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December 2017. Billie’s Butterfly Blankets for a London Children’s Hospice

December 14th. Our four beautiful Billie’s Butterfly blankets are now with the wonderful staff at the children’s hospice in London. It was such a privilege to be able to deliver them this morning. Thank you so much to everyone who helped in anyway. The blankets truly have love and compassion in every stitch and are ready in place now for their post bereavement room, together we will be helping families in the bleakest darkest times feel loved and looked after.  Really thank you doesn’t come close.

 

We have left the crafting info from this project at the bottom of the page, if anyone is keen to revisit it, but here are the photos of all four blankets. The most enormous thanks particularly to Wendy, Kim and Mhairi for their wonderful construction skills. xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our original crafting info….

 

 

This is a very special project to help support bereaved families at a London children’s hospice. We have been approached by lovely MrsDV who works here asking if we can make special blankets for the bed in their Butterfly Suite (post bereavement room) so these will be used to to dress the bed with. We are so glad she did. At an intensely bleak and dark time there is still something very positive and personal that together we can do for the child and their family.

Our blankets are always handmade with love and compassion and so are perfect. We can help care for the whole family at this time by covering the child in bed so they look comfortable and cosy whilst sending love and a hug to their bereaved parents. Loved and looked after.

The hospice would like to have these blankets in hand for time to come so that they can be ready.

We need your help to achieve this for them, we always say love in every stitch and it will be true again this time, thank you so much if you feel you can help. Our aim is to make four single bed sized blankets, two suitable for younger children and two for older. The hospice have asked for soft colours and with a butterfly theme

If you’d like to donate funds to help us achieve this, please message us, or if you need resources to take part then do let us know. We don’t want anyone unable to take part due to cost.

 

Crafting info

We will be using Stylecraft Special DK as blankets will need to be very practical, six inch squares made using 4mm hook or needles. Knit or crochet equally welcome.

The colours…

Duck egg, grape, sage, storm, parchment, pale rose, raspberry, cloud blue, sherbert.

NB – Just these please, no blocking of squares and please knot off sturdily when changing colours or finishing, leave a good end and use a needle to sew in the peskies.

 

Simple squares are very welcome, but if looking for an idea for theme, these are their suggestions…

  • Butterflies/Hearts
  • Teddies, cars, toys, cats etc
  • Stars, leaves, feathers etc

 

 

 

Last posting please to be Saturday 14th October.

Thank you doesn’t seem enough, but the most enormous thank you. xxx

 

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The Summer of Woolly Love

Candy style!

We need help, we are so thrilled with the way Candy’s Hugs have taken off, she would have been delighted with the number of wonderful women already helped (over 25 now) but we urgently need squares to keep on going at this rate, and we really want to, as we are sure are you.

So a little summer holiday project if we may, a perfect lightweight portable activity, perfect for 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!

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

Vibrant Riot Palette

Boysenberry
Claret
Empire
Fuchsia
Grass
Kelly green
Lavender
Lime
Lipstick
Magenta
Meadow
Petrol
Plum
Pomegranate
Saffron
Sherbet
Shrimp
Spice
Turquoise
Tomato
Violet

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.

If you would like to learn how to knit or crochet in 2017, 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.

So a reminder…..
Candy’s Hugs, making cosy comforting blankets for women going through treatment for cancer

Candy’s Hugs will be an ongoing project, our next collection date is July 15th, followed by Saturday 30th September Do message for posting info when ready.

We knew her time left with us was short, but the news of Candy’s (Zombie’s) death in January was still a sad shock, we send so much love to her family and her many, many friends who love and will miss her greatly, we hold our happy memories of her very dear. Bless her.

Just before Christmas, Zombie donated funds to Woolly Hugs and together we hatched a plan to develop an ongoing project with her, which she loved, to make comforting cosy blankets with love in every stitch for women going through treatment for breast and other cancers, and at times these may form part of palliative care.

So glad we could establish Candy’s Hugs with her and thanks to you wonderful people achieve her ambition of seeing it all well
underway before her death. Her legacy of Candy’s Hugs will be one of love and strength, of friendship, learning and developing crafting skills, of creativity, of coming together to show compassion, support and give and receive comfort, Such a beautiful inspirationalwoman. How lucky we were to know her. X
Zombie was a bright and beautiful woman so we have chosen a palette to reflect this which we call Vibrant Rio.Will you join with us?
If you would like to be involved in any way, we’d love to have you on board. Please post on this thread and PM with your offers: crafting, donating, need wool, etc, we can help you with all of 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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2017 Woolly knockers for community breastfeeding support in Portsmouth

This is a project to help community nurses who are on the hunt for more of these valuable props to enhance their breastfeeding support sessions. With so many babies born every year, they really do get through a lot!  Breastfeeding is not always easy, and the woolly knockers are fabulous to help with latching, feeding, positioning and expressing demonstrations, and are such a useful tool for both new mums and staff. Some of you will remember we ran very successful similar projects for the Brompton and Portsmouth a few years ago. Heading photo on this page from back in 2015. All the money in the world cannot buy this product so it’s a labour of love for the team. Thank you
“It doesn’t matter about the colour, shape or size, we are really thankful to everyone who knits and makes donations to us, and we would be very grateful to receive any more- the more the better!” 
We’d love to be able to help them, will you join us?

Crafting info…

  • The Knitting patteris here, on the Breastfeeding Network…
  • A suggested crochet pattern is here on Ravelry….You find others, do share any with us, so we can pass the info on. Thank you.
  • We’re suggesting any DK wool that can be machine washed, it is a great stash buster, but we can send you yarn if you need, please just message us. x
  • If you are able to stuff them, please do, but we will also love to receive them flat, cheaper for you to post too, and stuff this end, if this option, please leave a long tail for finishing off.
  • Once your knocker is finished, please contact us we will give you all the details for posting, it will be the Woolly Hugs, South coast address.
  • Women come in all shapes and sizes, we really aren’t making a standard knocker here, differences are good! If you need any more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We could do with more than a handful. 😀

 

Last posting to be Saturday 1st July. 

As ever, many thanks.
Bless you… and your knockers.  xx

 

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Butterflies and hearts. A very special Yarn Bomb for Billie, April 2017

It is Billie’s anniversary coming upon April 27th, and we have a plan with her mum to yarn bomb the bench her family have installed in her memory in their local park. We need lovely crafters to help us achieve this. Is this something you might be able to help us with? It would be wonderful if so, thank you!!!!! xxx

This is Billie and our ongoing project in her name. 

 

Crafting info

  • Stylecraft Special DK only please because if we are blessed with a lot we be attaching them to the next collections of Billie’s Blankets, and need to be confident in the yarn used.
  • 2D or 3D but not too hefty please, and around the 5cm – 8cm size mark.
  • Please leave ONE tail for attaching, please sew the other in!
  • Colours – All the pinky pinks, particularly fondant and fiesta. Aspen and Turquoise. Saffron and Sunshine and Shrimp
  • Last posting please April 18th to the Teddington address, please message if you need it. xx

 Some photos from the project..

 

Some suggested heart and butterfly patterns, please share any others you may have, especially if anyone has a good knitted butterfly embellishment one!

 

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