Yom HaAtzma'ut Sameach!

And many, many more...

A Time to Remember

Today, the 20th day of the Omer, is also Yom haZikaron -- Israel Remembrance Day.

Usually I use this blog to thank the soldiers who defend us, and the knitters who support them. Today I want to use this space to send love and tears to the family of the fallen, and to pray that one day that kind of terrible sacrifice will be unnecessary. May their memories be blessed.

יהי זכרם ברוך 

Thank you from the Engineering Corps. These young men, situated in the north of Israel, really appreciated your hats:

The hats continue to come in at the rate of about 100 a week, from all over the world. Thanks everyone!

Yes, hats are welcome!

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for the kind and concerned messages you've been sending my way. We're doing fine here in Efrat but of course the south is under steady fire and we know many soldiers who've been drafted with little notice. The hat knitting goes on. Please keep sending them in and feel free to share this site with your friends. As always, I'm available to answer any questions you may have.

Thanks again for being there and may we know quieter times in the near future.

Good Things Come in Pairs

And  just to prove it....

Two great yarns for making hats are on sale at Webs from now until the end of May 2012!
A ball of either one would make a wonderfully head-warming hat.

Plymouth Yarn Encore (75% Acrylic 25% Wool) $4.19 for 200 yards
http://www.yarn.com/webs-anniversary-sale-april-sale-yarns/webs-knitting-crochet-yarns-plymouth-encore/

Cascade 220 Superwash (100% Wool) $7.49 for 220 yards
http://www.yarn.com/webs-anniversary-sale-april-sale-yarns/webs-knitting-crochet-yarns-cascade-220-superwash/

Here are two adorable letters to soldiers from school children:

And...a lovely couple!

That's my son, whose cold winter-long army service on the Hermon started this whole thing. Here he is back on the Hermon (several years after the army) with his lovely fiancee! Yup, my oldest got engaged just before Passover and is getting married at the end of August. Mazel tov!

(And yes, that is a hat I made for him -- NOT army regulation.)

For comparison's sake, this next photo is from way back when, waiting for the right girl to come...

So two's definitely better than one, wouldn't you say?

Someone I like

The stories and photos you all send me are amazing and have enriched my life tremendously. Here's another wonderful knitter and human being, Ruth from Toronto. And what a smile!

Ruth writes, "Since retiring in 2003, I have been a volunteer at Mt. Sinai Hospital in downtown Toronto. I volunteer every Tuesday at a desk on the outpatients floor, directing patients to their respective appointments. I can almost finish a hat in the 6 hours that I am there. People stop and ask what I'm knitting. It's quite a conversation piece and I've given a few people the website address..."

Isn't she great? Thank you, Ruth, and all you other inspirational knitters out there!

Good Luck, Guys!

Sixty-one boys from Otniel, a Hesder Yeshiva in southern Israel, are to be drafted to the army this coming week. They'll be serving in three different units: tanks, Kfir (an elite infantry unit) and field intelligence (that's when you live in a bush for 3 days at a stretch, keeping watch on the area). They're all pretty rigorous, and not a lot of fun. Since both my sons attended the yeshiva in Otniel, I have warm feelings for the place so when one of my sons suggested that it'd be nice to distribute hats to all those being drafted, I couldn't refuse.

Here's a sweet thank you note and photo they sent back (the original note, in Hebrew, is below. This is my rough translation):

To Channah Koppel and her dear friends,

Our class in Otniel Yeshiva is being drafted into the army this month and this week we received the woolen hats you knit. We just wanted to say thank you very much for the hats, they are amazing and much nicer than any others we’ve ever seen! May you merit many mitzvoth! (good deeds)

Here’s a photo of some of us with the hats…

לחנה קופל וחברותיה היקרות!‎

השיעור שלנו בישיבת עתניאל הולך להתגייס בחודש הקרוב לצבא והשבוע קיבלנו מכם את כובעי הצמר שסרגתם. רק רצינו להגיד ממש תודה רבה על הכובעים, הם ממש מהממים והרבה יותר יפים מכל כובע צמר שראינו אי פעם!

תזכו למצוות!

מצורפת תמונה של חלקנו עם הכובעים...