Christmas Cwtches

We were delighted when the staff at the Great North Children’s Hospital contacted us and asked for help. They would like some very special Little Hugs making to use in the run up to Christmas for very sick children in  hospital over this period. So we are looking for squares in the SSDK colours below. Christmas designs/themes/embellishments warmly welcomed. This project will help children and their families at very difficult times.

Christmas cwtches could also be made in these sort of colours in cotton Christmassy prints, lightweight quilts. These must be machine washable and tumble dry possible only please. Size wise we are aiming to send a mix of sizes from baby sized (24 inch squares) up to single bed sized.

The Christmas Cwtch palette (all SSDK yarn)

• Claret
• Cream
• Grass green
• Green
• Kelly green
• Lipstick

Squares and blankets for our Christmas Cwtch project to be sent to Teddington please. Last posting…..

Monday 19th October 2020. 

About the Project

For the last few years we have been making warm, comforting Little Hugs for Belarusian and Ukrainian teenagers and children visiting the UK for recuperative holidays during the summer with the fabulous charity the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline, Chernobyl Children’s Project and the Friends of Chernobyl’s Children. Each year these marvellous charities bring children who live in the most contaminated area near the Chernobyl reactor over to the UK. In summer, when the dust causes radiation levels to rise, it becomes even more important for as many children as possible to leave their homeland for a few weeks of fresh air and clean food. The rates of childhood cancer are incredibly high and often visiting children are in remission. Sadly though there is a high chance of these children falling ill again. They all suffer living in such difficult conditions and with very little. It is a lovely thing for us to do to make these children a special cuddly blanket to take home. One child last year said to his interpreter it was like having a big hug from his Gran. Beautiful.

It was an absolutely joy to us to meet some of the children who visited Bristol at their homes in Protosevichi, Belarus one year on and see them with their blankest again. We know how loved and cherished these are by children and families who really have very little. It has renewed our passion for this wonderful project.

The groups we send our blankets to….

Not all groups host every year, but these are the groups we have helped so far, and hope to continue to do so.

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

Now then, this is early days to predict, but we are thinking it is going to be close to 150!

We need YOU!!

Here’s how you can help….

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

Whole blankets We know some crafters love to make their own whole blankets and this is wonderful! We ask you message us to let us know, so we have some idea of numbers of squares needed. Please use SSDK. Finished blanket size remains the same at 48inches by 60 inches, and please work within the colour palette as this makes it much easier when blankets are gifted. If circumstances change and you can no longer make a whole blanket, LET US KNOW! Thank you so so much x

We will confirm last posting, but please none to be posted until January 2020

The 2020 Palette

• Aspen
• Aster
• Bluebell
• Boysenberry
• Bright pink
• Candy floss
• Citron
• Claret
• Cloud blue
• Cornish Blue (new this year)
• Cypress
• Denim
• Duck egg
• Emperor
• Empire
• Fondant
• Fuchsia pink
• Grape
• Grass green
• Kelly green
• Lapis
• Lavender
• Lime
• Lipstick
• Lobelia
• Magenta
• Meadow
• Mustard
• Pale Rose
• Parchment
• Petrol
• Pistachio
• Plum
• Pomegranate
• Raspberry
• Saffron
• Sage
• Sherbert
• Shrimp
• Spearmint (new this year)
• Spice
• Storm blue
• Teal
• Tomato
• Turquoise
• Violet

Thank you to lovely Viki for the peg pic – beautiful!

Ice Cream funds. If you would like to add 50p in when you post squares/blankets for ice creams that would be so kind, we will split any money we receive between the groups.

Extras for the children. Please no posting of these until after Easter 2020!

There are a few extras which we will be collecting too alongside squares, items which really help, if you would like to add in any of these we would love to receive them for the children, thank you, bless you. We have spoken with all groups receiving this year about what they would like and have an adapted list of extras, please note, no shampoo, shower gel this year. We will be adding some of these things to our Amazon wish-list if that helps.

• New underwear, pants/socks boys and girls, age 8-12
• Children’s Gloves
• High factor suncream
• Toothbrushes, single packed please
• Toothpaste
• Hairbrushes
• Bars of soap, wrapped as singles.
• Sanitary towels
• Plasters
• Insect bite pens
• Cold sore cream
• Lip balms
• Small tubes or tubs of Sudacrem
• Children’s vitamins
• Vegetable seeds (tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, beetroot, gherkins)
• Menthol type cough lozenges
• Big and strong long life shopping bags
• Tea and instant coffee, packets please
• Any little luxuries that 8-12 year olds might love, eg nail varnish, fun stationery, temporary tattoos, little toys with LEDs, mini torches,  , hair clips, make up bits, mini lego kits, fun/brightly coloured sunglasses, stickers  etc.

Donating funds

We are always very grateful to anyone who would like to donate funds for this project. Please do inc your name so we can thank you properly.

Our Paypal is admin@woollyhugs.com

Bank transfer

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

Any funds raised from our Spring/Easter sale this year will be used to support this project.

Hugs for Heads 2020

After the success last year, we thought how lovely it would be to send all children a cosy hat to take home with their blanket this year, so introduced Hugs for Heads, if you would like to knit or crochet a cosy child’s hat size age 8 to adult in machine washable yarn, we would love to receive it for them. The pattern is up to you., we do have yarn available, please message us.  Posting any time from January 2020!

Thank you so much everyone!

Welcome to those lovely crafters looking to make an early start to our Chernobyl 2019 project! We have slimmed down the colour palette again, please do double check, and this includes joining yarn too if making a whole blanket. Having just done the 2018 blanket kit sort we found some colours harder to fit in than others. Finished blanket size remains the same at 48inches by 60 inches, and we ask  that if you are contemplating making a whole blanket for 2019 please contact us so we have an idea of numbers, it does make it easier, thank you. If looking to make squares, we will need 12 inch or 6 inch please, as simple or complex as you like, single colour, multi colour. If sizing is a challenge with your pattern/tension, we prefer them just under sized rather than over!

SO IMPORTANT! Please ensure you knot off every end/colour change very very securely, leave approx a 6 inch tail end and use a needle to sew in. These blankets have to be super sturdy as there is no way back to fix them if squares collapse.

The 2019 Palette

• Aspen
• Aster
• Bluebell
• Boysenberry
• Bright pink
• Candy floss
• Citron
• Claret
• Cloud blue
• Cypress
• Denim
• Duck egg
• Emperor
• Empire
• Fondant
• Fuchsia pink
• Grape
• Grass green
• Kelly green
• Lapis
• Lavender
• Lime
• Lipstick
• Lobelia
• Magenta
• Meadow
• Mustard
• Pale Rose
• Parchment
• Petrol
• Pistachio
• Plum
• Pomegranate
• Raspberry
• Saffron
• Sage
• Sherbert
• Shrimp
• Spice
• Storm blue
• Teal
• Tomato
• Turquoise
• Violet

Crafting info… Important stuff!

• Yarn is Stylecraft Special DK – just this please, inc for any embellishments. 
• Squares to be 12 inch ideally, or 6 inch if that is too much.
• Knit and crochet equally welcome. Beginner or more experienced crafters also equally welcomed.
• Please use a 4mm hook or needles.
• No blocking please, and please ensure you are knotting off very thoroughly when colour changing or finishing, leave a 6 inch end and use a needle to sew it in.
• We are asking folk to avoid using a magic ring (crochet) to start as find that these don’t seem to always stand up to the pressures of wash and wear.
• Please read the list of colours in our palette carefully.
• Squares to be single colour, multi colour, textured, but not too lacy, they need to be sturdy!
• If you’d like to make a whole blanket, please use these colours too, makes thing easier at the giving stage! Ideally make any whole blankets gender neutral is it is so much easier for us to know what we have coming when sorting kits. Whole blankets need to be 48 inches by 60 inches with some kind of border please.
• NO POSTING please before January 2019! We will confirm the address just before.

We will be collecting ice cream funds, Hugs for Heads (hats) and extras but just need to talk to the groups first to see what they would like. Again posting for these will be next year!

Aiming for 120 blankets minimum in 2019!

About the Project

For the last few years we have been making warm, comforting Little Hugs for Belarusian teenagers and children visiting the UK for recuperative holidays during the summer with the fabulous charity the Chernobyl Children’s Project and Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline. Photos from the Leeds group can be seen here.. and our finished blankets from last year here…

Each year these marvellous charities bring children who live in the most contaminated area near the Chernobyl reactor over to the UK. In summer, when the dust causes radiation levels to rise, it becomes even more important for as many children as possible to leave their contaminated homeland for a few weeks of fresh air and clean food. The rates of childhood cancer are incredibly high; the most common cancers being thyroid and leukaemia. Coming to the UK for a four week break increases their immunity against the awful disease by up to 3 years when they return home. Often these children are in remission. Sadly though there is a high chance of these children falling ill again. They all suffer living in such difficult conditions and with very little.

This project has grown in epic proportions, we started making for the Leeds group visiting, that was 14, we then expanded to include Portsmouth (35) then we shot up to 120, making blankets for various groups around the country!

Not all groups host every year, but groups we have helped so far to date!

• Leeds
• Gloucester
• Portsmouth
• Isle of Wight
• Swindon
• Bristol
• Fife
• Aberdeen
• Ayrshire
• Helpston, Northamptonshire
• Norfolk
• Mid Suffolk
• Liverpool

Thank you so much, if you need further clarification, please message us. x

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Our Little Hug project supports children of all ages from birth to teens and their families at  The Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle and for teenagers in ICU at Great Ormond Street and the Teen Cancer ward at the Royal Marsden and those transferred on to St George’s, Tooting.

Still an ongoing project, collection dates to aim for are at the bottom of the Home page.

Always remembering Merryn and Aillidh, our inspiration.

Crafting guide for Little Hugs

1. Minimum Size : 18 inches by 18 inches, for example that is a 3×3 6 inch squares with a small edge. NB If making for a teen in GOSH/MARSDEN, minimum size to be 48 inches by 60 inches, ie single bed sized.
2. The essential thing for whatever size is that blankets and quilts can be machine washed, tumble dried and/or steam cleaned. Infection control requires this understandably. So do check your resources before starting please!
3. Colours : Your choice! Just go cheery! Avoids browns etc. We’d like to be able to provide a range of Little Hugs suitable for boys and girls. If you’d like to make something specifically for a boy or girl that would also be lovely.
4. Things to avoid: Buttons, sequins and beads, and embellishments that could scratch the skin or be swallowed. If using appliqué it needs to be firmly stitched on with no hard edges.
5. Suggested yarn: Stylecraft Special DK, a non scratchy acrylic that is very reasonable approx £2 a ball. The essential thing is that it needs to be soft against sensitive and delicate skin.
6. Blankets could be made from squares stitched or hooked together. Granny stripes or ripples. They could be made in one piece or in blocks as well as squares.
7. For fabric quilts and stitched Blankets : Pure cotton and good quality fleece. The cotton can be used from recycled sources. We suggest you wash both separately before sewing to allow for any difference in shrinkage.
8. Ideas: Traditional style quilts, from simple designs to more complex patterns. Cotton edge fleeces with or without appliqué.Quilt and fleece combination:quilt front, fleece back
9. If you would like to take part in this project but feel you can’t due to the costs involved, please message us and we will try to help you with materials.

Our Little Hugs go to some of the sickest babies and children in the UK. At Great Ormond Street, they may also form part of palliative care for teenagers in their ICU.

Thank you so much everyone, we know how much these mean to parents going through incredibly challenging and worrying times.

How it all began

When we offered a blanket to Greengoose after her beautiful daughter Merryn passed away, she told us how Merryn had been given a small handmade blanket whist she was in hospital. As Greengoose said,

“Merryn’s little square meant and still means so much to us, and so many families end up in hospital early or unexpectedly and have nothing of their own ready or with them, and even if they do, just to know you are thought about means so much.”

We loved this idea and with Merryn’s blanket in mind, and knowing how Expat’s darling daughter Aillidh had so much comfort from a blanket handmade by a group of wonderful friends, we wondered if we could do something more to help.We contacted a few hospitals and very early on developed a lovely relationship with Yorkhill Children’s Hospital in Glasgow where Aillidh was treated. We began making little blankets and quilts for very poorly children in their care, and this soon expanded to helping children at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle too.

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