Previously: On Tzitzit
This is how I make my tzitzit. You can make them according to any pattern you like, as the only commands concerning them, are, they attach to the four corners of your garment, they have a blue thread to identify you as YHVH’s, and they are made of twisted thread.
Concerning the four corners: some believe that your garment must have split sides at the hem, to qualify as having four corners, but a normal top also has four corners at the side seams. The corners are sewn together, but they are not gone:
My step by step:
DMC Cotton in size 5 is my favorite thread for tying tzitzit. It comes as Petra Cotton in balls, or Pearl Cotton in skeins, usually sold next to the Embroidery Floss in hobby stores. The skeins come in over 300 colors, but the DMC size 5 cotton is so much sturdier than embroidery floss. The tzitzit don’t wear out nearly so fast.
A few clarifications: I usually use ten different threads when preparing my tzitzit. In the example above, I used twelve, but mislabeled it. Ooops! The main thing is to have your thread count divisible by 4, when doubled. So, ten threads doubled = 20, divided by 4 = 5. Check. Twelve doubled = 24, divided by 4 = 6. Check.
I get DMC size 5 Cotton in skeins and balls online at the links. But if you have a good needlework store in your area, use them! I often get my large hole beads at Fire Mountain Gems. I can usually find 2.5-3mm hole accent beads at Hobby Lobby or Michael’s.
As far as color combinations, I like using more than one color. They can be a variety of colors that look nice together, like the above set, or perhaps a variegated thread, or a range of the same color, such as a selection of pinks, or greens. The advantage to this is that one set of tzitzit will match with more clothes. I have sets in every color of the rainbow!
On Making Tzitzit: The Four-Strand Braid
On Making Tzitzit: The Knots Proclaiming the Commandments
On Making Tzitzit: Embellishment, and Tassels
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