The Afghan Friendship Swap Group

We've been introducing ourselves:

I am a knitter from the UK who has never done a swap before whereas most of my fellow swappers crochet, are from the US and have done at least one swap before.

We are all women with children, grandchildren or pets or a combination of the three. We have mostly been taught to crochet or knit by female family or friends in our childhood although one of us is self-taught and another only took up crochet in 2000 when trying for a family (which she subsequently got!).

Between us we have a 40th birthday to celebrate in a couple of weeks and a 50th wedding anniversary in November.

We have a step-daughter and her step-mother both taking part. We have a 71 year old with 15 grandchildren, who is retired (not surprisingly) but many of us are working.

We have been swapping notes on the yarns - this swap is different from others because we are being so specific about the colours.

There seem to be various approaches to putting the squares together from the swapper who has a 10 by 5 cabinet full of squares to another who puts them together as she receives them and carefully notes which ones she has received from who.

One swapper has finished 15 squares whereas I have not yet got my wool.

There are some concerns about left handedness meaning that the squares may come out 'backwards'.

One swapper has a store called Hearth and Garden which will soon be online. She has taught and sold her own ceramic arts - so sounds very talented, as do many of my fellow swappers.

I liked one signature in particular -

"Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate!!!"