Hats Off To Channah

Most of the time I give you a recipe for something yummy, something nice you can do to feed yourself, your family, your friends and even your community.  I’m not going to do that today.  Today you are going to get something different, a recipe for a mitzvah, an act of human kindness, something you can do to help someone else.

I’ve never met Channah Koppel, but our paths have crossed at many angles over the years.  We’re both members of the Israelfood group on Yahoo.  We’re both members of various forums on Ravelry, the online knitting community that currently serves my knitting obsession.  We’re friends on Facebook.  Channah is a woman who cooks and knits, how could I not like her?  But Channah is different from yours truly, because she has taken her knitting up a level, to head the grassroots charity of knitting hats for Israeli soldiers.

Her website, Hats for Israeli Soldiers (no need to guess what it’s all about) provides the perfect vehicle for those of us who want to do something for our boys and girls who are giving years of their lives to protect us and serve us.  in her own written words:

As the mother of an Israeli soldier and the organizer of a local group of handcrafters called “Chicks with Sticks”, I began a small grass roots initiative to knit hats for soldiers…and it grew…and grew…and grew. This small, concrete way to send a soldier a little warmth struck a chord with knitters around the world. Thousands of their handmade hats are already in use by combat soldiers on Israel’s front lines.

And in her own spoken words:

So if you can click your sticks together, why not do something for someone who is doing something for you?

The trunk of Channah's car after a trip to the post office.

Simple Soldier’s Hat

• machine washable plain black worsted weight yarn
• 4mm – 5.5mm straight, double-pointed or circular needles
• tapestry needle or crochet hook for finishing

For the “recipe” of how to whip up the hat, read the instructions here.