Blooming across Britain, centenary tributes we’ll never forget

EVeRy Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, Britain becomes awash with poignant and impressive displays to remember our brave ancestors who gave their lives in war.

And this year, the centenary of World War I, no expense has been spared.

Across the length and breadth of the country, local communities have pulled together and created displays to remember our fallen heroes that are enthralling and evocative in equal measure.

From knitting clubs to primary schools, people have seized the moment to craft homemade poppies of every size, colour and material. (And if you want to knit your own, be sure to check out our tips on the next page.)

Wondrous home-made poppies have risen up in front gardens, majestic castles and imposing war memorials.

Often inspired by the breathtaking ceramic poppies that filled the moat of the Tower of London in 2014 and made our country proud, volunteers have pitched in to answer the Royal British Legion’s call to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all from the World War I generation who served, sacrificed and changed our world.

Inside St Peter Mancroft Church in Norwich, for example, local crafting groups have knitted and crocheted more than 15,000 poppies — each representing a fallen soldier named on a Norfolk war memorial.

In Wincanton, Somerset, volunteers have conjured up an immense 8ft high glass memorial that holds 1,115,571 poppies — with the names of every Commonwealth serviceman and woman killed or missing in action carefully handwritten on individual blooms.

And adorning Hertford Castle, a whopping 170 miles of wool has been used to knit and crochet 15,000 poppies. The task brought together every generation — with 100-year- old Ivy Buck being the oldest and six-year-old Bodhi Gover the youngest.

Those willing to get their hands dirty in the garden have also been chipping in.

In the park in front of Colchester Castle, a spectacular three-dimensional flower display features a floral World War I Mark VI tank, planted with 9,000 carpet bedding plants called alternanthera, as well as willow sculptures of soldiers and a nurse.

To capture the colossal scale of Britain’s Remembrance would require a book 1,000 pages long.

Here, we present a selection of the most fantastic, eye- catching and, in some cases, unusual efforts that have been made around the country in the name of Remembrance.

The knitted poppy displays appearing across the UK are beautiful and touching, a homespun tribute to those who never came home. And if you want to join in with your own woolly tribute, our knitting pattern shows the way.

How easy is it? Please don’t look too closely at my petals, which look like they have caught some kind of deadly blight. And my leaf has somehow ended up looking more like a coral reef than a poppy leaf, but I was knitting at speed. Once my poppy takes its place, hopefully in a beautiful cascade in my local church, no one will notice the occasional dropped or knotted stitch.

The poppy is knitted on small 2mm needles, which does make it rather fiddly. Woman’s Weekly, which supplied the pattern, recommends that you use a particular type of wool made with cotton, especially if you want to wear it on your lapel. That would definitely add a bit of structure and class to your poppy, but I just used what I had at home: John Lewis Knit in 902 Red and Rowan Alpaca Soft in 00215 Green, both double knit. The black centre was knitted with a scrap of old wool. There is nothing too complicated here, give or take the leaves.

A competent knitter could finish the poppy in a couple of hours. It took me seven hours, I don’t even know why.

MATERIALS

1 x 50g (130m) ball of Rico Essentials Cotton DK (100% cotton) in each of Red (02) and Grass Green (66); small amount in Black (90). Pair of 2mm (No 14) knitting needles. You can buy the yarn at womansweeklyshop.co.uk or by calling 0800 488 0708.

ABBREVIATIONS

K, knit; p, purl; st, stitch; tog, together; sl, slip; ss, stocking st (k on right side and p on wrong side); skpo, sl1, k1, pass the sl st over; wrap 1, slip next st on to right-hand needle, take yarn between needles to opposite side of work, place the slipped st back on to left-hand needle, take yarn back.

NOTE

Figures in square brackets are worked as stated after 2nd bracket.

PETALS (MAKE 4)

With 2mm needles and Red, cast on 5 sts. K 1 row and p 1 row. Next row: K twice in each of first 3 sts, k2 – 8 sts. P 1 row. Next row: [K1, k twice in next st] 3 times, k2 – 11 sts. P 1 row. Next row: [K1, k twice in next st] 4 times, k3 – 15 sts. P 1 row. Next 2 rows: K14, wrap 1, turn, p13, wrap 1, turn. Next 2 rows: K12, wrap 1, turn, p11, wrap 1, turn. Next 2 rows: K10, wrap 1, turn, p9, wrap 1, turn. Next row: K7, wrap 1, turn. Next 2 rows: P5, wrap 1, turn and k to end — 15 sts. Cast-off row: Slipping first st and working twice into next and every alternate st, cast off all sts pwise. With 2mm needles and Black, cast on 5 sts. P 1 row. Next row: K twice in each of first 4 sts, k1 – 9 sts. Next row: P1, [p twice in next st, p1] 4 times – 13 sts. K 1 row and p 1 row. Next row: K3tog, [k2tog, k3tog] twice – 5 sts. Cast-off row: Working twice into every st, cast off all sts pwise.

STEM

With 2mm needles and Grass Green, cast on 8 sts. Ss 26 rows. Cast off.

LEAF

With 2mm needles and Grass Green, cast on 3 sts. 1st row: K3. 2nd row: K1, p1, k1. 3rd row: Cast on 4 sts, k3, skpo, k2 — 6 sts. 4th row: Cast on 4 sts, k3, skpo, p1, k3, k twice in last st — 10 sts.

5th row: Cast on 4 sts, k7, skpo, k4, k twice in last st — 14 sts.

6th row: Cast on 4 sts, k7, skpo, p1, k7, k twice in last st — 18 sts.

7th row: Cast off 6 sts — 1 st on right needle, sl1, k1, pass the 2nd and 3rd sts on right needle over end st and off needle, k8, k twice in last st — 11 sts.

8th row: Cast off 6 sts — 1 st on right needle, sl1, k1, pass the 2nd and 3rd sts on right needle over end st and off needle, p1, k1 — 3 sts. 9th row: Cast on 3 sts, k2, skpo, k2 — 5 sts. 10th row: Cast on 3 sts, k2, skpo, p1, k2, k twice in last st — 8 sts. 11th row: Cast on 3 sts, k5, skpo, k3, k twice in last st — 11 sts. 12th row: Cast on 3 sts, k5, skpo, p1, k5, k twice in last st — 14 sts. 13th row: Cast off 4 sts — 1 st on right needle, sl1, k1, pass the 2nd and 3rd sts on right needle over end st and off needle, k6, k twice in last st — 9 sts. 14th row: Cast off 4 sts — 1 st on right needle, sl1, k1, pass the 2nd and 3rd sts on right needle over end st and off needle, p1, k1 — 3 sts. 15th row: Cast on 4 sts, k3, skpo, k2 — 6 sts. 16th row: Cast on 4 sts, k3, skpo, p1, k3, k twice in last st — 10 sts. 17th row: Cast off 2 sts — 1 st on right needle, sl1, k1, pass the 2nd and 3rd sts on right needle over end st and off needle, k4, k twice in last st — 7 sts. 18th row: Cast off 2 sts — 1 st on right needle, sl1, k1, pass the 2nd and 3rd sts on right needle over end st and off needle, p1, k1 — 3 sts. 19th row: K twice in first st, k1, k twice in last st — 5 sts. 20th row: K twice in first st, k1, p1, k1, k twice in last st — 7 sts. 21st row: Skpo, k3, k2tog — 5 sts. 22nd row: Skpo, p1, k2tog — 3 sts. K3tog and fasten off.

TO MAKE UP

With right side facing and taking 1½ sts into seam, join row-end edges of stem together. Place cast-on edges of petals around top of stem, overlapping edges to fit and secure in position. Catch down overlapped edges of petals to form flower. Join row-end edges of centre together, stuffing it with small amount of black yarn. Sew cast-on edge of centre to top of stem inside flower, then flatten top. At back, sew cast-on edge of leaf to stem, just below flower.

SAVE 15% off yarn at theknittingnetwork.co.uk until November 24. Enter the coupon code DMYARN at the checkout or call 01795 570303. Terms and conditions apply. Pattern courtesy of Woman’s Weekly.

Pictures: KERRY DVIES/JENNY GOODALL/BRUCE ADAMS/DAVID PARKER/JONATHAN POW Impressive cascade of 23,000 poppies adorns St Peter’s Church in Sudbury Marge Ellis with the Secret Society of Hertford Crafters’ 15,000 knitted-poppy display at Hertford Castle

Awe-inspiring ‘wave’ of poppies at Imperial War Museum North

STEP TWO — THE CENTRE: Easy! Four rows plus casting off. Even I managed this without error.

STEP ONE — THE FLOWER: Start with the petals, which are to master simple techniques such as ‘wrapping’ stitches, knitted individually. You will need four of them and have knitting twice into each stitch and casting off purl wise.

STEP FIVE — THE STITCH UP: Stitching it all together is the fun part. Sew along the edges of the stem. Then assemble the petals, with the cast-on ends in the centre. Add the black centre, attach the dastardly leaf and voila, your own knitted poppy tribute!

STEP FOUR — THE LEAVES: I had to rip back my leaves twice, but it is worth it in the end. You have to cast on and cast off multiple times, then slip, knit and slipover repeatedly. Just when you think, how on earth can this woolly spaghetti possibly look like a plant, a sheaf of leaves unfolds like a magic trick.

STEP THREE — THE STEM: If you can cast on eight stitches and knit 26 rows in stocking stitch, then you are home and dry.