Knit Your Own Bat Mitzvah

Perhaps it's just coincidence that I began work on Zoe's Bat Mitzvah prayer shawl (tallit) around the time I bought the book Knit your own Royal Wedding; but, I think not.  I still have not yet knit my own Wills and Kate, because shortly after I purchased the book, it dawned on me, I should knit up my daughter's own Event first. Priorities, priorites: even knitters have project priorities.  Can you believe?  (Truthfully, I really wanted to knit a 'Harry' and several of the Queen's corgies -- but they will have to wait).


I finished the tallit in November 2011 (see links below for finished views)


http://knittishisms.blogspot.com/2011/11/zoes-tallit.html
http://knittishisms.blogspot.com/2011/11/tallit-almost-done.html


I then had a brief heart and sock knitting break before during and after my Australian trip (see December 2011's blog entries for explanation of what the *%&# I'm talking about).

But about 2 1/2 weeks ago I suddenly woke up to the fact that I should make Zoe a matching kippah from the left over yarn.  Then the little brother saunters up to me: "Can I have one too, mummy?"  Of course, my baby!  "Me too!" says the hubby.  expletive expletive. Next thing I know, I'm in overdrive-kippah-knitting mode. Just finished #15 last night. Because, once you start, you think to yourself 'oh, I should probabaly knit one for each member of the family, and the family includes friends and family ie: everyone who is getting up, reading from the Torah, participating in the ceremony, etc.'  I've sort of lost count of how many I need to do, so I figure if I just keep knitting right up to the night before the ceremony, I should be alright.  If not, no worries.  I've ordered and received the shipment of several dozen deep purple personalized 'Bat Mitzvah of...' yarmulkes from 'Mazel Skull Cap of Brooklyn, New York.'   Baruch Ha'Shem!

As many who have read "Knittishisms", I created the 'Righteous Lid pattern' as Bukharan-style, in part as a means of staying on my toddler's head. Although each one is completely different from the next, here are a few examples:

But the first kippah I ever knit happened about 6 months earlier when Ev was still a baby. And here it is:

It started off as a pattern I pulled off the internet, which I quickly started changing (because that's me, the rebel knitter) and it ended up being something completely different from the initial pattern.  I used the most wonderful yarn (Lorna's Lace) and it is lovingly referred to as the mexican kippah in our house.  This original 'oopsy' Ashkenazi-style kippah recently became the prototype for the Bat Mitzvah Kippot that I am still knitting up. 

Each one is different from the next.  The inspiration for the yarns used in these Bat Mitzvah Yarmies is Zoe's Torah and Haftarah portions. Parashat Terumah contains the instructions of how to build the tabernacle, the temple etc.  It's an amazing read, because, lo and behold, it is not just an archetectonic instruction manual.  Terumah is a full-blown interior design narrative worthy of a feature in Architectural Digest.  The specified colours and materials are all lovingly descriptive; and all very precise.  The colours used in the tallit & these kippot are, in part, the colours mentionned in Parashat Terumah.

With the Bat Mitzvah a mere one week away, I'm still in knit, knit, knit, crochet, crochet, crochet, knit, knit, crochet, knit, knit, knit mode (that's knitting binary code for the kippah pattern I created)...

That's what happens when you decide to knit your own Bat Mitzvah!

The corgies will just have to wait. 

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.