3rd Blanket down!

I've finished another one!

This one is 40 squares (toddler size) and I tried a few different things with the border.  First, after the standard granny round to tie it all in, I tried out a 'crossed double crochet stitch' that I've read about but never tried.  So simple!  You do a normal double crochet stitch (I use american terms) and then do one in the stitch behind it so it crosses over.  It's quite a subtle effect but I think in strong colours, it would really stand out.  I finished off with a spike stitch variant for the last round-I think it looks quite lovely!  It adds quite a bit to the dimensions as well-this blanket measures 34" by 52".

A friend of Bonnie's also donated these two lovely blankets for Cwtch of Comfort

This one is narrow but long, I think it'll be a good size for a premature baby.

This is a fabulous size!  I love the design.

Thank you Ruth, they are very much appreciated xxx

We've had some gorgeous blankets donated for this project-they've been a joy to receive!  I'm so impressed by the skills and talents of people and by the generosity.

Joyce, from the SIBOL ravelry group, donated a blanket early on-and this week, I received another stunning blanket from her.  She's used a heart pattern throughout that gives such a lovely textured effect.

This is absolutely beautiful Joyce, thank you so much xxx



My friend Lisa has two little ones and she has very kindly donated a blanket that was made for her when her little ones were babies.  It's a gorgeous circular blanket that will definitely bring comfort to a grieving family.

She also has been hard at work with her mum making some squares and blankets for us as well!

There are some pink squares as well that I can't use for this project but I'll keep them aside with some of the other squares I've received that I can't use here for another blanket.

We met up on Wednesday night for another crochet along-this time to put together the squares for one of the child size blankets.  I brought down 80 squares in yellow and white with lots of spare yarn and we had a great time!  I showed some ladies how to use single crochet to attach the squares together into long strips of ten-I'll put these together a little later.

We had a lovely time again and met a couple more new faces!  We also talked about staying as a crochet group after the Cwtch Of Comfort project is finished, with the plan of regularly making donation pieces for charities close to our hearts.

A little belated...

I meant to blog this the other week but I've just been so crazy busy with work, squares, my gorgeous daughter and I completely forgot that I hadn't shared this stunning blanket with you.

My sister Jess is one of the most talented crafters I know.  She (along with my other sister Thea) was the main force behind teaching me to crochet, encouraging and inspiring me.  She's been crocheting for many years, since we were kids, and she makes such beautiful things.

When I started this project to help support 'Cwtch of Comfort', I called my sisters and asked for their help.  They've both offered to make blankets as well as some squares to go into a special 'Sisters Blanket' made by the three of us.  Jess sent hers in a couple of weeks ago and it's so stunning!

It's so soft and tactile-she's worked it with bobbles in the border to match up to the squares.  Isn't it lovely?

These are the squares for our special blanket.  Just waiting on Thea now...

TWO blankets finished already!

I am so proud to be able to share these with you today.

I started the first blanket last weekend as soon as the deadline arrived-I can't tell you how excited and keen I've been to get cracking with these beautiful squares!

This is our FIRST blanket made with the donations from all you lovely people-it is a child size (80 squares) so it measures approx 46" by 62" and I think it has a beautiful balance of squares-it has a very peaceful feel.

Isn't it lovely?

The second one I started yesterday morning at 5am and finished at 10am this morning before I went to work (Myf and I spent most of the day in Cardiff as well!)  It's a toddler size (40 squares) and measures approx 42" by 46"-I think it's gorgeous!

Neither blanket has an official name-feel free to suggest one!  We're meeting up at the Blueberry in Pontypridd again on Wednesday to put together another child size blanket and I'm planning to take a list of the suggested names to put into a hat...In the meantime, the lovely Bonnie is hard at work putting together two blankets from the squares I've passed along to her and I'm on to the next blanket...
Watch this space!


A massive thank you to EVERYONE who has donated squares, wool or/and blankets.  Working together, we will be donating 20 blankets to Cwtch of Comfort for the 2 Wish Upon A Star Foundation, which works to support families going through the horrific loss of a child.  The difference YOU'RE making is incredible and inspiring xxxxxxxxxx

Squares from Manchester!

My lovely sister Jess (blog post all about her coming up) has been so supportive of this project and, despite recovering from a fractured elbow (OUCH!), has been making squares, a STUNNING blanket and getting together with her crafty friends to make squares as well.

One of these friends, Clare, has sent in 7 lovely squares in pale yellow and pale purple along with some extra yarn for joining.  She enclosed a card telling me a little about herself-she's a confident knitter but new to crochet and wanted to show her support by making some squares.  I think these are really lovely and I'd never have guessed that she hadn't been crocheting for years!

Thank you Clare-they are perfect for this project! xx

I also received a parcel from Jess yesterday with squares from her group-the Sale Happy Hookers-

So a very big THANK YOU to Fiona, Shona and Jane for these beautiful squares.  You have all done a fabulous job on them xx

Some of the last squares coming through!

One of the main supporters from the beginning of this endeavour has been the lovely Bonnie.  She is a wonderfully crafty lady who makes beautiful things and has a Facebook Page here where you can peruse her goodies and buy gifts :-)

From the get-go, Bonnie contacted her fellow crafting friends and suggested the first crochet along.  She's a member of the Pontypridd Women's Collective who have been incredibly supportive, sharing the need for blankets and squares and being instrumental in our get togethers.  She's made a lovely blanket as well as loads of squares!

Bonnie has a sister...I know Kate by reputation mostly-she taught a very good friend of mine how to crochet and I think she was also Bonnie's inspiration for getting into this craft :-D  Kate has made these lovely squares that Bonnie sent over a few days ago!

There are TWENTY squares here in lovely shades of pale green-I'm going to add five more white squares and make a baby blanket with them!  Thank you Kate! xx

Bonnie has also very kindly offered to put together a couple of the blankets so I'm sending her enough to make one child size and one toddler size.  I can't wait to see what she makes of them!

Thank you Bonnie, for all your help and support xxx

Apologies folks-I meant to post Sunday or yesterday but I've been having some problems with migraines of late and haven't been able to string a proper sentence together :-(




Before I show you the results of the square drive, I have the last few donations to share with you.

First of all, all the way from America, I have these two beautiful squares from the wonderful Debi Y.

I have been a fan of her blog for a few years now-I LOVE her patterns and she's a really lovely lady.  Thank you so much Debi, these are perfect!

The other squares are from the very talented Gaelle who I met through the crochet alongs we've been having.  She is a very experienced crafter who teaches crochet locally-I must pick her brains soon as I'd love to know how she does some of these stitches!

Thank you Gaelle-you have made a lot of beautiful squares for this project and it's been a delight to get to know you!




So, we've reached a deadline for the squares!  And I have to tell you, the results have STAGGERED me.

From the end of April, when this all started, to the end of May, there have been over 430 squares made and donated!This means there are enough squares to make THREE child size blankets, FOUR toddler blankets and maybe another baby blanket or two once the final donations are in.

This has been an INCREDIBLE result-I was hoping we'd get enough squares for two, maybe three blankets-to have enough to make SEVEN (and in larger sizes) is amazing.
There have also been a number of donations of baby blankets-so far, there are ELEVEN piled up.  There are a couple of other baby blankets on the way in the post so I want to wait for those before sharing a beautiful photo of the pile with you.  There are also still some squares on the way!

I keep saying how blown away I am by how kind people are but truthfully, words can't describe how completely overwhelming it's been.  The crafting community is full of kind and generous people and I'm proud and humbled to see them swing into action for such a good cause.

This is what it's all been about-

Cwtch of Comfort is the blanket project associated with the 2 Wish Upon A Star foundation.  This is a charity that helps those families going through their worst nightmare-the death of a child.  I'm a mum and I cannot imagine how devastated I would be if I lost my daughter-I can't even bear to think about it.  These families need support and unfortunately, given a lot of the funding cuts that have taken place within the NHS, there's been a lack of facilites and help available in hospitals across Wales.
2 Wish seeks to ensure that there is immediate grief counselling available, that there are private rooms for families going through this loss and that there are 'bereavement boxes'.  This boxes contain a few things-something to dress the child in, a disposable camera and a blanket to wrap the child in.  This is where 'Cwtch of Comfort' comes is-they ask people to make blankets in a range of sizes to donate.  These give such comfort-they are a reminder that people care.

I've made a couple of blankets for the SIBOL project in the past-the amazing lady who started it used to ask people to donate squares as many people find making a whole blanket to be a bit much.  I thought this would be a good idea for the Cwtch project and I asked my crafting friends to help. 

Things kinda took off after that-I got in touch with MrsTwins of SIBOL and she shared our need with her SIBOL group-these amazing ladies have donated so many squares to us!  A local group of women, the Pontypridd Women's Collective, organised crochet/knit alongs, spread the word as well as making loads and loads of squares/blankets.  A large number of people have not just made squares themselves but they've had their own groups join in and help.  We've had crochet/knit alongs, there's been a radio interview, there's been squares and blankets flying through the post!  It's been fantastic to see the support for these poor families.  You are all such fantastic people xxx


So if you do have any squares, please get them in the post ASAP!  We're going to be putting squares together throughout June (and possibly July) so there's still time to send them in.  Just don't make anymore for me at the moment ;-)


Lastly, I want to say-

THANKYOU!!