poppies, 2011

I’m reposting this blog entry from last year – I’m a bit late this year, but you still have time to make your own poppy! It only takes about half an hour.

Right after Halloween in Canada, poppy pins blossom on lapels across Canada. We have Remembrance Day on November 11th to commemorate the sacrifices of war.

The poppy is a symbol of remembrance, and was popularized after the First World War due to a poem by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. Few poppies grew in Flanders, France, before the war broke out; rubble from bombardments enriched the soil with lime, and then the fields exploded with the blood-red flowers. Once the war was over, the lime became reabsorbed and the poppies disappeared.

In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
– Lt. Col. John McCrae

So to help you remember, here’s a little free pattern for a poppy. It knits up very quickly in scrap yarn – I used aran weight black scrap yarn, and triple-stranded Schaefer Anne for the red. You want to use a small needle so that it’s stiff. Finished size is approximately 2 inches across.

Download Poppy.pdf

Poppies are not bought or sold; people make a contribution for their poppy.
Any donations from this pattern will be given to the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund, which is used to provide immediate assistance to ex-servicemen and women in need. This may include food, shelter or medical attention for them or their families. Also, education bursaries are granted to children and grandchildren of ex-service personnel.

More information about the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Campaign.

Please make a donation to your local Royal Canadian Legion or other legion group.