Here is the pattern for the mittens.
I live in the twin cities in Minnesota, and since the beginning of 2026, there has a been a large ICE presence. Luckily, my neighborhood has not been very effected, but it does not take long to find those that are - my friend and her daughter stay at home even though they are US citizens, ICE stages at the local target and mall, you see them circling schools, and abandoned cars with people missing from them, and helicopters circling constantly overhead. The escalation of their tactics and not respecting human or constitutional rights does not sit well with me.
Between this, and my personal health issues, there are a lot of emotions happening. On 1/24/2026, the day of Alex Pretti's murder and the third person shot by agents, I couldn't handle it any more. I rage designed a pair of mittens that I didn't think I would really make. It was the exercise of creativity that helped me work through some of my emotions.
Designing them wasn't enough, so I decided to dive into my stash to create the mittens. After one mitten, I was starting to feel peace, or at least my emotions much more under control, but there are two mittens... I went on to finish the pair.
There was a lot of deliberation about how I felt about the wording I put on the mittens initially and if I should actually make them, if I did make them maybe I'll just submit them to the state fair, etc. Eventually, I thought that in this current environment, they were appropriate.
I also was not planning on making a pattern because these were for me and my emotional regulation. I don't want to make money off of the situation going on in Minnesota and just want them to exist. The pattern is free here or on Ravelry - Protest Mittens.
I hope everyone is staying safe, starting to stand up if you haven't yet, and realizing that this isn't just us that is effected - they are coming for everyone. If you would like to help, here is a link to the Twin Cities area, but check if your area has aide as well!
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