out hat makers!

OOOOOO and we now have a YouTube channel!! Ok so there is one film on there but it is one for the Chernobs, enjoy watching it again!

We had changes to our Refugee project this year and we are so pleased with how it is working. We’ve introduced a posting window which now runs between November 1st round to Easter, to try to make things more manageable for us. We have also introduced more guidelines on items we accept – all to be darker unisex colours and clothing wise from baby age one up wards. These changes have been driven by the agencies who distribute, thank you so much to everyone for their support over this transition.  Hundreds of items have already gone this year, truly love in every stitch for those who receive them. It was wonderful too to help Debbie Bliss take warm hats, blankets and scarves over to France just a week or so ago in December. The amount of woolly treasure we receive here is truly humbling. So much love and woolly warmth going to folk who really need support, our thoughts are with all the families.

Most recently we have started a new project which we are calling Bee’s Blankets, the aim here is to make sensory lap sized blankets for folk who would benefit from this type of blanket, maybe for those with dementia, Alzheimers or autism. The response even in mid December has been mind blowing. Folk are keen to plan and come up with ideas, and we love that this project lends itself very well indeed to those who like to sew too, we are excited to see what folk come up with, the more creative the better!

And the Hugathon! Wooooohoooooo!!!!! We’ve been talking about holding one of these for YEARS and finally at the end of September it came into being at the stunning Square Tower in Old Portsmouth. We were having mild panics that no one would come, then we opened the doors and there was a veritable woolly army of fabulous cheery enthusiastic folk who came and made the day so very special indeed! The day was such a whirl and it was so utterly fabulous to meet so many, wonderful to see so many crafters chatting, crafting, meeting up with friends old and new, oh and there was a BAR!! Hopefully next time we will be calmer and be able to take more of it in, and we have taken on board suggestions to improve it. We have had requests to move all over the country and we will certainly do this in time, but are running Woolly Hugs around families which makes it tricky at the moment, so Hugathon 2 will take place back at the Square Tower in Portsmouth on September 22nd 2019, pencil us in to your new diaries and calendars, tickets will be on sale in the Spring!

And if this wasn’t enough folk together we very recently raised £1150 for CRY ( Cardiac Risk in the Young) through our Christmas Craft Sale, with over £2000 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!!!!!

We were also incredibly pleased to be able to auction a wonderful blanket, with contributions from so many for Candlelighters in memory of the wonderful Joseph who devastatingly died from neuroblastoma. Candlelighters is an amazing charity supporting families facing children’s cancer in Yorkshire, including Joseph and his family. They get involved in all sorts of different projects to help ordinary families who are facing extraordinary circumstances. It raised £276, thank you so much to everyone who supported this in any way.

Holding a Summer of Woolly Love and right now a Winter of Woolly Love gives the option to be busy over the breaks, we know some like to keep going or may find they have more time during holidays. Currently our Winter of Woolly Love has us making Candy’s Hug squares and Hearty Hearts the latter is another new project for which all will become clear! <mysterious>

2018 saw the introduction of the Square Squad, a Facebook group made up of fabulous 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. We are so grateful to them. the Square Squad is in its early days, but we are delighted with how it’s going. Many many thanks to them all. xxx

And we now have a SHOP!! Its called Bodkins after a dear friend of ours, and has bags, gin glasses and stuff you may want, have a look…. But do bear with if buying over the Christmas break!

Our very special blankets for bereaved families have continued this year, photos of some are below, 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.

Just reading this is exhausting, can you imagine how many stitches for Woolly Hugs there have been in 2018? 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 2019 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.

 

2019 already looks exciting, we’d best be ready!

The most enormous love and thanks from us both xxxx

Just a few more pics… Impossible to share them all unfortunately!