FAVORITE PASTIMES — Sharon Mark Cohen

A needlepoint of Moses with the Ten Commandments was featured in my December 18, 2018 blog post at sharonmarkcohen.com, How Far Are We Getting From Mt. Sinai? When our son Moss was young, he found the piece I started working on years before stored on the third floor of our house. He asked me to complete it, and my recollection is that it took seven years to get to the last stitch. For his 13th birthday in 2007, I presented him with the framed piece.

Memories abound, and I think of vacations, such as a trip to visit cousins in Hunter, New York. A hike with our cousins at Kaaterskill Falls was an all-time family favorite. While continuing on to tour Niagara Falls with our children, any idle time consisted of needle in, needle out, diligently stitching as my husband drove. Along the way, we listened to movies the children picked. To play them, they used a small television with a video capacity nestled between the front consul.

In the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire there’s a classic line when Robin Williams, dressed up like an old lady, says, “I should never buy gribenes from a mohel, it’s so chewy.” Talk about a favorite; that line did wonders for tickling the funny bone as we steadily drove along. There should be a special place for it in The Joys of Yiddish.

Each piece in my collection of needle creations has a “who, what, where, when, and why.” When someone on the Yiddish Facebook page Yiddish Word Of The Day (A LIGHT, FUN Group Of Lovers Of Yiddish) posted needlework of a woman lighting candles, I asked my brother to take a picture of the needlepoint I made for our mother of blessed memory.

I made this piece for my mother because it reminded me of her faithfully lighting the Sabbath candles

There are others at my childhood house, such as the colorful Parrot I stitched for my brother Al. A woman I worked with wanted desperately to buy the piece when she saw me working on it. I never sold my works, instead, I gifted them with love.

I attribute my love for needlework to my girl scout leader, my friend Ila’s mother. See my December 10, 2019 blog post at sharonmarkcohen.com, LINCOLN SCHOOL DAYS. There, the personalized runner I completed in grammar school, circa 1964, is shown draped with the green knee socks from my girl scout uniform, purchased at Levy’s Department Store in Elizabeth, New Jersey. I wonder if my "sister" girl scouts remember learning to do the needlework, finishing their runner, keeping it, and knowing where it is. Do their families keep the story alive?

My Aunt Fannie crocheted lovely soft afghans, and we still enjoy covering ourselves with those throws on the couch after close to 50 years. The coziness they offer reminds us of family long gone but never forgotten. Aunt Fannie’s favorite flower was the rose, and she introduced me to mini-roses. She was so appreciative of the rose needlepoint I created for her.

Needlepoint roses I made for Aunt Fannie

One of the many afghans Aunt Fannie crocheted

For Hilda, my dear mother-in-law, a dressmaker and knitter extraordinaire, who also crocheted beautiful throws, I made a necklace with the needlepoint design of a flower. She absolutely loved it, and to my delight, she sported it often.

Only recently, I learned that our children didn’t know the correct artist who crafted the large afghan in our den. This blog post sets the record straight.

One of the many afghans my mother-in-law crocheted

Needlepoint necklace I made for my mother-in-law

Passover 2021 at Grandma and Zaidy’s house…Solly donning a sweater her Great-grandmother Hilda knitted for her daddy

I took much pleasure from crafting needle pieces over the years, finding them very therapeutic to work on at break time and lunch hour at work. The all-time-consuming duties of childrearing curtailed that hobby, and as the empty-nester years approached, I took to writing as a pastime. My blog post today combines those two well-versed hobbies. Writing about the needlework pieces I created will ensure that they remain a part of my diary.

My Cousin’s Beautifully Handcrafted Candyland Quilt, a blog post at sharonmarkcohen.com, dated July 24, 2020, documents creations by my cousin Alyce. They and Alyce, of course, are part of our family history.

After reading my May 3, 2022, blog post, The Philly Branch From Chudnov, my cousin Sally wrote, “My kids have zero interest in deep family history and I’m afraid I may be the last one to caretake these letters and images. What are you doing towards that end?” My candid response was, “Don't know about all my files. I'm just trying to write lots of stuff in my Tuesday blog posts and then make a book out of it. The kids seem to have some interest in it but who knows.”

My mission is to document and have fun along the way. The final disposition of my efforts is beyond my control.

What got me to blog about my needlepoint creations? Seeing the interest from posts on the Yiddish Facebook group gave me the incentive to post my works, and tell the story behind them, so my descendants know the history. As Dena and Eric entered our family, I pointed out some of my works. They had no idea I made them. That’s just a doggone shame. That statement indicates I watched one too many Western television shows. I can hear the Cartwrights now.*

This cross-stitch kept me busy on our Amtrak train ride from Denver, Colorado to Oakland, California, then up to Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington 1987

Another sweatshirt with my Counted Cross stitch handiwork

There’s this little refresher from my April 21, 2020 blog post *…and Remember That I Love You* found at sharonmarkcohen.com.

Assorted other little pieces that kept my fingers moving are hanging “here and there,” throughout our house and elicit a quick smile from me.

More than a drawer full of knitted baby sweaters, hats, blankets, and other goodies will someday be looked at and hopefully, spark a happy memory as our children remember our ancestors who lovingly stitched the items.

Then there are the classic photos I’ve snapped over the years. Only a handful of favorite memory ones are posted here.

One of a collage of five framed photos taken by Sharon from onboard the Silverton-Durango Line in Colorado when our son Judd was six months old September 1988

A few of the photos taken in Aspen, Colorado and the Maroon Bells by Sharon in the 1980s

Finding it difficult to stop at three of the several captivating photos taken at Maroon Bells Colorado 1980s

Flamingos in Rancho Mirage, California photographed by Sharon November 19, 1993

Those are some of my fun pastimes now recorded for posterity, as I currently devote most of my time to writing and updating our family history. Hopefully, it will all matter to our descendants and inspire others.

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*https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0529560/characters/nm0001296

“[Ben, Hoss and Charlie are attending a funeral]

Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright: It's a doggone shame, ain't it, Charlie.”

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