A Wedding Gift Like No Other
Chuppah (n): (a) the canopy under which a wedding is solemnized; (b) the wedding ceremony
I remember it as if it were yesterday. It was a cold spring day in NYC, March or maybe April, and my college roommate and I were walking down 5th Avenue. We had just been to Tiffany's where she was looking at engagement rings (and her fiance called from Israel while we were there - we started getting much better service after that!), and we were talking about the wedding, the marriage, growing up, all the good stuff. I offered to make her something as a wedding gift, something beautiful that they would use and treasure. What did she think?
Roomie thought about it for, oh, 10 seconds.
"Theresa," she said, "Will you make my chuppah?"
"Um, sure. What's a chuppah?"
A Jewish wedding canopy, as it turns out. Among other historical precendents, it represents their house befor God. Roomie, being a good rabbinical student, found out all the requirements for it to be kosher: no mixing of wool and linen, size about 4.5x6 ft, try not to spill any bacon on it. Oh, and she's allergic to wool. And not required, but she wanted lace. Silk. And pretty.
It's stunning. Roomie and her husband just got their wedding album in time for their first anniversary, and the chuppah is in all of their photos. It's gorgeous. I have photos, but they're so beautiful (ok, ok, the files are too big) that they keep breaking my computer.
So this is not your average knitting. I mean, I'm a big fan of cushy warm handknit socks and all the good things they do for your soul, but knitting that represents your house before God? It was a tall order even before Roomie and her husband decided to move up their wedding date by 8 months (again, like it was yesterday, the premonition I felt when a phone call began thus: "You're going to kill me . . .").
So why am I blogging about this now, even sans photos?
I'm making another one.
My best friend ever since shortly after she made one of my library books overdue in 6th grade, flitgirl, and her supercool fiance just got engaged. Since flitgirl is a long-range planning kind of gal (wedding in July '07), she first requested this chuppah when she saw me making the other one, approximately 18 mos before actually getting engaged. Head over to her blog and congratulate her. Then come back and help me design a chuppah. Something that special has to be one of a kind.
I remember it as if it were yesterday. It was a cold spring day in NYC, March or maybe April, and my college roommate and I were walking down 5th Avenue. We had just been to Tiffany's where she was looking at engagement rings (and her fiance called from Israel while we were there - we started getting much better service after that!), and we were talking about the wedding, the marriage, growing up, all the good stuff. I offered to make her something as a wedding gift, something beautiful that they would use and treasure. What did she think?
Roomie thought about it for, oh, 10 seconds.
"Theresa," she said, "Will you make my chuppah?"
"Um, sure. What's a chuppah?"
A Jewish wedding canopy, as it turns out. Among other historical precendents, it represents their house befor God. Roomie, being a good rabbinical student, found out all the requirements for it to be kosher: no mixing of wool and linen, size about 4.5x6 ft, try not to spill any bacon on it. Oh, and she's allergic to wool. And not required, but she wanted lace. Silk. And pretty.
It's stunning. Roomie and her husband just got their wedding album in time for their first anniversary, and the chuppah is in all of their photos. It's gorgeous. I have photos, but they're so beautiful (ok, ok, the files are too big) that they keep breaking my computer.
So this is not your average knitting. I mean, I'm a big fan of cushy warm handknit socks and all the good things they do for your soul, but knitting that represents your house before God? It was a tall order even before Roomie and her husband decided to move up their wedding date by 8 months (again, like it was yesterday, the premonition I felt when a phone call began thus: "You're going to kill me . . .").
So why am I blogging about this now, even sans photos?
I'm making another one.
My best friend ever since shortly after she made one of my library books overdue in 6th grade, flitgirl, and her supercool fiance just got engaged. Since flitgirl is a long-range planning kind of gal (wedding in July '07), she first requested this chuppah when she saw me making the other one, approximately 18 mos before actually getting engaged. Head over to her blog and congratulate her. Then come back and help me design a chuppah. Something that special has to be one of a kind.
posted by Theresa at 5:15 AM/Permalink
9 Comments:
Wow. You are a VERY nice friend!
And do upload a pic of the first chuppah!
I want to see a picture, too! I can't imagine knitting something so large - it's very cool, tho!
Wow - how special! and we MUST have pictures this time!
What a wonderful thing to do! There's nothing like your best friends from girlhood.
Indeed, there is not.
And have you also placed your order, Simone?
And Theresa didn't even explain that this very-special chuppah will very likely double as a christening shawl (though, obviously, not any time soon). That's one versatile gift.
Wow. That's some serious commitment to your craft - and your friends!
You must reduce one of your pictures and post it. We need to see!!!!
Whoa. A knitted chuppah. That is amazing. I really must see pictures. Couldn't you upload it to Flickr or similar? Might be easier than trying to put it in a blogger post.
Speaking as the groom, I must add a word of thanks for T's extraordinarily generous gift. Hooray for the chuppah!
Wow, what an undertaking! all of those possible lace patterns are lovely. Totally unhelpful, I know. =)
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