This design started out as a search for a knitted version of a ṭāqīyah, in other languages within the faith referred to as an ’araqchin, kufi, kap, or topi. It is possible to find prayer skullcaps made of synthetic materials, but for a variety of economic, political, as well as purely faith-based reasons, this is no longer a valid choice. Cotton is also another option, often crocheted. But my crochet skills are nil, and I wanted to explore materials a bit. After a dozen or so prototypes I settled on this design, and expanded it also to work as a regular beanie. Pattern reads “salaam” or “peace/peace of mind”. The photographs show the yarn tests so far. Pattern is ready to go, just need to finish these final tests.

Expanding from the comments section:

The pattern basically gives a “recipe” overview, one chart and knitting instructions as well as notes, and the starting point in the chart determines whether it is a kufi or a beanie. I’m including also in the notes what I’ve gleaned from yarns and testing them. Quoting from the pattern overview:

“As the beanie is based on a traditional ṭaqiyah, it is designed to fit snugly to the head, and rides above where the ears attach to the skull. The beanie version extends below the earlobes, based on the recipe preferences. There is not too much slouchiness probable, though quite possible given further material exploration.”

For example, cotton is giving me a more traditional kufi in terms of fabric; alpaca is at the other end of that spectrum. So long story short, the strict kufi sits and wears completely differently from the beanie—I hope this will encourage knitters to explore the pattern.

Léttlopi note: The beanie version uses exactly one skein of Léttlopi yarn.