Crocheted 'Inauguration Bernie' To Benefit Milwaukee Nonprofit

MILWAUKEE, WI — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has done it again. First, he took the internet by storm with a splash of memes inspired by his recent inaugural attire that only he could pull off.

Now his casual inaugural clothing — which included the 79-year-old independent senator wearing wooly mittens made out of recycled materials and a warm winter jacket — has recently inspired one Milwaukee resident to create "Crocheted Bernie."

What could be even better than that, you ask? Well, the fact that "Crocheted Bernie" was created for a very good cause. He's currently being auctioned on Ebay to benefit Hope House of Milwaukee, an organization that focuses on ending homelessness and creating healthy communities.

"Recreate the Inauguration Bernie meme with this handmade crochet doll," the Ebay description reads. "Posable arms and legs with a weighted butt so Bernie will sit nicely."

Katherine Carr has been a knitter and crocheter for many years and is the creator of this toy-size Bernie.

"Once the crochet pattern of Bernie started becoming viral online, I was tagged by many friends to create one myself as a fan of Sen. Sanders," she told Patch. "I think I spent a combined 10-12 hours on getting him just right; most of that time was while I was supervising my boys during virtual school. He was very tricky to make and, despite lots of offers to buy him, I didn’t want to start a business of it."

According to Carr, it was her niece that suggested that she put him up for auction instead to benefit charity. Very familiar with the organization, the professional chocheter chose Hope House of Milwaukee.

"Hope House is an amazing organization that serves Milwaukee. Many know of their shelter and transitional housing program. However, they also aid in providing health care, emergency food pantry and even children’s after school assistance for those in need," Carr said. "My family has donated clothing and blankets in the past, but I knew a monetary donation could do even more."

While her version of Bernie is collecting modest donations and smiles, Carr said she hopes that he will inspire a larger effort to support Hope House and other honest, charitable organizations during these challenging times amid the coronavirus pandemic.

As for Sanders, he said he wasn't trying to draw attention to himself during last month's inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris when he went viral. He recently told CBS News he actually cared more about keeping warm than making a fashion statement.

“You know in Vermont, we dress warm, we know something about the cold, and we’re not so concerned about good fashion, we want to keep warm. And that’s what I did today,” Sanders told the news network during the Jan. 20 inauguration.

So far, the bid is up to $212.50 for "Crocheted Bernie" as of Monday. The auction officially ends Saturday, Feb. 6.

The lawmaker recently said that those famous mittens has also generated $1.8 million in his home state of Vermont. The sum comes from the sale of merchandise with the Jan. 20 image of him sitting with his arms and legs crossed, clad in his brown parka and recycled wool mittens.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.