Knitting instructions and an easy knitting pattern for how to knit a square

Follow these simple knitting instructions and easy knitting pattern to make your squares. If you wish to crochet, here is an easy crochet pattern too.

Making the squares Making the squares as consistent in size and weight as possible will help our wonderful volunteers, and grandmothers others to join the squares quickly and easily into blankets for the abandoned children and AIDS orphans.

We have used a simple, easy knitting pattern below to start off with, but there is no limit to what you can chose to creatively. There are many photographs of the talented work that is being done by the members of our warm and friendly knit-a-square forum Please join us there as we would love to meet you.

Keeping the children warm!
You can use different types of wool or wool blend yarns, acrylic yarns and bamboo, soy and cotton fibres, different knitting stitches, or perhaps double up lighter yarn weight like 4 ply. But what ever your yarn weights, make sure your squares are warm and cosy, like the colorful squares above.

Or be a little bit creative!
If you know how to knit and enjoy working with different stitches, (eg stocking, moss, basket weave) or a combination of stitches and patterns, then please enjoy yourself and be creative with your squares.

The children will treasure these blankets for their warmth, texture and colour, as well as for their knitted patterns.

Wool and acrylic
Wool and wool blends are good both for their warmth, and importantly for their fire retardant qualities. Whereas wool singes, acrylic can melt.

If you have acrylic yarns, then please use them all, but mark on your packages,'acrylic squares. That way, our volunteers will know how to use them as detailed below. Please USE up all your scraps to make 8 x 8" squares, no matter what weight or type of yarn.

Every single square will be in a blanket to keep a cold child warm.

This is how we propose to use wool and acrylic.

Wool use
Squares and clothing items knitted out of wool and wool blends and other fibres, will be used for the children who we can determine live where their primary source of light and fuel may be naked flame, (candles, camp fires and paraffin stoves).

Acrylic use
Acrylic squares and articles of clothing will mostly be used for the children who live with their carers, or in orphanages or live-in-care homes, such as Hotel Hope. Many children live in homes with electricity, often in child-headed families, but in great poverty none the less.

Using scrap wool or acrylic yarn is both economical for you and a great way to recycle, especially if you unravel old clothing. Charity shops often have bags of wool or acrylic yarn at very low prices.

Or your could try making squares using the felt a square method.

Knit or crochet with different colored wools and yarns and join them at the beginning of even rows to make an attractive striped square. No matter whether your squares are striped or plain, when sewn together, they will be a gift and a much loved blanket for life.

The squares have been designed at 8 x 8" (20 x 20 cms) to make sure that they can be quickly made and if you are sending only one to three squares, posted in a regular size envelope for minimum postage.

Don't know how to knit?
Download these easy to follow 'how to knit', e-classes. To learn to crochet, www.woolcrafting.com has simple lessons for you to follow.

To ensure that your squares are all the right size and weight, please follow the knitting instructions below.

Knitting instructions

Yarn weights and knitting needle sizes vary from country to country. It can be a confusing topic, but many of the knit-a-square community have kindly contributed and you can read their comments, or add your own here.

Any further help you need on patterns, knitting, yarn weights or postage, just ask in our the Square Circle Forum.

FOR ONE 8"/20 cms SQUARE, you will need:

Yarn from a 100 gram (3.5 oz) ball of yarn or scraps of yarn or wool

8 ply (Aus), worsted (USA), double knit (UK)

Size 6mm needles (Aus)
4 (UK, Canada) 10 (USA)

A yarn sewing needle.

1.

Cast on 32 stitches (try to make your stitches neither too loose nor too tight to help ensure uniform squares)

2. Row 1: knit

3. Row 2: knit. These two rows form the 'garter' stitch knitting pattern for your square

4. Continue knitting as per these two rows until you have knitted a square

5. To ensure you square is 8"/20cm either use a tape measure or form a triangle by folding one corner of your square over to meet the opposite corner as shown - if all sides are equal - then you have a square!

6. Cast off

7. Use your yarn sewing needle to sew in all the yarn ends using a darning method

VERY IMPORTANT
Leave a one metre (one and a quarter yards) length of your yarn attached to your work after you have cast off. This will be used to join the squares together.

Here are the knitting instructions for the easy knitting pattern for a pullover, you can also make and send for the children.

We look forward to showing you the results of your work in the many photographs we publish in the free monthly Square Circle ezine which also features stories of the children and their blankets.

You will be warmly welcomed too if you join the knit-a-square community in the Square Circle Forum to share our monthly challenges, our friendship and commitment to this shared goal.