Inviting All Knitters and Crocheters to Collaborate on Mississippi Mills Community Poppy Project

From the Mississippi Mills Community Poppy Project

The Mississippi Mills Community Poppy Project is a collaborative community art project of remembrance. It honours Canadian veterans who have served and personnel currently serving in the Canadian Armed Forces for their service and sacrifice to our country. (Pictured above, a similar Poppy Project in Niagara-on-the-Lake).

This community art project of remembrance will be created with hand knitted and crocheted poppies, made and donated by volunteers and community members of Mississippi Mills. Our goal is to collect a minimum of 10,000 hand knitted and crocheted poppies. These poppies will be used to create art installations between November 1 through to November 11.

We are looking for volunteer knitters and crocheters to knit and crochet red poppies with black centres (orange cannot be put on display). If you want to be part of this community project of remembrance, please email Project Coordinator Mary Rozenberg (mary@interlinkx.com) for more information and patterns. There is no intention to sell any of the knitted or crocheted poppies or to use these poppies for any other purpose.

Completed poppies can be dropped off at the following locations:

• Almonte Old Town Hall

• Almonte Branch, Mississippi Mills Public Library

• Pakenham Branch, Mississippi Mills Public Library

• Mississippi Valley Textile Museum

• Textile Traditions

• Levi Home Hardware

• Orchardview by the Mississippi

Last drop-off date for 2024 is Tuesday, October 15, 2024.

Special instructions: Please leave two tails (2-3 inches long) at the back of each poppy. These tails will be used to tie each poppy onto netting. All hand knitted and crocheted poppies will be securely attached to netting by volunteers. This netting will be secured to municipal light standards in front of the Almonte Old Town Hall and the Almonte Cenotaph. About 150 knitted and/or crocheted poppies will cover a light standard.

Depending on how many poppies are received from community volunteers, poppies may be displayed in other locations across Mississippi Mills, including:

• Light standards in front of the Clayton Cenotaph (across from the Clayton General Store)

• Light standards at the Pakenham Cenotaph (at Pakenham Public School)

After November 11, these poppy displays will be taken down, gently cleaned and stored until the following year on November 1. Hand knitted and crocheted poppies will be collected each year to grow our act of community remembrance.

For more information, please contact Project Coordinator Mary Rozenberg at mary@interlinkx.com.

Thank you for participating in this community art project!