Afghan for an Afghan!

I admire the group Afghans for Afghans,
and not just because the name is so cute.
Recently I joined the Ravelry group Fans of Afghans for Afghans
Earlier this week I noticed that my knitting had gotten all tangled up, literally and figuratively. I’ve been knitting too many things on tiny needles, too late at night, and thought about it all too much.

As an antidote, I put down all my other projects and began a baby blanket to send to the A4A folks. From the website and the Ravelry group, I learned that we don’t have to worry about whether the yarn was safe in the washer and dryer, because the recipients are not likely to have access to a washer and dryer. The main rules seem to be to (1) make the blankets within a certain size range, (2) make them out of all-natural fibers, no acrylic, and (3) to not include any representations of people, animals, plants, etc., as this would violate Muslim tradition. I also learned that green is a favorite color in Afghanistan. Aha! The perfect use for my skein of spring green yarn from Frog Creek Fibers –

I’ve started a blanket using an invented checkerboard pattern. I’m planning to make it in blocks, using this as a way to learn more about joining squares. I’m using a size 5 needle, so no squinting in the dark. And it’s fun to be making something for a child far away.