The Minyan Kippah (aka The Seven Gates Kippah)

This kippah is so-named because it is a quick-enough knit that I could make enough of these to give as
gifts to my entire minyan. Since knitting produces a finer fabric that crochet, the fingering weight yarn is
relatively quick to work with yet produces a kippah that isn’t too heavy.

Please read: While I am distributing this kippah as a free pattern, it is a gift with some strings. Please
donate to my Jimmy Fund Marathon Walk – a 26.2-mile walk to raise funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute. I walk every year: in memory of my parents who both died of cancer, and with hope that
tomorrow’s cancer patients will have an easier future. While the pattern itself might normally be priced
at $3-$5, I cannot help but observe that $18 is a Jewishly “round number” and $180 is even rounder…
Naturally all gifts are fully tax-deductible. Just go to http://www.jimmyfundwalk.org/2011/BethK.

Materials:

 3 skeins of fingering-weight cotton: 2 colors with minimal contrast (MC1 and MC2) and 1 with
high contrast (HC)
 Size 2 needles

I made 7 kippot out of the above materials. That works out to about 25 meters each of the two main
colors and 5 meters of the contrast color.

Gauge: If you use the yarn and needles recommended, I don’t think a little variation in gauge will
matter. Move up a needle size if your kippah seems too small and move down a needle size if your
kippah is too large.
Instructions:

Cast on 24 sts with MC1.

Row 1: sl 1 st, k23.
Row 2: With MC2, k22, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 3: With MC1, k21, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 4: With MC2, k20, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 5: With MC1, k19, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 6: With MC2, k18, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 7: With MC1, k17, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 8: With MC2, k16, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 9: With MC1, k15, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 10: With MC2, k14, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 11: With MC1, k13, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 12: With MC2, k12, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 13: With MC1, k11, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 14: With MC2, k10, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 15: With MC1, k9, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 16: With MC2, k8, W&T, k to end of row.
Row 17: With MC1, k24, picking up the wrapped stitches and knitting them together with the stitches
they wrapped. Work this row (and the next row) tight.

Repeat from Row 1, 5 more times (6 sections completed). Then repeat one more time, replacing MC2
with HC. After row 17, bind off, then use the mattress stitch to sew the kippah together. Weave in ends.
Blocking is optional, as is a crocheted edge or any other edge of your choice.

Tips:

1. By alternating colors in each segment it is easy to count rows to keep track of where you are
with respect to the short rows. Another trick is that the sts remaining on the LH needle should
alternate between MC1 and MC2. For example: if you are knitting with MC1, k all the MC2 sts on
the LH needle until only one remains before it alternates with MC1. Wrap that last MC1.
2. When switching colors, always bring the new color in front of the one just used to make a
cleaner edge. This will twist the yarn and periodically you can let the kippah dangle and pull the
two working yarns to untwist. This is not necessary if you plan to add an edging to the
completed kippah.