Learn how to knit a poppy with our choice of patterns and tutorials
Knit a Remembrance Day poppy with our collection of free poppy knitting patterns, including easy designs for beginners
Make a poppy to wear on your lapel or donate to a local display for Remembrance Sunday. You can click on the links below to jump to the different section of the poppy knitting patterns article.
Below you'll find three easy poppy knitting patterns that would be suitable for new knitters, plus two more detailed knitted poppy brooch patterns that will keep experienced knitters busy.
The two poppy brooch patterns also include instructions for how to knit a poppy leaf, which you can use with any of the other patterns too. And for those who'd prefer a crochet version, we have a free pattern for a crochet poppy too!
If you're a beginner knitter, we've filmed a video showcasing the basic poppy knitting pattern. The video shows all the stitches you need to complete your knitted poppy, and will help you get to grips with the pattern terminology and how to work the different stitches and techniques, to help new knitters to knit a poppy.
Easy poppy knitting pattern for beginners
Easy ribbed poppy knitting pattern
1. Basic poppy knitting pattern
If you’ve got a spare few minutes and some scrap red yarn from your stash, then why not use this poppy knitting pattern to make a poppy for Remembrance Day?
This free pattern was provided by Cirencester Parish Church, which in 2017 teamed up with the Cirencester branch of the Royal British Legion and crafters from all over the country to decorate the church with 17,000 knitted poppies for charity. The Royal British Legion provides support to the Armed Forces community, including serving and ex-serving personnel and their families. Visit their website to find out more about the charity and Remembrance Day events near you.
This poppy knitting pattern is quick to make using small amounts of any DK yarn, or you could use whatever you find in your stash to make flowers of different sizes. Learning how to knit a poppy won't take long with this beginner-friendly pattern, so give it a try today.
To knit a poppy you will need:
- A pair of 4mm (US 6) needles
- Any red DK yarn
- A small black button
How to knit a poppy
This pattern uses our standard knitting abbreviations. Tension is not important for this project.
Cast on 60 sts using 4mm needles and red DK yarn.
Rows 1-8 (K2, P2) to end.
Row 9 (K2tog) to end. [30 sts]
Row 10 (S2kpo) to end. [10 sts]
Break off yarn, leaving a long tail. Thread tail through remaining 10 sts and pull tight, then fasten off yarn.
Join the edges of the poppy together and sew the black button in the centre of the poppy.
Download the basic poppy knitting pattern PDF
We also have a PDF version of this poppy knitting pattern, which you can download here: Poppy knitting pattern PDF
2. Easy poppy knitting pattern for beginners
BBC Nottingham called out to knitters to help knit 11,000 poppies in commemoration of Nottingham soliders who lost their lives during WW1. The target was to knit and crochet 11,000 poppies to mark each of the 11,000 Nottinghamshire men who died during the Great War. Many knitters contributed to help commemorate those who lost their lives in WW1.
Their two poppy knitting patterns are both easy for beginners to knit and can be used to create brooches or to donate to local displays. For the best finish, knit with a double knit (DK) yarn. The size of needle you choose will determine how big the poppy will be, but we recommend 3½mm or 3¾mm. If you have different yarn left in your stash, just use that and the appropriate needle size.
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To knit a poppy you will need:
Yarn A One ball of red DK yarn (This will make a lot of poppies!)
Yarn B Scrap of black yarn or a black button
Body of poppy
This pattern uses our standard knitting abbreviations. Tension is not important for this project.
Cast on 120 stitches using Yarn A and 3½mm needles.
Rows 1-4 Knit.
Row 5 Knit 3 stitches together across the row. [40 sts]
Rows 6-9 Knit.
Row 10 Knit 2 stitches together across the row [20 sts]
Rows 11-14 Knit.
Row 15 Knit 2 stitches together across the row. [10 sts]
Cut yarn leaving a tail of about 20cm.
Thread tail through yarn needle and slip all the remaining live stitches onto the yarn tail and pull tight. Pull around into a circle and then mattress stitch (or use whatever stitching you normally use) to seam for an invisible seam. Sew in ends.
Centre of poppy
Cast on 16 sts using Yarn B.
Cast off.
Coil into a tight spiral and sew base to the centre.
Alternatively, use a black or green button with 4 holes and sew to centre of poppy.
Add pin.
How to knit flowers
If you are after more knitted flow patterns, take a look at Gathered's how to knit flowers guide.
3. Easy ribbed poppy knitting pattern
To knit a poppy you will need:
Yarn A One ball of red DK yarn (This will make a lot of poppies!)
Yarn B Scrap of black yarn or a black button
Body of poppy
This pattern uses our standard knitting abbreviations. Tension is not important for this project.
Cast on 60 stitches using Yarn A and 3½mm needles.
Rows 1–10 K2, P2 across whole row. (For a slightly smaller poppy do 8 rows of rib.)
Row 11 Knit 2 stitches together across the row. [30 stitches]
Row 12 Slip 1 stitch, knit 2 stitches together then pass the slip stitch over. Repeat across the whole row. [10 sts]
Break off yarn with long tail and thread back through remaining stitches and pull tight. Join edges with mattress stitch.
Centre of poppy
Cast on 16 sts using Yarn B.
Cast off.
Coil into a tight spiral and sew base to the centre.
Alternatively, use a black or green button with 4 holes and sew to centre of poppy.
Add pin.
4. Knitted poppy brooch patterns
Add a dash of scarlet to your smart winter coat, or perk up a plain denim jacket with this knitted poppy brooch pattern by Monica Fuertes. It was first available as a cover kit with Simply Knitting magazine issue 191. You have a choice of two poppy brooches to make, a small and a large one. The key to getting a great finished result from this pattern lies in the making up, so Monica has provided detailed instructions below to help guide you.
This pattern also includes instructions for how to knit a poppy leaf, which will let you add greenery to any of the poppy patterns in this article
To make this knitted poppy brooch you will need:
Hayfield Bonus DK (100% acrylic 100g/280m)
For the Little Poppy:
- Yarn A Ladybird (0698)
- Yarn B Sunflower (0978)
- Yarn C Lemongrass (0699)
For the Large Poppy:
- Yarn A Ladybird (0698)
- Yarn B Black (0965)
- Yarn C Lemongrass (0699)
A pair of 3mm (US 2/3) knitting needles
21 black glass seed beads
2 brooch pins
How to knit a poppy brooch
Tension
13 sts and 18 rows to measure 6 x 6cm (2½ x 2½in) over stocking stitch using 3mm needles
Our standard knitting abbreviations are used in this pattern.
Knitted poppy brooch: Little Poppy
Flowers (make 3)
Cast on 20 sts, using 3mm needles and Yarn A.
Row 1 (RS) Knit.
Row 2 Purl.
Row 3 Knit.
Row 4 Purl.
Row 5 (K5, twist the right needle back to front) to end.
Row 6 Purl.
Change to Yarn B.
Row 7 (K2tog) to end. [10 sts]
Row 8 (P2tog) to end. [5 sts]
Row 9 (K2tog) to last st, K1. [3 sts].
Cut yarn and thread through remaining sts.
Sew sides together to form flower. Attach the beads using the photograph as a guide.
How to knit a poppy leaf (make 3)
Cast on 3 sts using 3mm needles and Yarn C.
Row 1 (WS) Purl.
Row 2 K1, yo, K1, yo, K1. [5 sts]
Row 3 Purl.
Row 4 K2, yo, K1, yo, K2. [7 sts]
Row 5 Purl.
Row 6 K2tog, K3, k2tog. [5 sts]
Row 7 Purl.
Row 8 K2tog, K1, k2tog. [3 sts]
Row 9 Sk2po. [1 st]
Fasten off.
Finishing
Sew the three Poppy Apples together and position the leaves around them, using the photograph for guidance. Attach the brooch pin securely to the back of the flowers.
Detailed making-up instructions
To sew these flowers:
- Make a triangle shape, sew with a tapestry needle and some stitches with red colour yarn the 3 flowers together.
- Sew the green leaves at the back part of the flowers.
- Sew five black glass beads all around each yellow centre.
- Sew the metallic brooch at back with a couple of stitches.
Knitted poppy brooch: Large Poppy (Make 3 per brooch)
Petals (Make 4 for each poppy)
Working in garter stitch:
Cast on 5 sts, using 3mm needles and Yarn A.
Row 1 (RS) Knit.
Row 2 Kfb, K2, kfb, K1. [7 sts]
Row 3 Knit.
Row 4 K3, kfb, K3. [8 sts]
Work 3 rows in garter st.
Row 8 K3, k2tog, K3. [7 sts]
Row 9 K2, sk2po, K2. [5 sts]
Row 10 K1 ,sk2po, K1. [3 sts]
Row 11 Knit.
Row 12 (Kfb) twice, K1. [5 sts]
Row 13 Kfb, K2, kfb, K1. [7 sts]
Row 14 K7.
Row 15 K3, kfb, K3. [8 sts]
Rows 16 to 17 Knit.
Row 18 K3, sk2po, K2. [6 sts]
Row 19 K2, sk2po, K1. [4 sts]
Row 20 Knit.
Cast off.
Stems
Make 1 x 9cm and 2 x 7cm plaited cords with Yarn C.
Flower centres (Make 3)
Cast on 15 sts, using 3mm needles and Yarn B.
Cast off.
Roll up each centre and attach to the middle of each flower. Add embroidery: a long stitch with a French knot with Yarn B. Refer to photograph for guidance.
Calyx (Make 3)
Cast on 8 sts, using 3mm needles and Yarn C.
Row 1 (RS) Knit.
Continue working the first 2 sts only:
*Row 2 (Kfb) twice. [4 sts]
Work 2 rows in st st, beg with a K row.
Row 5 (K2tog) twice. [2 sts]
Row 6 P2tog. [1 st]
Cast off.*
Working on the next 2 sts only, rep from * to * 3 more times.
Sew each Calyx to the back of each Poppy Apple. Attach plaited stems in Yarn C, one 9cm stem to the Calyx at the back of the central flower and a 7cm stem to each flower at the sides.
Poppy leaves (Make 2)
Cast on 3 sts, using 3mm needles and Yarn C.
Row 1 (WS) Purl.
Row 2 K1, yo, K1, yo, K1. [5 sts]
Row 3 Purl.
Row 4 K2, yo, K1, yo, K2. [7 sts]
Row 5 Purl.
Row 6 K3, yo, K1, yo, K3. [9 sts]
Row 7 Purl.
Row 8 Sk2po, K3, sk2po. [5 sts]
Row 9 Purl.
Row 10 K2tog, K1, k2tog. [3 sts]
Row 11 Sk2po. [1 st]
Fasten off.
Finishing
Sew the Poppies together and the Leaves around them. Refer to photograph for guidance. Attach brooch pin securely to the back of the Poppies.
Detailed making-up instructions
To sew these flowers:
- Make a triangle shape, sew with a tapestry needle and some stitches and red colour yarn the three flowers one beside the other.
- Sew the yellow centres (chains) to make a circle shape, one yellow centre at each flower.
- Embroider the pistils with black yarn and a tapestry needle. Each flower has 12 pistils, so three pistils for each petal. Sew three back stitches at each petal (three long stitches) and embroider a French knot at the top of each pistil.
- Sew at back part of each flower the four tiny green leaves. Sew these leaves at the middle and at the tips with green colour yarn and a tapestry needle.
- Make the green cords (stems) and sew one stem at the middle of each calix (group of four tiny leaves).
- Sew the metallic brooch with green colour yarn and a couple of stitches.
Download the poppy brooch knitting pattern
Get a PDF version of this brooch pattern here: Knitted poppy brooch pattern
Embellish to your heart's content
Knitted flowers are perfect for so many occasions. Poppys have special significance for Remembrance Sunday, but can add a colour pop to accessories at any time of year.
Learning different way to knit all sorts of different flowers means you'll never be stuck for an embellishment or floral flourish ever again!
Learn to knit loads more flowers
The Gathered team have scoured the internet to find all the very best knitted flower patterns for you. You're welcome actually, we would probably have done it in our spare time anyway. But you should take a look at all the beautiful blooms we have found patterns for. And they are all free to download!
Browse to find your favourite with our free knitted flower patterns round up.
Authors
As well as spending her working life thinking about yarn, Sarah designs knitting patterns in her spare time, too!
