We Are Knitters – Everyone is Included

We are Knitters. All the happiness in a knit. Mmm.. words to live by, if you are a serious or a hobby knitter. We found them by accident. And yes, the accident turned into happiness. And happiness turned into several new knits.

We Are Knitters was founded in 2011 by Pepita Marin and Alberto Bravo to start a “knitting renaissance”, in their hometown of Madrid. How do you get young people to give up their smartphones and take up an activity like knitting, long considered a thing done by grandmas and the like? You reach to them where they are. Using social media, technology and digitizing their interests through the medium of knitting. Cue, a young, modern and very involved knitting community.

So what do they have that other knitting sites don’t? Experience and interaction. Everyone is included, including people who are just thinking of starting out, and those who have knitting as a family tradition. It is not an easy job trying to appeal to both these sets in one website, but somehow, you feel, We are Knitters, is achieving that.

Start with their tutorials section. Do you know how to do a Blackberry stitch? Do you even know what a BlackBerry stitch is? Worry not, they have both those questions covered in their smart videos. You really have to check that section out.

So not just tutorials, and not just interactivity (through their massively popular Instagram account), they also offer you the kits and all the supplies to get your inner knitting or crochet diva out! A one stop place to gather your pattern, the yarn, the needles. Don’t want to buy these things individually? You can buy them in a kit (blankets, tea cosies, cardigans and sweaters)!

So go ahead. Get your inspiration on with something new. Today, we are all knitters.

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If you want to teach kids the basics of Hanukkah in the classroom or at home, the picture book Hanukkah by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Rotem Teplow is a nice place to start.

The book explores the Jewish holiday through the eyes of Lior, a boy whose name means “my light” in Hebrew, which is appropriate for talking about the Festival of Lights.

The book goes through all the preparations the family does, including cleaning, setting the table and cleaning the menorah. It talks about what the menorah symbolizes and the Hanukkah story of the oil in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem lasting for eight days when it should have only been a one-day supply.

The meaning of the letters on the dreidel are also explored, in that when you are in Israel they have a different fourth word (the letters symbolize the Hebrew letters for “a great miracle happened there” or, in Israel, “a great miracle happened here”).

Because the story of Hanukkah involves oil, a lot of the foods that are eaten during the celebration are fried in oil, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (fried jelly doughnuts). Other foods mentioned include challah, noodle kugel and sour cream and applesauce, which are served with the latkes. Family and friends drop by to share their food, light their menorahs together and play dreidel (the game is explained in the story). It also talks about how the candles are lit through the eight days and what happens at the end of Hanukkah.

The book includes Hanukkah blessings in English and Hebrew and talks about the lunar cycle of the Hebrew calendar, which is why Hanukkah is sometimes celebrated in November and sometimes in December. It also talks about why Jewish holidays are celebrated beginning at sunset rather than in the morning.

Other topics covered include Hanukkah greetings; how to spell Hanukkah; how to make an edible menorah and an tzedakah box (to collect money for charity); recipes for latkes and applesauce; and a more detailed story of Hanukkah than is included within the story of the book. There’s also a quiz to see how well you were paying attention.

This sweet little book is a quick read and a cute overview of the basics of Hanukkah and what the symbols, foods and games mean. It’s a great book for classrooms or at home for sharing basic knowledge.

About the book: 48 pages, hardcover. Published 2024 by words & pictures, suggested retail price $14.99.

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