How a $5 Knitting Pattern Raised $700,000 for Immigrant Aid

One afternoon in mid-January, a handful of knitters gathered at Needle & Skein, a yarn shop in a Minneapolis suburb. The weekly stitch-along is usually filled with laughter and storytelling. But that day, something was different.

“It was just collective exhaustion,” said Paul Neary, a shop employee. The “big thing” hanging over them was the recent arrival of about 3,000 federal immigration agents in their city. Just days earlier, a U.S. citizen had been fatally shot by an immigration agent. The mood was heavy, and the group felt powerless.

“What‘s been happening in Minneapolis has been so egregious and awful and so destructive to our community,” shop owner Gilah Mashaal said.

She knew they had to do something. So, they pulled out their knitting needles and got to work.

What they created was a $5 knitting pattern for a red hat with a braided tassel. It was a simple idea that would soon spark a global movement, raise over $700,000 for immigrant aid, and cause a nationwide shortage of red yarn.

The Pattern of Resistance

The design wasn’t chosen at random. Neary, a history buff, based it on a Norwegian hat worn to protest the Nazi occupation during World War II. Called a nisselue, the red woolen cap was a quiet but powerful symbol of patriotism and resistance. They were eventually outlawed by the Nazis because of what they represented.

“Me being a Jewish small business owner, that resonates with me on so many levels,” Mashaal said. It was a fitting symbol for a moment when the community felt under siege by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

They called the pattern the “Melt the ICE” hat and posted it on Ravelry, the world’s largest knitting social network, for $5. All proceeds would go to local immigrant aid groups. Mashaal thought they might raise a few thousand dollars.

The Movement Goes Viral

Almost immediately, the pattern went viral. The response was overwhelming, and it wasn't long before red yarn started flying off the shelves.

- 85,000+ pattern sales: Less than two weeks after launch, nearly 70,000 copies had been sold. As of late January, that number had climbed past 85,000.

- $700,000+ raised: By March, the pattern had raised over $700,000 for immigrant aid groups. As of April, that number had surpassed $720,000, with patterns purchased in over 44 countries.

Needle & Skein owner Gilah Mashaal is now planning to disburse the funds raised, which exceed $250,000, to other immigrant aid groups in addition to Step. “I just hope people continue to benefit from their knitting circles and knitting together and being aware of what's happening in their communities and helping people,” said Mashaal.

The Red Yarn Shortage

The viral sensation caused a surprising secondary effect: a nationwide panic for red yarn.

“We‘ve had a terrible time keeping red yarn in stock,” Mashaal said. Local shops across the country started reporting shortages, with one shop owner describing the hunt for red yarn as being “like finding toilet paper in the pandemic.”

A quick check of online forums shows knitters frantically searching for a single skein of red, often driving to multiple stores to find it.

Knitters in other states began organizing their own “knit-and-crochet-ins” to support Minnesotans. A Fremont knitting group, for instance, distributed more than 24 hats and raised an estimated $700 for immigrant aid.

More Than Just a Hat

The “Melt the ICE” hat is a powerful example of craftivism—the use of craft to engage in political activism. It‘s a tradition with a long history in the U.S., from the AIDS Memorial Quilt to the “pussy hats” of the 2017 Women’s Marches. But some critics have dismissed the hats as “performative,” arguing that a knitted cap won‘t change policy.

Mats Tangestuen, director of Norway’s Resistance Museum, disagrees. He said the criticism reminds him of how the original red hats were dismissed decades ago.

“Everyone knows that, but cultural resistance, civilian resistance and military resistance are dependent upon each other,” he said. The red hats were a “vaccine” against treachery, sending a message that the fight wasn't over.

This was the same spirit driving the movement in Minneapolis. For many, the act of knitting wasn‘t just about making a hat—it was about channeling rage and anxiety into something tangible.

“When we see what’s happening to our neighbors and our friends, we have to step up and do something and this is something that I could do,” said Mashaal.

The Final Stitch

A $5 knitting pattern was never meant to change the world. But it did something just as important—it gave thousands of people a way to feel less powerless. It created community, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, and sparked a conversation that stretched from Minneapolis to Norway and beyond.

“Red is the color of resistance,” Mashaal said. “Here’s our chance to take the red back. Red doesn‘t belong to Maga.”