The Drumheller Genealogy Club is spearheading a new collaborative way to honour the armed forces personnel and animals who fought and died in the line of duty. They are calling on knitters to help them achieve their goal.
The Genealogy Club and the Drumheller Legion partnered on a banner program a few years ago, and it was a great success. Their new project is to create a community art installation made of knitted and crocheted poppies.
“I have seen different articles and I noticed the Anglican Cathedral in Calgary did it. So I thought it looked like a good thing to do,” said Betty Manning of the Genealogy Club.
The poppies will make up the installation and will be displayed/ draped in different locations each year. They plan to make this an ongoing project, similar to the veteran's banners.
To accomplish this they are calling on local crafters to knit or crochet the poppies.
“We have only come out with it in the last couple of days, and people are very forthcoming with it. They have asked for some of the patterns. We thought if we started early, we could have a go with it,” she said.
Some of the installation sites could be at the BCF, the Cenotaph, or other buildings. The poppies must be made with a bright poppy red worsted weight yarn or a deep purple worsted weight yarn in remembrance of animals, and 4-5 inches in diameter. Suggested wools are Bernat Super Value in berry, Bernat Premium in deep purple, Red Heart in cherry red, Caron One Pound in claret, Red Heart Super Saver in black.
Patterns for the poppies can be picked up at the Drumheller Pioneer Trail Centre, the Drumheller Public Library, and the Drumheller Legion. Completed poppies can also be returned to these locations.
The cutoff for creating the poppies is September 8, 2022, to be included in the installation. For more information, contact Manning at 403-821-2894.
