There are many reasons to knit a poppy this year. You may have some red yarn that could use a worthy project, perhaps you prefer a softer version of the iconic flower, or maybe you want to avoid the plastic waste that comes with the commercially produced items.
This is a quick and easy free pattern that you can use to knit a poppy this year. Dig out that yarn - you will need some red and some black. Not a lot of either - it will depend on the size that you are making. Choose needles appropriate to the thickness of yarn that you are using (the ball band, if you have it, will give you a good idea what to use). Thicker yarn and larger needles will create a larger poppy, thinner yarn needs thinner needles and will create a smaller poppy. No right or wrong here - use what you have.
Cast on 48 stitches with red yarn.
Work in a K2, P2 rib for 6 rows. (Knit 2 stitches, Purl 2 stitches, repeat to end of row)
Change to Black yarn
Knit 2 together across all stitches in the row
Repeat that for the following row.
Cut your black yarn, leaving a 20cm tail. Thread the yarn through the remaining stitches and pull tight to gather the centre of the poppy. Secure the end of the black tail by tying it to the starting black yarn tail.
Use one of the red yarn tails to stitch the two edges of your poppy together, then sew in the red yarn tails.
The two black yarn tails can be used to attach your poppy to a display, or tie onto your clothing. You could also sew a safety pin on the back to make it wearable on any outfit.
See how to do it with the video below:
Great idea! Will be making one!