The nights are getting colder in Kabul.

But at least one orphan in Afghanistan's capital will be warmed by a colorful blanket knitted by a group of Fairmount women. More blankets are on their way, thanks to "Fairmount Knitters for Charity," a knitting circle-turned-relief effort for the beleaguered citizens of a war-torn city.

Organizer Peggy Gordon has been knitting her whole life and has routinely adorned family members with hats, sweaters and scarves, practically exhausting her gifting possibilities. After a friend gave her a book called Knitting for Charity, she began making hats and mittens for children's hospitals. A year ago, she joined a knitting group, and while looking for opportunities to donate their creations, the group learned about an organization in San Francisco called "Afghans for Afghans," a humanitarian project that sends knitted and crocheted blankets and sweaters, vests, hats, mittens and socks to Afghanistan. Afghans for Afghans partners with various charities and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver the hand-crafted items to the people of Afghanistan.

"At the moment, we are working with an orphanage in Kabul," Gordon said. "We started sending them hats and mittens. And then just as we were finishing up a very large afghan, the organization asked for child-size blankets. So that's what we're doing."

Gordon and her fellow knitters meet once a month with squares that they work on in between meetings. The squares are then crocheted together into an afghan by one of the members.

"The squares we knit are 7 inches by 9 inches Peggy added. "They can be any stitch and color. There are nine of us that meet and sometimes they bring pieces knitted by relatives and friends."

Squares are completed quickly and can be knitted with scraps of yarn. The group is so productive that they are asking for donations of yarn.

And not just any kind.

"We use worsted weight, 100 percent wool," Gordon said. "Afghans for Afghans requested 100 percent wool because it's warmer. They need that warmth in Afghanistan."

As one might imagine, the logistics of actually getting such hand-knitted items to Afghanistan is a bit tricky. The Fairmount knitters finish a piece and then send it to the organization in San Francisco. Then Afghans for Afghans must arrange for a courier to deliver the items. Many times, items will travel with a regularly scheduled shipment of supplies from a relief organization such as International Orphan Care or CURE Hospital.

The first shipment containing a large afghan "knitted," Gordon explained, "by the women of Philadelphia for the women of Afghanistan," already has arrived and a second shipment containing children's blankets is headed for Afghanistan in October.

"It takes about a month or two for them to arrive," Peggy said. "It's not a long process to make them," she explained. "It takes longer to get them to the orphanage."

Gordon and her fellow members still find time to knit the special holiday scarves and baby booties for family members and friends. But their work as Fairmount Knitters for Charity gives them the opportunity to share their craft with people they will never meet but who will be - literally and figuratively - touched by their kindness and efforts. The Fairmount Knitters join the ranks of many knitting groups around the country that started out as knitting circles and evolved into knitting networks and are now producing articles of clothing and blankets for Afghans as well as for U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan.

To keep them covering Afghan children in snuggly blankets on those cold winter nights, the Fairmount Knitters need yarn donations.

Fellow knitters that can spare yarn or who want to lend their talents can contact Gordon at dcandpmgordon@juno.com. The group is also accepting donations of worsted weight 100 percent wool.