Pussyhat project: How a knitted hat became a sign of defiance against Donald Trump

Knitters from all over the world have started crafting handmade caps

Krista Suh and friends began crafting handmade pink caps with cat ears as a reference to Donald Trump's statements about grabbing women's genitals

This week, the Women’s March on Washington will take place in protest against Trump’s presidency, and while many will demonstrate with posters and flags, one woman wanted to make more of a statement.

Krista Suh will be attending the march on Saturday but she wanted to do more than just turn up. As a result, the “pussyhat project” was born.

As an LA native, the 29-year-old screenwriter knew that she would be battling against DC’s frosty weather and recalled how her teachers at the all-female Barnard College in New York City urged her to think about problems.

“How can I visually show someone what’s going on?” she told the LA Times.

“And I realised as a California girl, I would be really cold in D.C. — it’s not tank-top weather year-round. So I thought maybe I could knit myself a hat.”

The project aims to serve as a visual representation of unhappiness with the Trump residency as hordes of knitters – mostly women – have started crafting handmade pink caps to wear at the demonstration.

What started as a small project has since become a global movement

The hats, which are knitted with bundles of thick magenta yarn, also feature cat ears – a reference to Trump’s vulgar comments about grabbing women’s genitals, which were revealed in a leaked video shortly before the election.

What started as a small project among friends at the Little Knittery in Atwater village has turned into a global affair meaning that women who are unable to attend the march can still show their support.

Not only have knitting groups started popping up at yarn stores and cafes but, thanks to social media, hats have been crafted around the world and are being sent to collection spots around the country.

Anja Liseth, 41, who lives in Bergen, Norway said, “I feel that my contribution is important, and that since I’ve knitted these hats, part of me is there at the demonstration.”

“It feels really important, it’s such a big issue for me, that I also can be there in a sense to demonstrate.”

The breadth of the movement endeavours to display a sea of fuchsia hats and act as a physical manifestation of anger.

The women who are knitting the hats state that they are more than just a means of keeping warm. Instead, they act as a unified statement against the president-elect’s comments about women, minorities and the disabled.