Twin Cities knitting pattern used to protest ICE reaches across the world
Many have now seen the masses march in Minneapolis calling for an end to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. But some are choosing a silent expression of protest with Scandinavian roots.
Lately, nothing at Needle and Skein knitting shop in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, has been normal. It started after images of ICE in Minneapolis went viral.
Gilah Mashaal owns the yarn shop and said, "Everybody was wondering, 'What can we do?' And we thought this would be a fun little project."
In Minnesota, where one-third of the people have Nordic heritage, a Nordic project made sense. A project dating back to World War II, when knitting and wearing red hats became a sign of resistance.
"I read what the Norwegians did to protest the Nazi occupation of their country," Mashaal said.
Mashaal is an immigrant herself and says Operation Metro Surge has felt personal,
"Here was my father in Egypt, being forced out with no papers. They couldn't leave with anything. That is the same thing that is happening," she said.
She recruited her regular knitters, who were fully on board. They created a way for people who aren't local to help.
First, a night to knit red hats together.
"We posted it and thought maybe 10 people would come, and I posted it, and I had over 100 people in this space," Mashaal said.
Then, they widened their reach, creating a red hat pattern for the knitting site Ravelry. Proceeds go to immigrant support groups.
For perspective, a regular pattern might sell 100. The "Melt the Ice" pattern has sold 100,000.
At $5 dollars a pop, the numbers are astounding.
"We are hitting close to $600,000," Mashaal said.
The pattern has reached Poland, Korea, Mexico, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Australia and dozens of other countries.
"We are reading about what is happening, knitting this in support of your state," a Norwegian woman said via video chat.
Mashaal added, "We have sold patterns to over 43 different countries. I know, it's insane. That's how much people want to show their support to Minnesota."
Her shop's Instagram post has 3 million views.