A Bouquet of Poppies

One of the possible ideas I came up with for a Remembrance Day post was to put together a selection of poppy-themed patterns. The concept didn't seem to have the right tone for Remembrance Day, so I didn't use it, but I think I can do it today now that Remembrance Day has been observed and we're still in a poppy kind of mood. I am, at any rate. I love poppies, largely because they're a prevalent theme in Art Nouveau design, which I really love. I'm planning to do a poppy-themed kitchen reno sometime in 2014.

The above design is the sharply graphic Poppy Pillow, designed by Denny Gould. This pattern is available for £2.99(GBP).

This is the Poppy Field Shawl, designed by Natalie Servant. This pattern is available for $6.00(USD).

This is the Poppy Lace Scarf, designed by Susan Springett. This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download.

The Poppies mittens, designed by Natalia Moreva. This pattern is available for $4.99(USD).

This of course is Kaffe Fassett's classic Persian Poppy Waistcoat, which was originally published in his classic book Glorious Knits: Designs for Knitting Sweaters, Dresses, Vests and Shawls, but the pattern has been included in a number of his collections since then.

These are the Poppy Fields Socks, designed by Sarah Wilson. I don't think I could knit these in any other colour but poppy red. This pattern is available for $4.00(USD).

The Poppies in a Mirror socks, designed by Barb Brown. This pattern is available for C$5.00(CAD).

This is the Masai Shawl, designed Christel Seyfarth. This pattern is available as part of a kit from Christel Seyfarth's website. Seyfarth often employs a poppy motif in her work, so you might like to take a look at the rest of her patterns on Ravelry.

Row on Row of Poppies

Last year on Remembrance Day I wrote a post about knitting your own poppy. But some knitters don't stop at just making a poppy for themselves, or even a dozen or so for family and friends, but simply keep going like a one-person production line. The poppies they make are used in Remembrance Day events, or sold, with the monies raised subsequently donated to an organization that will use it to benefit military veterans. Sometimes a few people will decide to organize a poppy knitting effort and put out a call for donated poppies.

The largest scale of these efforts is possibly the 5000 Poppies Project, organized by Lynn Berry and Margaret Knight as one of a number of events that are being planned to commemorate the centenary of the 1915 Anzac Gallipoli landing in Melbourne, Australia. In 2015, the 5000 Poppies project volunteers will be “planting” a field of more than 5000 poppies in Fed Square, Melbourne, and are asking for donations of handmade poppies, and my guess is that they will overshoot their goal of 5000 poppies.

This year's Remembrance Day ceremonies in Louth, England, were decorated with hundreds of poppies created and donated not only by local knitters, but knitters as far away as Brazil and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, all organized through a group Facebook page.

Individual efforts can be quite astounding too, though. Linda Evans, from Bilston, England, has knitted 2000 poppies (she admits that "a few" were knitted by a friend), which she sells for £1 each. Last year she raised £2,827 for the Royal British Legion

Anita Wreford, of Marshfield, South Wales, has knitted 400 poppies, which she sells for £2 to raise money for the British Legion.

It would seem that poppy knitting can be just as addictive as some other poppy-related activities, but then they are small and quickly made and it must be very satisfying to know that each little poppy will be worn and serve a greater purpose.

Remembering through Knitting

When I couldn't find a white peace poppy in time for this Remembrance Day, and the Friends at the Quaker meeting I attend resorted to making their own out of paper, I turned to the internet for ideas and instructions on how to knit one for November 11, 2013. I found loads of really beautiful handmade poppy brooches online whose makers had employed every kind of craft technique, from felting to needlepoint to crochet to enamel. The nicest handmade poppies I saw weren't knitted as the knitted ones tended to look rather floppy and shapeless, but as this is supposed to be a knitting blog, here are just a few of the knitted poppies I came across.

You can find a free pattern for the poppy above here.

The free pattern for this one is here.

The pattern for this one is for sale here.

I love the detail on these poppies, though they are felted rather than knitted. I think I'll adapt the design to make myself a white knitted poppy for next year.

And I'll be keeping in mind that if I make my own poppy, it should bear some resemblance to nature's originals. Some of the handmade ones I saw, well, didn't.