Tallit - Almost done

It took 3 intense days of pinning, hand sewing and mostly praying to finish the tallit; though until I have the tzitzim properly knotted, it isn't actually complete. The lining is quite painterly & colourful. Hope she likes it!

Zoe's Tallit...

'Where ya been, Rebel?' When I received this text message from my good friend and knit comrade, Guerilla Knitter, I realized I've been living rather quiet as late. Well, not really (just ask the rellies) I've been smithing, like a dutiful knit-gnome, for the past 5 - 6 months (with a lot of end-of-school-thank-you-to-the-teachers gifts, 6 baby hats, a righteous lid or two, a couple of IDF toques and several birthday presents added to the mix) I have been knitting, knitting, knitting a tallit for Zoe's upcoming Bat Mitzvah.
Knitting.
A tallit.
In sock yarn.
Approx. 17" wide & 75" long. Plus the Attarah.
...in sock yarn.

Just out of curiousity I sat down and did the math. That's 89,316 stitches of love and devotion; and that doesn't even include the crocheted finishes. Let's not even go there.

The knitting, crocheting and blocking are all done.

Now comes the hard part: sewing the lining onto the back. I am also hoping to enlist some kind soul to help me knot the tzitzim in the correct way, though our wonderful school principal, Rhonda, led me to a youtube video, a DIY tzitzim knotting adventure. I will try it, but I may seek out some help. Ed? Are you reading this? Can you help me? Pleeeeeease?

Actually, perhaps the most difficult part was selecting the lining with Zoe. Too many choices. "Mum, I love this one," the tweenager exclaimed at the bolt of fabric some may describe as chartreuse, but many have heard me refer to as 'sinus infection green'. 'No.' I curtly replied, a manner Zoe knew not to challenge with an editorial (alas, something quite common these days). Finally, we both found a decent substitute for the $45/yd we both loved -- I needed 2 yards from that divine bolt, so a substitute was a must.

Sewing.
Not my forte.
Time to channel my late father, Abram, 'Master of the Thread'.

Here's some pics of the work in progress:

Blue Attarah is from King Solomon's Woman of Valour Poem
Gold lettering are the 4 Biblical Mothers Sarah, Rivkah, Leah & Rachel.

Mother Bears for Mother's Day

Rudolph and Ed Bimley by Atsuko (& Nomi)

Muffin by Etty (& Atsuko)

Ben by Sandra

Larry by Judith

A sucker for symbolism, I am shipping these latest bears tomorrow:

The Friday before Mother's Day.

About a year ago, I read the quote of a child in Zambia who, upon receiving a 'Mother Bear' said: This bear is my only friend. I said to myself, I want to knit you a hundred.

Knowing that, realistically, I couldn't, I enlisted the help of my community.

A Big Thank you again to all of the knit and crochet artists in our community at The Paul Penna Downtown Jewish Day School for helping Amy at The Mother Bear Project. Thank you for joining me in a wonderful tikkun olam yarn adventure: Debbi Arnold, Cindy Bowman, Etty Danzig, Sandra Harris, Atsuko Kobasigawa, Judith Librach, & Osnat Yitzhak.

Thank you all so much!

- Rosanne

To view the rest of the bears, please see the previous posts:

http://knittishisms.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

http://knittishisms.blogspot.com/2010/07/next-project-mother-bear.html

Bat Mitzvah Socks

No one is more shocked than I that my first born is turning 12 years old.

It seems like just yesterday that I composed an e-mail to Mayor Mel Lastman making note that, although he had called in the army to shovel away the snow from Toronto, they had somehow managed to miss my street. And as I was in my 15th month of pregnancy (at least that's how it felt to me -- what can I say, when I'm pregnant my math skills wane) would he mind sending them around to my house.

Just a few short weeks later, my Shabbat baby was born. A girl. A bit of a surprise. Turns out every single one of the bubbies, UPS drivers, bank tellers, and pseudo-psychics that felt they just HAD to tell me that from the way I was carrying >> I was definitely going to have a son. And every single one of them was wrong. HA! 100% of those surveyed predicted boy. Funny enough, in the only dream I ever had of my future child when I was pregnant... she was a girl. So, ha ha ha. The only thing was, no one had asked my opinion. I just knew.

Now, here we are just days away from Zoe's 'orthodox' Bat Mitzvah.

According to Orthodox Judaism, a boy attains his religious maturity and becomes responsible to fulfill all the Torah Commandments at 13. A girl at 12. That means, (according to the hebrew calendar), this Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 is Mlle. Z's official Bat Mitzvah date. But if she had been a boy, as all my psychic friends had insisted, his Bar Mitzvah date would be next year on Monday, February 20th, 2012.

And here's the thing. At the Bar Mitzvah service there is a prayer (I can still remember the look of delight in my brother-in-law Brian's eyes when he recited it at the twin's Barmie a year ago) in which he reminded his two sons that he was no longer responsible for their moral decisions. Before reaching the age of maturity, parents are responsible for teaching their children the Jewish law and tradition. Once they enter adulthood, they are given the privilege to take part in all aspects of Jewish community life and carry the responsibility of following Jewish law, tradition and moral obligations. Their deeds, and the deeds' consequences, good or bad, fall on the shoulders of the Bar or Bat Mitvah boy or girl.

What? All of a sudden? Just like that? If we were orthodox, next Tuesday, it's all for real?

Neither Zoe, nor we, were ready to take on, plan and execute a Bat Mitzvah this year. It kind of crept up on us with a little bit of shocking surprise. Also, quite honestly, who am I to pretend that I am orthodox? My religious, moral and ethical mind-set swings far more to the universal. Far more to the Egalitarian. Far more to the 'Hello? This is how I do Jewish'.

So, how was I going to lead my daughter down the path of her Bat Mitzvah?
The only way I knew how.
I knit her a pair of socks.

Seriously.

A pair of hand knit socks.

Made from wool, cotton and soysilk.

These socks are not just pretty designs and colours. Zoe's Torah Portion is Parashat Terumah. As part of the offerings to Moses, the children of Israel are meant to bring blue, purple, and crimson wool, and ram skins dyed red. The colours of the socks include all these colours.

I am telling her: don't just talk the talk of a Bat Mitzvah. I want you to walk the walk of a Bat Mitzvah.

As she studies her portion over the next year, from age 12 to 13, Zoe will walk in these socks and think about right and wrong. Remember to think before she speaks. Question her actions before she partakes in them. Weigh her options and contemplate her position in this world. Only then, I believe, can she (or anyone, male or female) discern between right and wrong and modify her behaviour accordingly.

She will walk with the footsteps of a woman, not a girl.

An adult, not a child.

La danse des oursins, Pt. 2

A second group of bears are being assembled to go off to Amy at Mother Bear.

Meet the new group.

Arnie by Debbi

Blue Barry, by Osnat

Doolia, The Shomer Bear, by Rebel

Josh & Dylz, the twins by Rebel

Tun-O-Fun by Rebel

Toto by Joyce (Martha's Mum)

Fuzzy Bear by Cindy (Thx Wooly!)

D.D. by Rebel

Amanda by Marilyn

Bubbie Bear by Rebel

Zofia pictured above with her creator, Geoff

Recently, Zofia asked her Great Uncle Walter to join her on the journey to Africa. So, Geoff spent much of the holidays getting his brother-in-law 'organized' and has successfully secured a teddy passport for Walter (see above). Thank you, Geoff!

COMING SOON: A Third Shipment

Thank you to Atsuko (and art director Nomi) for the first 2 in the next shipment

Rudolph & Ed Bimley by Atsuko

The Chang School Bears are off to get their Hearts

Take One: Barb Sarah Melissa Rosanne Shashela Mena & Dean Fearon (absent: Martha & Vrenia)

Take Two: Barb Sarah Shashela Rosanne Mena Vrenia & Dean Fearon (absent: Martha & Melissa)

Thom with Thom

Dean Fearon with Zoe Stanley & Evan

Sarah & Baby Bear

Barb & Olivia

Mena with Primo & Secondo

Shashela with Alex

Vrenia & Stanley

Melissa with J.C. Benjamin

And, finally... Canadian Bear with Martha

* * * * * *

These first 12 bears, by the hands of the Chang School Knitters, will be off to Amy at Mother Bear by weeks' end to have their hearts sewn on, before they are shipped to the welcoming arms of loving children. Thank you to all of you who participated, and to those who still want to, we are aiming for another end-of-year / holiday time shipment.

The Ivy Dress is done & A Discussion about Social Yarn Etiquette

This is the story of a Rebel Knitter who saw a 'to die for' dress in a book and who swore to not venture away from the pattern for once. It is also the story of how she ended up relying on her knitting sense instead of digging her heels into the ground in sheer frustration.

Let's start at the very beginning... a very good place to start. The story begins with a fabulous gift from Marilyn of the book sensual knits: luxurious yarns/alluring designs by yahaira ferreira. G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S designs. Yummy, in fact! And, what a coincidence, I just happened to have bought 2000 metres of brown Butterfly DK Cotton (on sale at Romni) which would work great with the ivy dress - designed by Sauniell N. Connally.

You need to start with the ivy waist band. Okay. Totally up for it. Problem is: the chart is frought with errors. I frogged it back about 5 or 6 times until I finally got the brilliant idea to Google "Sensual Knits Errata". Wow. It wasn't just the Ivy Dress that had issues -- I printed off a 7 page pdf of oopsies. Yikes. Do not proceed with ANY pattern in this book before referring to this link > > http://www.pureknits.com/media/Sensual_Knits_Errata.pdf

I stayed focused, completed the waist band and then the bodice. I then cast on for the skirt and realized two things. #1 The lacy ivy strip going vertically down the front would show all sorts of stuff, but mainly my underwear.... um... no .... not good. #2 I look terrible in straight skirts. So there... that's when it happened. That's when I changed my mind. I would have to be the Rebel Knitter that I am. Hence, the finished product has an A-Line and, hey, what's not to love about a little lace hem, no? Well. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. I think I stayed a little faithful (in a sort of, almost, kind of way).

Now on to the very important issue of

SYE (Social Yarn Etiquette)

Okay. I just made that term up. But this is serious. My friend and colleague got on the TTC the other day, and when she got to the office she related the following cautionary tale:

Barb found a seat on the train, sat down, pulled out her crochet project and began to work away. All of a sudden, POKE in her shoulder. Huh? 'Must be my imagination,' she thought. Then again, POKE. Okay. Not the imagination. This was intentional. She turned around to the semi-apologetic (but not really) crafter staring her down to hear the 'what are you working on?' question. Now, just before Barb had gotten her seat, she did note to herself that the woman seated behind her was knitting. Yes, this too has happened to me. I too have sat down and noticed the knitter across the aisle. I have rubbernecked at other people's pattern choices. I too have secretly sized-up and appraised the skills, yarn and needle choices of others. Most times, if I am TTC-knitting, I find that the other knitter and I end up sharing a mutual "yarn-a-holic" smile (similar to the 'V' finger-sign that Corvette drivers used to flash each other in the 70s) and oft times engage in a friendly conversation. But this was not Barb's experience. Nope. No. No. No. No. No. Not the way to go about things, my friends. Let's be nice. We are evolved artistes. You work with yarn. You must liken yourself to Arachne or Athena/Minerva - goddesses of not just spinning, weaving and household crafts, but of wisdom and strength. Okay, so Minerva was also the Goddess of War. But stop spearing your fellow crafters. Even Minerva would say 'I don't think so, lady.' Lucky for the pokey-bioche, not only does Barb look like a Bond Girl, she is REALLY NICE and SUPER PATIENT; especially with knitters lacking the necessary social yarn etiquette that one needs in the big city.