Prototype Poppy

I learned yesterday that people in our next door village are knitting and crocheting poppies for a commemorative display next month. The old lady across the road from us, whose daughter lives in said village, has already knitted a goodly number. I've offered to do some in crochet. I made up the pattern as I went along, so may refine it with future poppies. Eventually, they will decorate the lych gate entrance to the churchyard in remembrance of WWI's Armistice Day and its 100th anniversary this year.

No craft work - then or now - can remotely do justice to the men and, let's face it, boys, who lost their lives in the Great War, but as I crochet, I do find myself keeping in mind the soldier who stood shoulder to shoulder with my grandpa in the trenches, and who took the hit and was killed instantly when a bomb landed in their trench, while my grandfather - though injured - survived. I'm sure I won't be the only one whose work is dedicated to someone who lost their life.

Not sure how many I can produce in the time available, but I suspect it may involve buying more yarn. (My prototype is a deeper shade of red than it looks here, but the request is that any red is fine, just not pink, purple or orange.) Things I like about crochet over knitting: it's quicker, there's no sewing up to do, and, if you drop a stitch or need to unpick and rework a bit, there's only one stitch to pick up.