I have knitted single poppies before but, while at the 2018 Remembrance Day parade, I had an idea. Standing there amongst the local dignitaries, the volunteers, the villagers and their dogs (yes, there were many dogs, and I love my fellow villagers for bringing them along), it occurred to me that a wreath could be made from an amalgamation of various poppies, knitted by different people. I’m not the first person to think of this but I thought it would be an appropriate project for some people I knew. You could call them a craft group. I call them my friends.
I put the idea to our group, supplied a few patterns and the members ran with the idea. The poppies started stacking up before our eyes. I fully intended to knit some myself but the demand was never there. They worked too quickly for my efforts to be necessary.
What the group did want from me, that I hadn’t anticipated when I suggested the idea, was leadership. Each week I would be asked how many poppies were needed, what hue they should be, how they would be arranged, etc., etc. Each week I put off giving any proper answers because, in truth, I hadn’t thought much beyond the initial concept. One thing I had considered was that it would be nice to handcraft the frame, perhaps from bamboo or willow. I tried these ideas as best I could. Bamboo didn’t work (it split) and I didn’t have any willow. Thankfully, one of the group found the base of an existing wreath amongst her old Christmas decorations and was happy to donate it to the project. Another member (Phyllis - she knitted a good 80% of the poppies) brought in some floristry wire and the two of us spent a morning of happy industry securing the flowers to their frame. Here is a photo of us, mid-skewer:
By the end of the morning, we had this:
Like all poppy wreaths, it is symbolic of sacrifice and of remembrance. When I look at it, I see something more: the simple yet powerful force of collaboration. Acknowledging the past led us to work together. Working together is our best defence against repeating the past. It’s not a vicious circle. It’s a hopeful one. Just like our little wreath of poppies.
In case you were wondering:
- I’m aware that publishing this on the 13th of November, when Remembrance Sunday was on the 8th and Armistice Day was on the 11th, is not my most timely move, but it was the best I could do.
- Phyllis gave me permission to include her in this blog. She’s awesome like that.
- The slogan on my t-shirt says “lucky”, which indeed I am.
- Yes, I'm the one in the t-shirt, in case that was not clear.
- The pattern for the poppies came from the 5000 Poppies project. You can access it here: https://5000poppies.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/5000-poppies-ribbed-pattern2.pdf
- Those other poppies I said I knitted can be viewed here (along with their little friend, the paper rose): http://fabrikatie.weebly.com/flowers.html