Woollyhugs > Latest.. > Ongoing Projects

The Kinship Hug Project in 2022

2022. Very much an ongoing project. Please post when you are ready, to Teddington.Thank you x

We are asked from time to time to help families or individuals within our own WH community going through incredibly difficult, bleak or sad times, by sending them a blanket full of love and comfort. We see these as helping folk who need support and compassion. Can you help us? We would be so very grateful. We would love to collect 12 inch ( or 6)  squares in Stylecraft Special DK to make blankets, and have some colour schemes to work from. This will help us in compiling and donating to families. Just from these colours please, simple, complex, single colours, multi (within a collection), all very welcome indeed. We also welcome knitters and crocheters equally to this project.

 

 

 

 

 

WH classic: Lavender, plum, violet, emperor, storm, meadow, cypress, denim, petrol, sage

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage: Duck egg, grape, sage, storm, parchment, pale rose, pomegranate, raspberry, cloud blue, sherbert

 

 

Spiced: Plum, gold, meadow, cypress, pistachio, lime, saffron, burgundy, spice, tomato, claret, mustard.

 

 

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Candy’s Hugs. Ongoing in 2023

Candy’s Hugs, making cosy comforting blankets for women going through treatment for cancer. Candy’s Hugs will be an ongoing project. Thanks to your love and support we have sent well over 200 of these now. Amazing.

 

2023. Very much an ongoing project, please post when you are ready, to Teddington. 

The aim here is to either make 6 or 12 inch squares OR a whole blanket in the vibrant colour palette as below. Squares sent to us will be joined into blankets, good examples on here show the end results! These will then be sent out to nominated women undergoing treatment for cancer. (NB we have also sent to men and children)

More about the origins of the project and our friend Candy who inspired us below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Vibrant Riot Palette

  • Apple green
  • Boysenberry
  • Claret
  • Clementine
  • Dandelion
  • Empir
  • Fuchsia
  • Grass
  • Kelly green
  • Lavender
  • Lime
  • Lipstick
  • Magenta
  • Meadow
  • Petrol
  • Plum
  • Pomegranate
  • Proper Purple
  • Saffron
  • Sherbet
  • Shrimp
  • Spice
  • Turquoise
  • Tomato
  • Violet

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The origins of this wonderful project

We knew her time left with us was short, but the news of Candy’s (Zombie’s) death 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 inspirational woman. 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 Riot.Will you join with us?

 

 

 

 

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Billie’s Blankets for World Child Cancer and the Minsk Children’s Cancer Hospital

Always thinking of beautiful Billie.

The Billie’s Blanket Project

Since the beginning, the aim of the Little Hugs has been to provide little blankets that give comfort to babies and small children who are seriously ill in hospital. This project is an extension of that and was launched in 2013 as a tribute to beautiful Billie who died at 14 from leukaemia. In her name, we send little blankets to children who really need a woolly hug and to feel loved and looked after.

We work with the wonderful organisations World Child Cancer and the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline and are arranging for Little Hugs to be sent to children suffering from cancer in low and middle income countries. In these countries their overall chance of survival can be under 10% compared to around 80% in high income countries such as ours. The first collection of Billie’s Blankets went in April 2013 to Malawi, most recently to Vietnam and Belarus.

These children need all the love and comfort possible. So please, in memory of a sparkling young girl who always thought of others, we’d love you to help us help them. As ever, thank you so much for your support.All crafting info is below.

Next delivery will be to the Minsk Children’s Cancer Hospital. Last posting for this please Monday 1st June 2020.

We’d love your help, this is how :

  • You can help by either making a whole blanket, Minimum size: 24 inches by 24 inches. If you would like to make a blanket that is bigger, that would be lovely. The children are aged 0 to 14 so we will need bigger blankets too. Suggested yarn: Stylecraft Special DK, a soft, non-scratchy acrylic yarn. If you would like to make a whole blanket, you could use a different weight and make of acrylic yarn. The essential thing is that it needs to be soft against sensitive and delicate skin and that it can be washed and dried quickly and easily. Or……
  • Colours: Your choice. Although for practical reasons, we advise avoiding white and cream.
  • Things to avoid: Any embellishments that could scratch delicate skin or could be swallowed.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’ll try to help with materials.If you would like to contribute towards materials, you can either donate via Paypal here on our Woolly Hugs website or if you do not have Paypal, please message us.

From Word Child Cancer
Your blankets are beautiful and I’m sure they provide great comfort to the children who you make them for. I’m sure the children would love them. Unfortunately
most of the children we see at our projects are not able to survive their cancer due to the poor conditions, lack of knowledge and the high cost of medicine in the worlds poorest countries. In these cases we encourage palliative care for the children through our twinning partners who provide training for local project staff on the importance of this care, especially in pain relief. Psychosocial care is also very important and an area we focus on through supporting parent groups and play therapists. I think your blankets would fit in well with this area.’

 

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Our Little Hug Project

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.

2023. 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. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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 and that it HAS TO BE machine washable.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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
  8. 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.

 

A beautiful Little Hug for a teen in GOSH, made using stripes.
A beautiful Little Hug for a teen in GOSH made with squares.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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Angel Hugs for Bereaved families.

2020. Very much an ongoing project, collection dates to aim for are at the bottom of the Home page. Thank you x

 

Our Angel Hug project began with a request from the Royal Brompton hospital in London, to make blankets for babies who very sadly did not survive and to help comfort the families. At an intensely bleak and dark time there is still something very positive that we can do for the baby 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 making the baby comfortable and snuggled up whilst sending love and a hug to the parents. We send to Glasgow maternity hospitals, offer Angel Hugs to all bereaved families now, and can help support SANDS.

We know that we have many crafters and donors who have first hand experience of such devastating loss. We understand that this is a very difficult request, but if you can join with us, and are able to help, then we would love to have you on board. From speaking to some of you, we know how incredibly important blankets like these are to those who receive them.

Angel Hugs is an ongoing project. Here’s how to join in. Many thanks for your help.

To our lovely crafters

  • Angel Hugs are to be all white and can be knitted or crocheted in any wool suitable for a baby blanket, so 4ply, DK, just as long as it feels soft and cosy. The design is up to you, but it should be kept simple. Angel Hugs can also be sewn using pure cotton and good quality fleece, again white please and in a simple design.
  • Minimum size : 24 inches square, going up to a maximum of approx. 30 inches square.
  • At the bottom of this page is a copy of the SANDS knitted pattern if this helps you. 
  • If making a whole Angel Hug feels too much, but you would still like to support this, we would be pleased to accept simple knitted and crocheted 6 inch squares, which we will hook together. If choosing this option, please use Stylecraft Special DK in white.
  • 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’ll try to help you with materials.
  • We would be very grateful for support from anyone who would like to donate funds to help with this. You can either donate via Paypal admin@woollyhugs.com but please add a message so we know who to thank and which project it is for. If you don’t have Paypal, please message us as we have other ways that you can donate. We are so grateful to all our donors, without you, these projects could not function.

It is a very sad request we are making, and yet there is something very positive here too, and we know the Blanketeers have big hearts. Sometimes thank you doesn’t seem enough, but thank you once again.

 

The SANDS pattern

Please note this is only a suggestion.

If you are intending to make a blanket with the lace edging, then please knit the basic blanket no larger than a 20 inch square.

Easy Baby Blanket with Lace Option This lace border makes the easy blanket very special but we are happy for you to knit to the basic pattern. (You can use any white wool and needles to suit, to give a soft drape). The basic pattern knit to approx a 24” square. It will always come square.

BASIC BLANKET 200gm of Double Knit Wool and 4mm needles.

Cast on 1 stitch Next row:- Make the one stitch into two stitches.

Next row:- Knit 1, into the next stitch make another, 3 stitches on needle.

Continue to knit, ALWAYS knit the first stitch and into the 2 nd stitch make another. Only increase this way at the BEGINNING of a row. Continue until you have almost come to the end of the 100gm ball. Knit 1 row plain.

Next row:- Knit 1, Knit 2 together, Knit to end of row.

Continue this way, always knit the 1 st stitch then decrease into the next stitch by knitting 2 together until 1 stitch remains.

You should now have a neat square.

LACE EDGING

Using Double Knit and size 8 (UK) needles Cast on 8 stitches

Row 1 (Wrong side) Slip 1, Knit 1, (Yarn fwd knit 2 tog) twice, Yarn fwd, Knit 2 (9 sts)

Rows 2, 3, and 6. Slip 1 Knit to the end.

Row 3. Slip 1, knit 2 (yarn fwd knit 1 tog) twice. Yarn fwd Knit 1 (10 sts)

Row 5. Slip 1, knt 3 (yarn fwd knit 2 tog) twice. Yarn fwd Knit 2 (11 sts)

Row 7. Slip 1, knit 4 (yarn fwd kni t 2 tog) twice. Yarn fwd Knit 2 (12 sts)

Row 8. Slip 1, Knit 11 sts Row 9. Cast off 4 sts. Knit to the end (8 sts)

Row 10. Slip 1, knit to the end (8 sts)

These 10 rows form the pattern.

Continue in pattern until it is long enough to fit all around. Sew o nto the blanket. Thank you so much.

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