United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are not letting up on Minnesota, but neither are those who stand in opposition to their ongoing crackdown.
Especially in the wake of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti — individuals inside and out of Minnesota are looking for ways to make an impact for those most vulnerable to ICE.
So, Minnesota yarn shop Needle & Skein has encouraged knitters and crocheters across the country to take part in a project inspired by resistance to Nazi Germany in the 1940s.
They’re calling them “Melt the ICE” hats, and the shop is selling digital patterns for both knitters and crocheters (and Tunisian crocheters!) to make their own. Each pattern is $5, and all funds raised will be donated to Minnesota-based immigration aid organizations.
Needle & Skein first posted about the hats on January 15. As of last week, they have raised over $250,000 through the sale of the patterns, but fundraising totals continue to skyrocket. NPR reported that the shop has now raised over $400,000 since releasing the pattern.
“Funds will be donated to STEP St. Louis Park emergency assistance for rent and other aid and the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund,” the shop shared in a recent update.
STEP Emergency Assistance provides legal aid and rent assistance to those in St. Louis Park, a suburb outside of Minneapolis, where Needle & Skein is located. The Immigrant Rapid Response Fund, on the other hand, is described as “a coalition of 32 philanthropic leaders rooted in communities most impacted by immigration-related harm.
Knitters seem to be in the limelight for the hats, but crocheters have also led the charge, with the r/crochet Subreddit (which has over a million members) reporting that “Minneapolis yarn shops are basically out of red yarn from so many people making resistance hats.”
Megan Boesen, the owner of Knit & Bolt in Minneapolis told The New York Times that locating red yarn had become like “finding toilet paper at the beginning of the pandemic.”
Shops across the country have also been selling out of their red yarn rapidly, with some donating their own percentage of yarn sales to Minnesota organizations. Folks have also resorted to maroon and pink colors with red yarn becoming ever-scarce as the project gains popularity.
“Join us in solidarity against the hateful crimes being committed by ICE around the country,” Peninsula Flock Knits in San Francisco shared on social media, adding that they would donate 100% of proceeds from all red yarn sales to mutual aid organizations in Minnesota.
The crochet pattern differs slightly from the knitting one, though both result in a pointed beanie with a tassel on the end, just like the original version that originated in Norway in the 1940s, which was later made illegal by the Nazi regime.
Those participating have shared progress photos and completed projects online. Crocheters on the subreddit have also shared that this might be their first-ever crochet hat, giving them a reason to get involved in the hobby.
“I finished my Melt the Ice hat today,” one user wrote. “It's far from perfect as I've never crocheted anything this complex. It's huge, but cozy … I learned a lot.”
To help beginners, or just give people a place to come together, shops (including Needle & Skein) have also been hosting virtual and in-person stitch-alongs for people to make their hats together.
“If you’re a stitcher on the Internet, then you likely know about the Melt the Ice Hat,” one yarn shop, Gather, in Massachusetts, shared on Instagram. “We’ll be gathering in community … to stitch red hats together, because getting through this national hellscape feels a little more gentle when surrounded by empathetic, caring humans.”
Whether crafters use needles or a crochet hook, the impact is clear: People want to do something, no matter how small, to help.
“It’s been really hard for people to sit back and watch this, and people have kind of despaired as to what can we do,” Gilah Mashaal, the owner of Needle & Skein, told The New York Times.
“I think this gave people a purpose and a way to channel — honestly — their rage and anxiety into something that they could actually create.”
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Header image courtesy of Gather/Instagram
