Hello Esther, nice to have a South African member.  You know first hand the challenges the children face.

If you haven’t already, please read through the welcome message on the forum main page for helpful hints and things that might interest you. The FAQ category should answer any general questions you may have. If not, please ask. http://forum.knit-a-square.com

Here is the link to the discussion of what is needed for 2013 :  http://forum.knit-a-square.com/forum/topics/kas-wish-list-guidelines-for-2013

You might like the Monthly challenge.  This is a fun way to try new ideas or patterns.  Every month, a theme is chosen, and if you wish, you may create something new and different.

January’s challenge is Ronda's Winter Drive-Celebrating the Year of the Older Child.  It is so important that the children have warm clothing when the South African winter starts arriving in March/April. (Winter officially starts in June.)  We are focusing on children aged 4-9 years old. Using patterns from the KasPattern Book  which are designed for the older child, will ensure you send exactly what the children need to keep them the warmest.

If you are interested in joining any of our challenges, please note: Your parcel does not need to arrive in South Africa before the end of the month.  Those of us who use sea-mail find parcels take between 8-10 weeks to arrive. Thus if you mail a parcel by the end of January it will reach Ronda and the volunteers at the beginning of their fall/winter. But, whenever your parcel arrives, know that you are keeping children warm.

As always, making the basic square is a wonderful way to relax and still help the children.  Plain Janes, as they are affectionately called, are the backbone of KAS.  Since it takes 35 squares to make one blanket, squares are needed all the time

Whatever you decide, we would love to see photos of your work.

Enjoy !