Knitting Challenge

According to the National Craft Association, March is National Craft Month! Hooray for crafters!

One of my fellow Etsy-ers from Team Veg, Jennifer of Pretty Haute, brought this to the team's attention, along with a creative challenge.

Knit-a-square.com is a project of the Soweto Comfort Club, which collects 8"x8" knitted or crocheted squares from all over the world and assembles them into blankets for thousands of African babies and children living in poverty. Many of these children are orphaned because of HIV AIDS or are themselves infected with it.

Jennifer's challenge is to make 4 squares to send this month, to celebrate National Craft Month. That's only one square per week. (or if you can make more, even better!).

Complete instructions are on the Knit-a-Square website, including types of yarn, gauges, knitting tutorials, patterns, etc. They prefer wool but for those of us of the vegan persuasion, who do not wish to support the wool industry, they will also accept acrylic, bamboo, etc. Just be sure to follow the instructions on their website.

Jennifer put the challenge out to the Etsy Veg team, but I am passing it along to ALL crafty types (especially those that know how to knit and/or crochet). It's a great way to use up those scraps of yarn that are just sitting around in your yarn bin. I've also gotten lots of yarn for FREE or CHEAP through Craig's list, garage sales, garage sale leftovers, and thrift stores.
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Since knitting is already a 'challenge' for me, I'm not sure if I will be taking on this one myself, or not. For example, it took me about a year and a half to complete this blanket for my "new" nephew. I started it before he was born, and finally gave it to him this past xmas. (He'll be 2 in April!) I would like to say that it took me so long because I am a perfectionist, and it is the best blanket ever made, but as you can see from the photo, it is far from perfect! Although, it was made using all recycled, secondhand yarn, which I knitted into squares, and stitched together. I finished it off with a crocheted border (also a newly acquired skill for me) and sewed on a Sesame Street back with a secondhand sheet from a thrift store.