I had seen pictures of the pattern and impassioned reasons for making the red hat with the sharp decrease lines at the top with the braided chain and tassel below. A knitter resurrected the pattern from the history of Norwegian resistance against Nazi rule; the Germans eventually caught on and threatened to arrest anyone who wore one.

I still didn’t much like the pattern.

At the same time, I could see how it would be the one you’d want to be wearing while protesting ICE. It’s like the pussy hats ten years ago: everybody would know you took the time to make your protest known. Others could find you in solidarity. The photos from the Woman’s March showed just how amazing that could become.

Today I actually found the website where the pattern is (Ravelry link to it here. Crochet version here.)

Here’s how the New York Times got my attention about it: it doesn’t matter if you’re going to knit that hat. What matters is that that five bucks for the pattern is not going to the designer nor their yarn store–it is going straight to the people helping people in Minnesota right now. The ones taking people food and clothing, the ones helping them pay their rent while things are so closed down.

ICE is arresting people without warrants, holding them in the Whipple building, stealing their phones and coats and then dumping some of them at the snow at the back of the building. Frostbite can set in fast. Volunteers are there to rescue and warm them. I want to help with that.

Needle and Skein‘s owners have given out $250,000 so far in $5 hat pattern sales plus donations from people who want to do more. There’s a major run on red wool yarn.

Five bucks. My next Zoom hat. Who’s with me.