Postal instructions

Please follow these postal instructions to send your knitted and crocheted squares to South Africa safely and in good condition.

One to three squares
The 8"/20cm square fits well, folded into an airmail envelope.

In most countries you can send up to three squares for the same cost as one, as long as they are laid flat and will pass through the 'letter slot'. If you firmly press or even 'vacuum' the air out of the bag containing the squares, 3 squares should be accepted as a standard international letter rate.

Parcels, packages and boxes
Most of you are sending more than three squares at a time as this is proving to be cost effective, especially if you in a group or are including hats, vests and jumpers.

As this crochet and knitting project has grown we have been made aware however, of a great discrepancy in postal rules, regulations and prices especially in the USA from state to state and even town to town. We have listed all the price options we have been given in the postal FAQs (frequently asked questions), but we suggest that you talk to your local postal office to discuss the optimum number of squares to be sent at the most economical price.

You can find some international postage cost guidelines here for USA, Canada, UK and Australia.

Customs Duty
VERY IMPORTANT: We would ask you to take especial notice of these instructions to avoid unnecessary duty being paid on your parcels as they arrive in South Africa.

Please mark clearly:No Commercial Value and For Charity Only

Please do not register your letters, parcels or packages or boxes

Please do not give a dollar value on your parcels (or only the minimum amount as instructed by your post office)

Please do not send parcels over 20Kg (44 lbs ) from Australia, Canada or the United States or parcels over 30 Kg (66 lbs) from the UK

We have to pay minimal duty on most large parcels arriving. However even just a small dollar value on a parcel attracts far higher duties. Letters, parcels/packages and boxes continue to arrive safely in volumes without any registration or dollar values appended to them.

Make your squares count
So that we can acknowledge receipt of the squares, write your name and return address on the back of the envelope or include a note in your parcel and box.

Sending letters
Fold your knitted or crocheted square into three and place in a zip lock bag, or tightly wrapped plastic bag to keep them dry and push down firmly or vacuum out the air to make your letter as flat as possible.

Sending parcels, packages and boxes
Very often you can fit a greater quantity of squares and crocheted or knitted items into a designated weight of package or box. We suggest that you roll your items very small and either wrap them very tightly in plastic wrap or push them down into a bag and use a vacuum method to reduce their size.

June 2009 - three large parcels each weighing just under 3.5kgs (7.7lbs) with over 200 squares, 18 knitted teddy bears and many items of crocheted and knitted clothing.

Wool and acrylic
The majority of items knitted are acrylic yarns. So please only separate and mark those squares that are wool or high wool blends if sending together, so that we can isolate them to use for children who may be exposed to naked flame, where this is possible.

Postal address
Address all your post to:Knit-a-square, Soweto Comfort Club, Private Bag X900, Bryanston 2021, South Africa

If you are reading this you have most likely made a square or more or an item of clothing and are preparing to post it. We would like to thank you for contributing and hope very much that you will soon see your efforts making a child warm.

We would love to welcome you into our friendly, sharing and warm knit-a-square community, so please take a moment to join forum our forum and we look forward to meeting you in there soon.

If you subscribe to our free online magazine, Square Circle you will be able to enjoy pictures of your arriving post, the wonderful volunteers who open the mail and sort and record it, as well of the children and their blankets when they are made and distributed.