> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Reference:: https://www.selvedge.org/blogs/selvedge/melting-the-ice-from-norwegian-nisselue-to-modern-protest > Date:: 2025 > Tags:: #warp > WeftLinks:: [[Peace and justice value of craft]] > Claim:: [[Claim - Craft provides a peaceful means of championing justice.]] > [!SUMMARY] Summary > The Melt the ICE hat drew on a long Norwegian radition of resistance Craft has long been a quiet way to protest, shown by the red knitted hats used in Norway during World War II and now in Minnesota for the Melt the ICE movement. These red hats symbolize unity, resistance, and human dignity without loud or violent actions. Today, people knit and wear these hats to support affected families and stand for democracy and hope. ## Highlights  > Across knitting groups and yarn shops, makers have been casting on the *Melt the ICE* hat: a simple, bright-red cap stitched with a discreet but defiant message. What began as a small, local response has travelled quickly through craft circles, patterns shared online and proceeds often directed toward aid for affected families. > > Its shape deliberately echoes the red caps worn by members of the Norwegian resistance during the Second World War > > In Norway, the red knitted cap (or *nisselue)* had long belonged to folklore. It was the hat of the *nisse*, the barn-dwelling gnome-like spirit said to protect a farm when treated kindly, or cause mischief when neglected. > > The red hat’s power lay in its gentleness. It embodied *menneskeverd*, the intrinsic worth of every human being, a concept central to Norwegian resistance literature.