Knitting the Melt the Ice Hat with Bulky Yarn

The Melt the Ice Hat has become such a powerful example of how craft, community, and activism can intersect. It’s a pattern rooted in history, protest, and solidarity, and it’s one that many knitters feel deeply connected to, not just for how it looks, but for what it represents.

I wanted to join the movement of knitting this hat to show support for immigrants and financially contribute to the organizations that support them. When I went yarn shopping I fell in love with a bulky yarn, but felt confident that I could modify the pattern a bit to make it work for a thicker yarn.

I am sharing my modifications here, this blog post is NOT intended to walk you through the entire pattern. I encourage you to still purchase the pattern!

What is the “Melt the Ice” Hat?

The Melt the Ice Hat is a knitting pattern published by Needle & Skein, a yarn shop in Minneapolis. It is a nod to the red pointed hats with a tassel that was worn in the 1940’s in Norway as a form of protest of Nazis that occupied the country. They were made illegal within two years.

The hat pattern is $5 and all proceeds (currently $250,000 and growing!) are donated to STEP Emergency Assistance and Immigrant Rapid Response Fund.

It is a visual form of protest against the brutality of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

(Read more about it here.)

Why Knit a Melt the Ice Hat with Bulky Yarn?

Bulky yarn has its own appeal. It knits up quickly, feels cozy and substantial, and is often what people already have in their stash. For some knitters, knitting a Melt the Ice Hat with bulky yarn makes the project more accessible, especially if they want a faster knit or a thicker, warmer hat.

That said, changing yarn weight is never a small tweak. Stitch counts, gauge, and overall proportions all shift. That’s why understanding the original pattern first is so important before attempting to Melt the Ice Hat with bulky yarn. (YES, YOU WILL STILL NEED TO PURCHASE THE PATTERN!)

The Yarn that I used

My favorite yarn that Sew to Speak had in red was a gorgeous chunky yarn: Malabrigo in Cereza. This yarn is 100% merino wool and so full of volume. It has recently been incredibly cold here in central Ohio, so I wanted to make sure I made a really warm version of this hat.

My Modifications

**Some of these modifications were based on mods from CaarinKnits on Ravelry. She knit hers with a worsted yarn and her decreases resulted in a bit more of a pointed hat if you would like to consult her notes.

Yarn Choice:
Bulky Yarn (see above)

Needle Size:
size US 9 needles (I like a tight knit for colder weather hats/gloves)

Cast-On:
CO 72 stitches (Mine is a bit snug for what I think is an average head. You could CO 80 stitches and K18,pm in decreases for a bit more room or use size 10 needles.)

Length:
I increased the length a bit at the beginning to incorporate a brim to the hat for extra warmth for my ears. With folded brim length was around five inches when I started to decrease.

Decreases:
I was playing a game of yarn chicken with my skein of yarn, so my decreases happen a bit faster than the original pattern

• set up: (K17, pm, k1, pm)*repeat. 
• R1: (knit to2 st before marker, ssk, k1, k2tog)*repeat
• R2: knit
• Repeat R1 and R2 until finished

Tassel:
I’ve always wanted a project with a 5 strand braided tassel, this was the perfect project for it. Youtube has a few great tutorials!

Final Thoughts

I really appreciated that the Melt the Ice Hat came with directions to use fingering, worsted, or DK yarn. I unfortunately just had love at first sight with this bulky yarn and I am so happy I was still able to use the pattern with the yarn that I found.