Things I forgot to post or blog about... that happens sometimes

I have done several thousand babyhats over the past few years.  Okay.  That's an exaggeration.  But to say I have done dozens and dozens would be somewhat accurate.

I don't know why I didn't take a pic of the "baby bear hats" that I created (the first of which was for Michelle's little cutie!) But I did thankfully remember to snap this bunny eared cap.

Recently Jack came into this world...

...and you can't forget the older sister, so Sadie got this cap.

Many, many, many socks have flown through my doors...

Here are Shazza Diva's wooly bling!

Harry... Oy Harry.... It was so much fun making you this sweater...

I am sure you have long since out grown it.

Freshteh wanted a Washable Wool Hat, Mitts and Scarf

We left the daycare when Evan entered SK... he's about to finish Grade 2...

Yup... slow on the postings.

Oh... Yeah.. and I paint too.

I was invited to 'decorate' a blanket box for the Mill Centre (@ Dixon Hall) here in Toronto back in the Fall of 2008 (I think)... So I stained this exterior of this solid oak wood in a deep classic but 'heavy' Ebony...

and painted a HOPE-themed chest within

Gold acrylic and Ruby Red with the story of Pandora interior lid...

HOPE (in as many languages as I could find) on interior

painted on bright uplifting GOLD

No more UFOs

Finally.

I finished the only remaining knitting UFO (unfinished object) in my house. 

The Sock Scarf: a scarf started as a toe-up sock and finished like a cuff down sock and made up of entirely of remnant yarn from just some of the socks I have knitted over the years. 

My friend, Pam, showed me a one she had purchased 'up-north' a few years ago that was a machine knitted piece.  It was very homogeneous and, needless to say, caught my attention.

My sock-scarf is different.  Not just because it is hand knitted.  But rather, because it is infused with emotion.
What does it mean when someone knits you a pair of socks?
It means Love.
Through effort, dexterity, focus (and sometimes strife) the knitter jumps through textile hoops to knit you a sock.  Then, after completing said sock, you know they really, really, really love you, because they then do it all over again and make you a second one too.

Of course you can morph a sock into a scarf. For what is a scarf, after all?
Yes, it's an accessory.  But it is also a gentle hug.

Now I can wear my hugs from some of the mensches in my life.

This isn't just any old left-over yarn.
This is the yarn that remained from some of the sock presents I had made for some of the
Good People I know.
Good Family.
Good Friends.
Whenever I wear it I can think about them.
It helps me smile.
From the reaction I got on the subway today: it helps other people smile as well.

The Lid A Day Kippah

18 kippot.  That is how many I ended up completing in time for the Bat Mitzvah. (See previous post http://knittishisms.blogspot.ca/2012/02/knit-your-own-bat-mitzvah.html) .... It would have been impossible to have knit 18 'Righteous Lids' (pattern in Knittishisms) in the time I had before the Shabbat morning service.  The Bat Mitzvah 'Lids' are still 'ever so righteous'.  They are more of an Ashkenazi-style kippah and each one is a 'one of a kind', entirely different (colours and yarns) from the next, but the overall pattern remained identical throughout.  Why?  Because I wanted them to speak of the pluralist approach we were taking.  Just as we addressed many of the different 'individual styles' of Jewish prayer within our service, we are all collectively united.  I wanted the kippot to stand as a kindred representation of that sentiment.  So, although the colours of the yarns and textures were so very different, and were manufactured all over the world (Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France, North America etc.) the pattern unites them all.

The Lid a Day Kippah

Materials:

• 4 dpns 2.75mm or 3mm
• Yarn(s) of your choice, but generally Sock Yarn -- you will probably need at least 3 different colours -- but you decide.... this can be scrap yarn for certain design elements... you really don't need much altogether.
• Gauge: approx 28 or more stitches & 36 or so rows to a 10 x 10 cm swatch
• 3 stitch markers

Cast on 84 stitches   (28 on each of the 3 dpns)
 
Knit one row of MC (main colour).
Switch to Gold Yarn (or yarn of your choice) and knit one row
Switch back to MC and one CC (contrast colour) and knit a fair isle pattern of your choice over the next 3 or four rows.  The one I chose was a simple:

xooo

xxoo

xxxo

Switch back to Gold Yarn (or yarn of your choice) and knit one row.

Knit one row of MC then decrease as follows:

 

Round 1: K1, ssk, K8, K2tog, K1 & PM(place marker) & repeat until end of round.

Knit Rows 2, 3 & 4

on Round 5 decrease in same manner: K1, ssk, K6, K2tog, K1 to end of round.

Knit 3 rows then decrease again.

Once you have 8 stitches in each of the 6 sections, decrease every alternate row (knit the other ones) until you have a total of 6 stitches left.  Thread the tail through these stitches and weave in.

Finish by crocheting 3 simple single stitch chain into the original cast on edge & then BLOCK. BLOCK BLOCK.  Really and truly, find yourself a ball or bowl with the approximate correct shape and size of the crown of a human head and wet that kippah thouroughly and block it once twice or even three times.

It will be worth it when you see the finished product.

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