This design is the follow-up to free beanie patterns I have made available these past years. In these patterns, an emblem or medallion in square-kufic Arabic is tilted at an angle against a stranded color work striped background reminiscent of Armenian/two-stranded knitting.

In terms of the knitting itself, the double layering of fingering-weight yarn creates a sturdy 
yet supple and light fabric, and I’ve revised the pattern here to work in cotton. The color dominance is reversed: The motif is in the non-dominant color, which allows the counters and surrounding yarn to bring out cleaner letterforms.

In my beanie patterns, I focus on a variety of yarns across a spectrum of both material as well as cost entry points to show that plastic clothing isn’t an obligation, contrary to its marketing and glut of fabrication. The emphasis on natural fibers here for me stands as a testament of faith; a manifestation of our humanity and our role as integral caretakers of this planet. I am reflecting here my own goal to transition to a local fibershed].

This is a “one size fits most” pattern, knitted up for an adult-sized head. Changing needle size/yarn weight will allow for variety here, as seen in the samples section of previous patterns. I prefer beanies that fit snugly to the head; there is not too much slouchiness probable, though quite possible given further material exploration.

The pattern includes a chart as well as extensive notes, along with references for how-to videos and books. It further includes useful links to help understand the reasoning behind these motifs. The pattern suggests circular knitting needles; an embroidery needle will be useful for finishing.

This beanie commemorates resistance to the nakba, or catastrophe as it is known: the expulsion of the Palestinian people from their land that reached peak crisis 75 years ago. This has been a constant reality and process for a century and has now shifted into full-on genocidal intent and action: a second nakba. In terms of the Arabic, filistiin is Palestine; intifada is uprising; and samidoun is steadfastness. The secondary motif reflects the “nazar” amulet that wards off the evil eye (صيبة عين in local dialect).

There are three things that helped me to understand much more deeply what is presently going on in Occupied Palestine. One is living in Beirut during the 33-day July War in 2006. The brutality unleashed and passive world response were incomprehensible and yet spoke to a bigger picture of politics and economics, and not the “religious wars” of nationalist Western mythologies.

The second is understanding the white supremacy and genocide that lie at the heart of settler-colonial societies. This moves past social media sanctimony; there is an effort required to understand historical context and current geo-politics. The ways in which original peoples are erased and communities destroyed is from a playbook as old as capitalism.

The third is the history of colonialism/imperialism as targeting marginalized populations. Europe and North America decided long ago that 4 ⁄ 5ths of the global population does not embody their notion of humanity. This doesn’t deserve a response; one doesn’t beg for recognition as human beings. One either identifies with such ideologies, or one resists them.

Assata Shakur states: “Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them.” Tawfiq Zayyad, in his poem, “The Disgraceful Case”, states: “All you have done to our people/is registered in notebooks”. Norman Finklestein defines all efforts to fight such oppression as “valid resistance”. May this beanie serve as one small part of that resistance; please consider downloading this beanie an act of solidarity.