Knitters across North America are busy preparing for Donald Trump's inauguration on Friday by creating knitted pink caps known as "Pussyhats" to protest the newly-sworn in president.

Thousands are expected to descend on Washington, D.C. on Saturday for the Women's March on Washington. And, dozens of support rallies are also scheduled to be held across North America, including in Vancouver, Nanaimo and Kelowna.

"Pink is a feminine symbol of caring, nurturing. It's also the colour of healing," said Chris Campbell, who has been teaching other knitters how to make the hats at the Art of Yarn in Kelowna.

"There's obviously the reference there to a certain person [Trump] who made a negative connotation about women's genitalia," said Campbell, referencing comments Trump made in a 2005 video where he bragged about groping women.

The Pussyhat Project is the brainchild Americans Krista Suh and Jayna Zweiman.

On their blog, the organizers write that the project is about hats and a lot more.

"At its core, this project is about creating a form of representation for those who cannot be there, developing connections between people who care about women's rights, and creating a framework for community and personal agency from the local to the national level."

Their hope is to have the hats on the heads of every protester at the rallies and marches this weekend.

Patterns for the hats are available online at www.pussyhatproject.com and thousands of people have shared photos of their creations on social media using the hashtag, #pussyhatproject.

"Women don't want to be objectified anymore. A lot of us have fought for many years for women's rights, for equal pay and equal treatment," she said. "So I think a lot of women are starting to think that this is slipping away."