Winter is Coming!

'Tis the season for hats. Here are some of your creations in action:

Keep up the good work, folks! Your hats are making many soldiers very happy. 

Mazal Tov to Israel on its 68th Bday

Just wanted to share this adorable photo sent to me by a lone soldier center in Jerusalem (check out Chayal el Chayal here).

I gave the center some hats to distribute right before Yom haAtzma'ut (Israel Independence Day) because I think it's an appropriate time to show our appreciation to the folks in green who help keep us safe all year round. They were hamming it up a bit because the weather's been quite warm lately, but they assured me that they will indeed wear those hats this year, and with pleasure. And it's really nice for lone soldiers to know that there are people all over the world who care about them.

Thanks again, all you hat knitters, for making this happen!

Catch Up Time!

Hi everyone, 

I know it's been forever. The hats keep coming in, and going out, and I'm deeply grateful to all of you for sticking with it. I want to share with you some of the inspiring notes and photos I've received this winter. Enjoy!! The soldiers certainly are, you can all be proud of what you've done. 

(note: I've removed a few identifying names, but otherwise the letters are as I received them...)

A nice email:

Hi, my name is Meir C. I am in training now in the Tzanchanim brigade and I got the hat that you made in a package for Lone Soldiers. I just wanted to thank you for the personal touch that the hat adds. It really means a lot to me.

Thanks!

Here's another:

Ronnie, my son, has no email at the moment, but he has asked me to say a very big thank you on behalf of Gdud 603 in Handasa Kravit [Engineering Corps] for the great hats they received. Seeing as they are presently up North somewhere the hats have been very important additions to their fighting capability and chances of survival in the wild! I attach a couple of pictures showing the troops suitably adorned.

Yet another:

Dear Channah,

Here is my son, after I showed him his huge bag of warm hats to give out.  He was pretty happy, as you can see!

Thanks again so much!

T.

The young men in the photo below work in a very unpleasant job, combing the field for bodies and body parts after something has happened. Their commander asked me if he could have 60 hats to give the group after they complete a special training session. I was happy to comply, and you can see that they're pretty pleased, too.

The group sent me the following photo too, with fewer guys in hats but signs saying "we want to say thank you". The ones facing away from the camera are doing so for security reasons (they are not allowed to appear "in print").

So the hats are greatly appreciated. It's been a cold winter here, I've gotten lots of requests, and I receive and send out at least a hundred hats a week. Seeing as I've been doing this for seven years now, at a rate of over 5000 hats per year, I believe that together we've passed the 30,000 hats mark. 

YES! I'LL SAY THAT AGAIN.
OVER 30,000 HANDMADE HATS HAVE GONE TO IDF SOLDIERS SINCE THIS PROJECT BEGAN. 

My boundless gratitude and love to you all,
Channah