A Pitt Meadows woman raised hundreds of dollars for the local Legion by crocheting poppies for Remembrance Day.
Karen Robertson donated $207 to the Legion after making and selling 69 crocheted poppies in a one-week period.
She sold the poppies for $5 each with $3 going to the Poppy Fund at Maple Ridge Branch No. 088 of the Royal Canadian Legion.
The Pitt Meadows resident got the idea after seeing a photo of a crocheted poppy, posted online by her daughter’s friend.
“I thought I could make those,” said Robertson, who has been crocheting for the past 40 years.
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So she asked her daughter’s friend for the pattern and the friend got her one.
The poppy had a green centre with black around it and then red for the petals.
Robertson made three of them and then found another poppy pattern that she liked.
The new poppy pattern had two layers to it and was a lot bigger.
However, after making a few from this pattern, her husband told her he wanted something more simple.
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So, Robertson decided to design one herself. She made one with a black center and only one layer of red around. Then she sewed a button in the black center, to give it texture, before gluing a broach pin to the back of it.
At first she was selling only to friends and family. But when her daughter posted a picture of the poppies online, her sales exploded, she said.
“My fingers are still vibrating,” said Robertson of making so many poppies in such a short period of time.
It took her around 20 minutes to make each one.
Robertson already has 11 pre-ordered for next year and she is planning to have 100 made by the beginning of October so she can start selling ahead of time.
“It felt good,” she said about the money she was able to donate this year, adding that she was also thrilled that people liked her poppies.
To order a poppy go to Nans’ Crochet Shop on Facebook.
cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com
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