I started making these colorful hats for a couple of reasons.
- My kids attend a Jewish Day school where they are required to wear a kippah or “yarmulke”, if you are old school or skullcap if you are really really old school. Of the three terms, I think I like kippa best. It sounds like a combo of kiss & keppie (yiddish endearing term for “head”) and makes me think of kissing my child’s forehead. The plural of kippah is kippot. We go through a lot of kippot, as my young boys tend to leave them here there and everywhere. This leads to them having to wear ugly, unwashed, black nylon kippot from the community bin when they forget or lose theirs. No thanks! I can never have too many kippot stashed in their backpacks, cubbies and my car’s glove compartment. The more distinctive, the better. That way there’s no question who left their kippa on the slide!
- I have a hard time unwinding at the end of the day. I can’t even watch tv without tapping on my computer and getting a few last emails out. Unless I am knitting. I can actually watch tv and follow the plot if I am knitting. Something about occupying my hands and mind at the same time allows me to leave my work and worries for a time. Small, simple projects seem to work best for me in this “therapeutic” role.
Legend has it that my great grandmother, even after going blind, could churn out a handknit sock in a single evening.
Night after night she made sure her children and grandchildren’s feet were covered. She, and my grandmother as well, were prolific knitters. I’m far from their league but every time I pick up my needles and make something for my kids, it gives me such a nice feeling of satisfaction and connection. Especially when I knit in the round, old world style like my grandmother taught me. Cozy-fying toes, kissing foreheads.
In this way, these kippot bring peace and happiness to my children’s head and to my own as well.
I’ve been asked to share the pattern several times and I’ve finally gotten a PDF together with the instructions. If you are not Jewish, have no use for a kippah and just want to make a cute beanie for your kids, the pattern has a modification for making a “deeper” hat. There are modifications for younger kids and adult sizing as well. It’s a VERY simple pattern you will likely memorize after the first hat, and with a little tweaking for different yarns, use time and again to make hats on the fly. It can get addictive. Consider yourself warned!
Download the free knit kippot pattern PDF here
Greetings
I am looking for a kippah pattern knitted for my dughters wedding. I can not find a good pattern to save my life. Any suggesting? Please advise
Thanks
Tracey
I had a hard time finding anything I loved which is why I created these for my sons! I think more crocheted patterns are out there. I would start on Ravelry.com and look at hats in the weight of yarn you want to use, and then see if any of them might be made in an abbreviated fashion (ie just knit the crown portion). Good luck!
I wish your site had been available 35 years ago! When my so went to yeshiva, the Internet didn’t exist and he often lost or forgot his kippot as young boys do. Once or twice weekly we scrambled to replace his kippot. I spent considerable time figuring out patterns I could crochet quickly but none was as colourful and fun (and easy) as these. Thank you for posting these patterns in time for my grandchildren.
Thanks for leaving a comment! I am still making these regularly, as they knit up in a night or two. Currently making some out of noro yarn while I travel in Israel 🙂
Thank you! My son will be starting kindergarten at a Jewish Day School in the fall and will need to wear a kippah every day. I also always need to be making something, so this is perfect.
awesome! I hope you enjoy as much as I do. I’ve been continuing to make these and am saving all the ones I make for my son’s bar mitzvah. Don’t be put off by the shape when you are done – you need to wash and block it over something round. 🙂
Hi! I can’t seem to download the attachment and I would love to try this. I now have two boys in Jewish Day School and 4 weeks into school we’ve lost over 20 kippot! Thanks!
I’m having trouble finding the pattern. The link just redirects to this page…?
Thanks for the heads up Jill! A recent security sweep removed the PDF but it is back up and you can now click through!
The click through for the PDF is back and working! Happy knitting!
A Pyrex bowl is excellent for blocking! Just sharing my experience.
Hi,
I want to make the pattern but I cant find the size yarn you used. Can you let me know please? It looks really nice!
Hi Steph – I used a lopi/light lopi weight yarn. Noro Silk Garden works really well as do Kaleidoscope yarns and malabrigo worsted. Just be careful you don’t felt too much or it becomes a tiny kippah!
My son loves the keppah in the middle (the navy, grey and white one). Do you remember what yarns you used for it?
Hi Aimee, I used Kaleidoscope yarn by Elegant Yarns for that one 🙂 It’s a favorite of my son and husband as well.