Tassels

HOW TO MAKE TASSELS (TZITZIT)

Num 15:38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: 39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: 40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.

God commands us to wear tzitzit on the four corners of our garments, what does this symbolize? The numerical value for the Hebrew word Tzitzit is 600. As you look at the instructions below you will see there are 8 strings and 5 knots in a Tzitzit. This adds up to 613 the number of Commandments in the Torah - the first five books in the Bible. In addition to this the number of windings between the knots are 10, 5, 6 and 5. This is the numerical equivilent for the Hebrew letters Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey and spells out God's name. The combination of these two things are God and His 613 Commandments.

ITEMS NEEDED:
C-clamp
Key ring (1 inch diameter)
Tape measure
Place mat (to protect table from c-clamp)
Scissors
Safety pins (1 inch size)
Cotton crochet thread - colors Royal blue and White

INSTRUCTIONS:
1.) Attach c-clamp to a table, handle up, with the place mat curved around the table edge. Tighten lightly to avoid table damage. Place key ring over handle and shaft (fig 1).

FIG 1

2.) Cut three 22 inch lengths of white crochet thread
Cut one 35 inch length of blue crochet thread
3.) Even up one end of the four lengths of thread and fold in half so that the white threads are folded in half with the one end of the blue thread longer (FIG 2).

FIG 2

4.) Keeping the relationship of the threads, slide one end through the key ring and hold taut. (FIG 3).

FIG 3

5.) Mark the length of the safety pin (1") on the c-clamp for a reference. (FIG 4).
This allows the pin to swing through the loop later, if necessary.

FIG 4

6.) Keeping the ends even, make your 1st half of a knot at the reference mark. (FIG 5).

FIG 5

7.) Make the 2nd half of the knot (complete the knot). All ends should be even except one end of the blue thread. (FIG 6)

FIG 6

8.) Next, hold all ends together except the long blue one; and twist the blue thread around the others 10 times keeping the windings snug (not too tight) with no spaces between the wound blue thread. (FIG 7)

FIG 7

9.) Separate the threads 4 x 4 with one blue one on each side. (FIG 8)

FIG 8

10.) Tie another complete knot. (FIG 9)

FIG 9

11.) Repeat with windings of 5, 6, and 5 of the blue thread. (FIG 10) The Bible says make tzitzit (tassels) and tie them with blue thread.

FIG 10

12.) Trim all ends even with a scissors except the long blue one, leave it about an inch longer. Remove the tassels from the key ring. The blue thread has been called the shamish, the servant thread, by Messianic believers; since it serves by holding together this tassel which represents God's commandments and reminds us to keep them. Messiah, of course, was a servant; hence the symbolism. Jewish tassels do not have a blue thread.

FIG 11

13.) Place the loop through the circle in the end of the safety pin, and then the end of the tzitzit through the loop. (FIG 12)

FIG 12

14.) Pull the ends completely through the loop and slide threads tight to the safety pin. (FIG 13)

FIG 13

Remember, wearing tzitzit is similar to today's idea of "tying a string around your finger" to remember to do something. God commanded those committed to him to wear tassels (tzitzit) to remind themselves to keep his commandments.