My local yarn shop offered free yarn to volunteers that would knit the hats to be sold in the shop, with part of the proceeds going to MN. I bought my yarn and am halfway through my hat, then will knit one for a dear friend in NJ to wear. I'm in Rochester, NY. I live the idea.
Don't need a hat, as I have my red Liverpool beanie, but I donated money to help the cause! Anything to make MAGAs and ICE uncomfortable in the knowledge that they are adamantly opposed by the good people of this nation.
A *little* hat, THAT I could do (and could use - I don't like hats). I bought both the knit and crochet patterns. I sort of knit, but casting on a zillion stitches and then doing a few inches of ribbing is beyond my skill set. I crochet far better then I knit, but once again the ribbing part would be my downfall. I've been sort of looking for a pattern to use with my round loom knitting thing, but again that ribbed brim. And then there's the problem that a hat would take longer to make than most of the projects I manage to finish.
But a LITTLE hat, (a 2 dimensional hat?) I could do.
Do you have a pattern?
Do I need a pattern? For 2D hat, a bit of ribbing (I can manage a little bit of knit or crochet ribbing, just not an entire hat's worth), then a longish triangle, and a braid with a tassel. I CAN do that. (And pin it to my Penzey's 'Kindness' hoodie with my Penzey's 'Resist' lapel pin.)
Knit and Skein is selling the pattern on Ravelry with the proceeds going to entities that are providing groceries and other needed items - like rent and utilities payments (my gas and electric was $888 for last month).
I love the mini hats. It's Spring here in California and too warm to wear knitted hats. A friend from our knitting group who had moved out of state made one for each of us when she recently visited. I plan to make more.
I live in rural western Wisconsin and am of Norwegian heritage, as are many Minnesotans. I've almost finished my fifth hat! I wear it everywhere and will certainly wear it tomorrow, Feb. 26. Ice is in nearby towns and we are prepared for when they come for our neighbors. Thanks for your post and sharing this story.
I lived in the Driftless Region for 5 years and my friends there are knitting/wearing them! My two besties in Mpls (one is Norwegian heritage) have theirs knitted by Steven's niece. We gotta stick together, yah?
That's where I live and I bet I got my yarn at the same store as your friends. In fact, your friends are probably part of our knitting group in Viroqua!
Here's a hat pattern for anyone who would like to make one. It is pretty simple as it is a rectangle, and the corners form the ears when you put a 2 dimensional hat on a 3 dimensional head. Wear it with pride!
I’ve made two red hats so far. One from my handspun red yarn, and the second from some millspun yarn I found in my stash. I sent that one to a friend I’ve never met in person in Pennsylvania. She’s a weaver and sent me two handwoven tea towels in exchange. It’s a very special community.
If you look for the Melt the Ice hat on Ravelry you'll find the pattern designed in Minneapolis. My Dem friends and I have been knitting them as quickly as possible. It's an easy pattern.
Subject: State of the Tech Chinese DRONE Technology.
********
Per Reuters 2/26/26 two AM Eastern: "A large Chinese DRONE has conducted regular flights over the South China Sea in recent months transmitting FALSE transponder signals that would make [the drone] appear to be other aircraft including a sanctioned Belarussian cargo plane and a British Typhoon fighter jet."
********
If you can annotate Reuter's post with admissible facts post but, please no speculation. Thank you.
China’s electronic warfare forces have allegedly misled a foreign spy plane over the South China Sea using a vehicle-mounted system that created fake radar signals.
Thanks, Joyce Vance, for amplifying this craftivism work! I have so far sent 12 hats made by my friend, my husband and me to a church in St. Paul that is doing great work with mutual aid (the pastor [my friend] was one of those arrested at the airport). So, needless to say, I have no red hat to wear tomorrow, more's the pity. But I take comfort in knowing that more heads will be warm and red tomorrow in St. Paul and Minneapolis!
Many years ago, I had a wonderful museum job and wonderful colleagues. Our boss was a monster. Nina R. Gradually she was firing good workers and replacing them with her picks - the only qualification being absolute loyalty to her and even being willing to spy on other workers. She singled out one very hard working and friendly colleague for particularly mean treatment. I think because everyone liked him. Even forbidding us to have a GoodBye party for him on his last day at work. His nickname was Red. On his last day at work, we all coincidently wore red to work and all coincidently took lunch at the same time. When we got back, Nina called each of us into her office and seriously grilled us, one at a time, as to who were the 'ringleaders' of this 'defiance.' No one ratted. I resigned after that. The red hats remind me of our solidarity on that day. ThankYou.
All you knitters made me think about Mme DeFarge 😱 and this really interesting bit in Wikipedia:
Defarge often has been dismissed as a one-dimensional embodiment of 'the Terror'; however, some scholars argue that her character is much more complex than this association implies.[1] Defarge's desire for revenge ultimately stems from the rape of her pregnant sister at the hands of the aristocratic Evrémonde brothers, and Teresa Mangum therefore suggests that "the logic driving her story is that the secret crime of sexual violence against women fuels the French Revolution." Some kind of creepy resonance here... x
My brain will be forever stuck on Chloris Leachman in Mel Brooks's "History of the World, Part I" -- the 'scum of Paris' going "Bonjour, Madame" and she -- in her rocker and knitting needles in turn -- "Bonjour, Scum..." 😊
Mme DeFarge has been on my mind a lot since Jan. 6, 2021. Thanks for pointing out that her motives are more complex than people who've never read TALE OF TWO CITIES realize. When it comes to this administration, I'm sometimes startled by how bloodthirsty some of my own fantasies are.
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one! With the country is in the grip of Trump and his entourage, the Supreme Court in the hands of right-wing ideologues, and the whole Republican Party gone gutless and/or anti-democratic, the checks and balances I've heard about all my life have turned out to be next to useless.
I LOVE the mention of Nuremberg trials. I want them once we defeat trump, Miller, Vance, and every other MAGA. I hope we also include every silent Republican who enabled this chaos and destruction. No kumbaya until there's real accountability.
Joyce, yet another thing I love about you - knitting has been my solace in this very difficult personal and national time. My husband, who has dementia, loves his red hat and wears it every time he goes outside. Even though it is now 70 at our FL home. He would have loved wearing it for this cause and will wear it tomorrow.
Crocheting has been my solace. I crochet 'prayer (comfort) shawls' for a woman in Wisc who sends them or gives them to anyone who expresses a desire for one, all over the world. She posted a FB picture of several African women wearing them and I recognized one I'd made! That comforts both them and me.
EPSTEIN'S GO-BETWEEN WITH PUTIN HOSPITALIZED AFTER ALLEGED SUICIDE ATTEMPT
This Emphasizes Even Further Need For the DOJ To Release ALL Epstein Files UNREDACTED
On November 23, 2025 I sent out a post which included the fact that in 2018, during Trump’s first term, Epstein, who was facing financial difficulties with the Russian banks, reached out to former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland. Epstein asked Jagland to “suggest to Putin that Russia’s Foreign Minister could get insight into Trump by talking to me (Epstein )” and that Russia’s Ambassador to the U.N. had already consulted with Epstein to better “understand Trump”.
At a minimum, the clear implication of all of this was that Epstein was seeking to use Jagland as a go-between to enable Epstein to pass along information about Trump to Putin, which Epstein obviously believed would benefit both him and Putin
Today, the British media giant, The Mirror, reported that: “Former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland was hospitalised after an alleged ‘suicide attempt’ on Tuesday, February 24, just a few days after he was charged with serious corruption offences linked to his association with paedophile Epstein. Jagland was charged with ‘gross corruption’ after newly released documents appeared to reveal a transactional relationship between the ex-PM and the convicted paedophile between 2011 and 2018. Some Norwegian outlets have reported a suicide attempt but the high-profile statesman’s legal team has insisted he was rushed to hospital due to extreme stress instead of a deliberate act.”
The speculation is rampant in the European media as to whether Jagland’s sudden hospitalization is due to a suicide attempt or, as his lawyers claim, extreme stress.
Certainly, one cannot discount the prospect that given the fact that “Jagland and Epstein maintained a close relationship from 2011 to 2019”(per Wikipedia’s research), Jagland’s involvement with and knowledge about Epstein may not have been limited to questionable financial transactions.
It also seems inconceivable that when Epstein asked Jagland to serve as a go-between with Putin, that Jagland had no idea of what Epstein intended to pass along to Putin.
This development should intensify Congress’ efforts to demand that the DOJ comply with the law, that was signed by Trump, requiring them to disclose ALL of the Epstein files, UNREDACTED.
I’m not a knitter or crocheter (I lack decent fine motor skills). But your post about red hats reminded me of something I read yesterday and looked up to send you: During World War II, several women spies exploited knitting's innocuous image to embed secret codes via stitches, leveraging steganography to pass intelligence undetected.
For example, Phyllis Latour Doyle, a British agent parachuted into Nazi-occupied Normandy in 1944, knitted over 135 messages using Morse code knots in her silk yarn—one purl for a dot, three for a dash—which she handed off to contacts while posing as a French tourist. Belgian Resistance women near rail yards dropped stitches for one train type or purled bumps for another, tracking German troop movements from public spots. American spy Elizabeth Bentley smuggled B-29 bomber plans in her knitting bag for the Soviets before defecting.
Knitting's binary nature—knit (V-shape) vs. purl (bump)—mirrored Morse code perfectly, with dropped stitches creating holes as signals. Yarn balls hid knotted codes passed across lines, or fabrics were unraveled later for decoding. This extended WWI practices, like unnamed Belgian grandmothers coding train passes, prompting wartime bans on mailed patterns in the UK and US.
A local crafty person uses beads to make bracelets and necklaces with custom messages. Lots of college team colors, they pass for enthusiastic team support. (A lot of folks seem to have strong thoughts about their ex-spouses!). I bought a half dozen of her "CANCER SUCKS" bracelets for various family.
Side note: Saturday mornings in Pensacola feature "Palafox Market" in a lovely string of oak-lined medians downtown. Part art show, part craft fair, part farmers market -- funky people, well-behaved dogs, seriously good vibe.
I took up knitting as a mind occupier ( it was turbulent, and a bit frenzied ) when i returned from Viet Nam, checking out a library book to learn how from, and have since made only scarves over the years. This has inspired me to learn how to knit a different shape. Thanks, again, Joyce.
I bought the “Melt the Ice” pattern and am working on my hat. It won’t be done in time to wear it tomorrow but I plan to wear it to the next “No Kings Rally” in late March. I couldn’t really bear the thought of wearing a MAGA-red hat so I’m making it in a variegated yarn that has purple and red and pink in it so it’s sort of red!
My local yarn shop offered free yarn to volunteers that would knit the hats to be sold in the shop, with part of the proceeds going to MN. I bought my yarn and am halfway through my hat, then will knit one for a dear friend in NJ to wear. I'm in Rochester, NY. I live the idea.
Now ICE magas will be wearing them to shake things in undercover operations.
Don't give them ideas, Bill 😝
I believe they are not that bright.
We can hope...
Red is not their color....and the black masks will ID them anyway....right?
I've also been knitting badge-sized red hats to give to friends who don't wear hats. They pin them to their coats or purses.
Don't need a hat, as I have my red Liverpool beanie, but I donated money to help the cause! Anything to make MAGAs and ICE uncomfortable in the knowledge that they are adamantly opposed by the good people of this nation.
Great idea!
A *little* hat, THAT I could do (and could use - I don't like hats). I bought both the knit and crochet patterns. I sort of knit, but casting on a zillion stitches and then doing a few inches of ribbing is beyond my skill set. I crochet far better then I knit, but once again the ribbing part would be my downfall. I've been sort of looking for a pattern to use with my round loom knitting thing, but again that ribbed brim. And then there's the problem that a hat would take longer to make than most of the projects I manage to finish.
But a LITTLE hat, (a 2 dimensional hat?) I could do.
Do you have a pattern?
Do I need a pattern? For 2D hat, a bit of ribbing (I can manage a little bit of knit or crochet ribbing, just not an entire hat's worth), then a longish triangle, and a braid with a tassel. I CAN do that. (And pin it to my Penzey's 'Kindness' hoodie with my Penzey's 'Resist' lapel pin.)
I played with 2-D versions , but liked this 3-D version better. Here's what I did:
Cast on 32
6 rows ribbing
RS: K 16, pm, k16
WS: p32
DECREASE ROWS:
RS: ssk, K 12, K2tog, sm, repeat
WS: p2tog, K10, p2tog through back loop, sm, repeat
REPEAT DECREASE ROWS TILL you only have 2 stitches left
Do a 2 stitch I-cord to make the braid (1-8 rows), then knot and fray the plies for tassel
Sew the sides together.
Thanks! I have done 2 tiny hats but it’s hard in the round. I’m going to try your pattern!
Knit and Skein is selling the pattern on Ravelry with the proceeds going to entities that are providing groceries and other needed items - like rent and utilities payments (my gas and electric was $888 for last month).
I love that idea!!
I love the mini hats. It's Spring here in California and too warm to wear knitted hats. A friend from our knitting group who had moved out of state made one for each of us when she recently visited. I plan to make more.
I live in rural western Wisconsin and am of Norwegian heritage, as are many Minnesotans. I've almost finished my fifth hat! I wear it everywhere and will certainly wear it tomorrow, Feb. 26. Ice is in nearby towns and we are prepared for when they come for our neighbors. Thanks for your post and sharing this story.
I lived in the Driftless Region for 5 years and my friends there are knitting/wearing them! My two besties in Mpls (one is Norwegian heritage) have theirs knitted by Steven's niece. We gotta stick together, yah?
That's where I live and I bet I got my yarn at the same store as your friends. In fact, your friends are probably part of our knitting group in Viroqua!
Here's a hat pattern for anyone who would like to make one. It is pretty simple as it is a rectangle, and the corners form the ears when you put a 2 dimensional hat on a 3 dimensional head. Wear it with pride!
https://www.pussyhatproject.com/knit/
This is the pattern for the Melt The Ice Hat -- all proceeds from the sale of the pattern go to help Minnesotans: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/melt-the-ice-hat
I’ve made two red hats so far. One from my handspun red yarn, and the second from some millspun yarn I found in my stash. I sent that one to a friend I’ve never met in person in Pennsylvania. She’s a weaver and sent me two handwoven tea towels in exchange. It’s a very special community.
If you look for the Melt the Ice hat on Ravelry you'll find the pattern designed in Minneapolis. My Dem friends and I have been knitting them as quickly as possible. It's an easy pattern.
This pattern is dead easy to knit and looks great!
Super easy and a quick knit.
Here is a link
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/melt-the-ice-hat
OFF TOPIC:
Subject: State of the Tech Chinese DRONE Technology.
********
Per Reuters 2/26/26 two AM Eastern: "A large Chinese DRONE has conducted regular flights over the South China Sea in recent months transmitting FALSE transponder signals that would make [the drone] appear to be other aircraft including a sanctioned Belarussian cargo plane and a British Typhoon fighter jet."
********
If you can annotate Reuter's post with admissible facts post but, please no speculation. Thank you.
Here's a link to Reuters original post that was updated. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/how-china-is-masking-drone-flights-potential-taiwan-rehearsal-2026-02-26/
Thank you for the UPDATED Reuter's 2/26/26, Hong Kong Link:
"Military attaches ... say the flights represent a step-change in China's grey zone tactics in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan".
China’s electronic warfare forces have allegedly misled a foreign spy plane over the South China Sea using a vehicle-mounted system that created fake radar signals.
https://thedefensepost.com/2025/10/14/china-trick-spy-plane/
I've heard there's been a run of red yarn! GREAT!
Thanks, Joyce Vance, for amplifying this craftivism work! I have so far sent 12 hats made by my friend, my husband and me to a church in St. Paul that is doing great work with mutual aid (the pastor [my friend] was one of those arrested at the airport). So, needless to say, I have no red hat to wear tomorrow, more's the pity. But I take comfort in knowing that more heads will be warm and red tomorrow in St. Paul and Minneapolis!
Many years ago, I had a wonderful museum job and wonderful colleagues. Our boss was a monster. Nina R. Gradually she was firing good workers and replacing them with her picks - the only qualification being absolute loyalty to her and even being willing to spy on other workers. She singled out one very hard working and friendly colleague for particularly mean treatment. I think because everyone liked him. Even forbidding us to have a GoodBye party for him on his last day at work. His nickname was Red. On his last day at work, we all coincidently wore red to work and all coincidently took lunch at the same time. When we got back, Nina called each of us into her office and seriously grilled us, one at a time, as to who were the 'ringleaders' of this 'defiance.' No one ratted. I resigned after that. The red hats remind me of our solidarity on that day. ThankYou.
All you knitters made me think about Mme DeFarge 😱 and this really interesting bit in Wikipedia:
Defarge often has been dismissed as a one-dimensional embodiment of 'the Terror'; however, some scholars argue that her character is much more complex than this association implies.[1] Defarge's desire for revenge ultimately stems from the rape of her pregnant sister at the hands of the aristocratic Evrémonde brothers, and Teresa Mangum therefore suggests that "the logic driving her story is that the secret crime of sexual violence against women fuels the French Revolution." Some kind of creepy resonance here... x
My brain will be forever stuck on Chloris Leachman in Mel Brooks's "History of the World, Part I" -- the 'scum of Paris' going "Bonjour, Madame" and she -- in her rocker and knitting needles in turn -- "Bonjour, Scum..." 😊
Mme DeFarge has been on my mind a lot since Jan. 6, 2021. Thanks for pointing out that her motives are more complex than people who've never read TALE OF TWO CITIES realize. When it comes to this administration, I'm sometimes startled by how bloodthirsty some of my own fantasies are.
You're not alone. Those sharp needles, that string inspire me, too. In surprisingly unusual ways.
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one! With the country is in the grip of Trump and his entourage, the Supreme Court in the hands of right-wing ideologues, and the whole Republican Party gone gutless and/or anti-democratic, the checks and balances I've heard about all my life have turned out to be next to useless.
Susanna, startled, yes, me, too, re: the fantasies, especially when I see the suffering and the adulation. x
I look forward to my own Mme DeFarge moment when we stage our version of the Nuremberg trials.
I LOVE the mention of Nuremberg trials. I want them once we defeat trump, Miller, Vance, and every other MAGA. I hope we also include every silent Republican who enabled this chaos and destruction. No kumbaya until there's real accountability.
Mike Johnson is also on the top of my list, along with the entire Cabinet, starting with Noem and Hegseth.
Joyce, yet another thing I love about you - knitting has been my solace in this very difficult personal and national time. My husband, who has dementia, loves his red hat and wears it every time he goes outside. Even though it is now 70 at our FL home. He would have loved wearing it for this cause and will wear it tomorrow.
Crocheting has been my solace. I crochet 'prayer (comfort) shawls' for a woman in Wisc who sends them or gives them to anyone who expresses a desire for one, all over the world. She posted a FB picture of several African women wearing them and I recognized one I'd made! That comforts both them and me.
I'm finishing up A Tale of Two Cities, and I believe a red cape was a sign of resistance in the French Revolution.
I'll get the pattern and start knitting tomorrow!!
Thank you Joyce!
You were great, in video format, at the State of the Swamp event!
EPSTEIN'S GO-BETWEEN WITH PUTIN HOSPITALIZED AFTER ALLEGED SUICIDE ATTEMPT
This Emphasizes Even Further Need For the DOJ To Release ALL Epstein Files UNREDACTED
On November 23, 2025 I sent out a post which included the fact that in 2018, during Trump’s first term, Epstein, who was facing financial difficulties with the Russian banks, reached out to former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland. Epstein asked Jagland to “suggest to Putin that Russia’s Foreign Minister could get insight into Trump by talking to me (Epstein )” and that Russia’s Ambassador to the U.N. had already consulted with Epstein to better “understand Trump”.
At a minimum, the clear implication of all of this was that Epstein was seeking to use Jagland as a go-between to enable Epstein to pass along information about Trump to Putin, which Epstein obviously believed would benefit both him and Putin
Today, the British media giant, The Mirror, reported that: “Former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland was hospitalised after an alleged ‘suicide attempt’ on Tuesday, February 24, just a few days after he was charged with serious corruption offences linked to his association with paedophile Epstein. Jagland was charged with ‘gross corruption’ after newly released documents appeared to reveal a transactional relationship between the ex-PM and the convicted paedophile between 2011 and 2018. Some Norwegian outlets have reported a suicide attempt but the high-profile statesman’s legal team has insisted he was rushed to hospital due to extreme stress instead of a deliberate act.”
The speculation is rampant in the European media as to whether Jagland’s sudden hospitalization is due to a suicide attempt or, as his lawyers claim, extreme stress.
Certainly, one cannot discount the prospect that given the fact that “Jagland and Epstein maintained a close relationship from 2011 to 2019”(per Wikipedia’s research), Jagland’s involvement with and knowledge about Epstein may not have been limited to questionable financial transactions.
It also seems inconceivable that when Epstein asked Jagland to serve as a go-between with Putin, that Jagland had no idea of what Epstein intended to pass along to Putin.
This development should intensify Congress’ efforts to demand that the DOJ comply with the law, that was signed by Trump, requiring them to disclose ALL of the Epstein files, UNREDACTED.
I'm knitting a red hat. oy 3 rows completed so far today.
Another protest symbol from Norway is the paperclip. I have one on my purse.
I’m not a knitter or crocheter (I lack decent fine motor skills). But your post about red hats reminded me of something I read yesterday and looked up to send you: During World War II, several women spies exploited knitting's innocuous image to embed secret codes via stitches, leveraging steganography to pass intelligence undetected.
For example, Phyllis Latour Doyle, a British agent parachuted into Nazi-occupied Normandy in 1944, knitted over 135 messages using Morse code knots in her silk yarn—one purl for a dot, three for a dash—which she handed off to contacts while posing as a French tourist. Belgian Resistance women near rail yards dropped stitches for one train type or purled bumps for another, tracking German troop movements from public spots. American spy Elizabeth Bentley smuggled B-29 bomber plans in her knitting bag for the Soviets before defecting.
Knitting's binary nature—knit (V-shape) vs. purl (bump)—mirrored Morse code perfectly, with dropped stitches creating holes as signals. Yarn balls hid knotted codes passed across lines, or fabrics were unraveled later for decoding. This extended WWI practices, like unnamed Belgian grandmothers coding train passes, prompting wartime bans on mailed patterns in the UK and US.
Ravelry offers a free download for how to knit with Morse Code! https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/morse-code-3
A local crafty person uses beads to make bracelets and necklaces with custom messages. Lots of college team colors, they pass for enthusiastic team support. (A lot of folks seem to have strong thoughts about their ex-spouses!). I bought a half dozen of her "CANCER SUCKS" bracelets for various family.
Side note: Saturday mornings in Pensacola feature "Palafox Market" in a lovely string of oak-lined medians downtown. Part art show, part craft fair, part farmers market -- funky people, well-behaved dogs, seriously good vibe.
I took up knitting as a mind occupier ( it was turbulent, and a bit frenzied ) when i returned from Viet Nam, checking out a library book to learn how from, and have since made only scarves over the years. This has inspired me to learn how to knit a different shape. Thanks, again, Joyce.
That is terrific ❤️
I bought the “Melt the Ice” pattern and am working on my hat. It won’t be done in time to wear it tomorrow but I plan to wear it to the next “No Kings Rally” in late March. I couldn’t really bear the thought of wearing a MAGA-red hat so I’m making it in a variegated yarn that has purple and red and pink in it so it’s sort of red!
We're reclaiming the color red for hats!
Saw this right after I posted... Great minds!
Reclaim RED!
I like to think of "our" red hat as on of the many things we're reclaiming back from this foul regime.