Minneapolis knitters make red ‘Melt the ICE’ hats to protest ICE

This month in Minneapolis-area suburbs, hobbyist knitters have been making red tasseled “Melt the ICE” hats to galvanize opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to mourn two Minnesotans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were fatally shot by federal agents, The New York Times reports.

The knitted pattern, selling at $5, has been ordered more than 85,000 times since being offered online in mid-January, according to the Minneapolis-area shop behind its creation. Gabrielle Mashaal-Timm, the daughter of the shop owner, said sales of the pattern and other donations were running at about $50,000 a day as of Friday; the shop said it had funneled some $250,000 so far to groups assisting local immigrant communities and gave two $125,000 checks earlier this week.

Organizers and makers describe the project as a “craftivist” movement. Paul Neary designed the knit version (Sarah Sward made the crochet version) and said his inspiration included traditional Norwegian nisselue worn in the 1940s; he said, "it truly does feel like we are surrounded, and everyone is at risk." Reporters noted echoes of the pink “pussy hat” movement from nearly a decade ago as the red beanies began appearing in Minnesota and beyond.

The effort has strained supplies: some shops reported running short or sold out of red yarn and even knitting needles, and some owners said they were shipping yarn to other states. Critics online have suggested the hats are an empty gesture, but shop owners pushed back.

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