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How to Make a Temperature Blanket

How to Make a Temperature Blanket

Sometimes, unintentionally, a project might take a year to finish. But what if we told you we had a project for you that was designed to take a year to make? A Temperature Blanket is a a year-long memory blanket - either knitted or crocheted - that documents each day's temperature over the course of the year. The idea of a Temperature Blanket is simple enough, but there are several factors to consider before casting on. From yarn choice to temperature decisions to pattern selection, we explain how to make a temperature blanket

Read on to get our Temperature Blanket making tips and then download our 14-page Temperature Blanket How-To Guide for additional tips, a project legend guide sheet, and monthly temperature tracker pages. 

 

 Note: we first released this guide under our now shuttered brand Stitch Scoop. It was such a useful guide that we have brought it back for our Billy and Baa makers. 

 

What is a Temperature Blanket? 

A Temperature Blanket is a handmade knit or crochet blanket that documents the temperature of a location over a given period of time through stripes of color. Typically, the blanket is made over the course of a year and each 2-row stripe represents one day. 

The original temperature project from the Tempestry Project in 2017 was made to lend a visual to the climate change conversation. It was a scarf-sized tapestry with a big impact, as it inspired makers to document their own personal temperature timeline.

Temperature Blanket Tips 

There is no one set of rules when it comes to making a Temperature Blanket. But we offer some tips and templates to get you started. 

Some will call a Temperature Blanket a stash buster project, but this year long project requires a much more thoughtful approach. Before casting on your temperature project, consider: 

  • COLOR PALETTE. While traditional Temperature Blankets will assign red to hot temps and blues to light temps, you can choose any palette you love. However, to capture the true essence of the project, make sure the colors you pick have some contrast. Check out this 12-color palette Temperature Blanket Starter Kit from Ewe Ewe Yarns. 
  • SOLIDS VS. SPECKLES. We are Team Solids since they lend consistency and contrast to your project. But you may want to consider adding a speckled colorway to mark an unusual weather event like a hurricane or snowstorm.
  • TEMPERATURE COLORS. If you live in a climate that has four distinct seasons, you may want to assign colors in ten degree increments (i.e. 80 - 89 is orange, 90-99 is red). But if you don't see such temperature fluctuations, it's okay to shorten your temperature increments to show off a more detailed view of your weather.
  • PICKING A TEMPERATURE. You want your blanket to have consistency, so, before you start, make some rules. Where will you get your daily temperature reading? Will you use the high, low, or daily average? Or you can pick a specific time to record the temperature. Download our Temperature Blanket How To Guide to find a guide you can fill-in so you stay on track.
  • PICKING A LOCATION. Will this blanket record the temperature of your city or will it record the temperatures where you are that day? Or maybe you'll choose your favorite city in a far off land.
  • MAKE A SCHEDULE. A year-long blanket can become overwhelming, so create a realistic making schedule. Choose to knit a stripe a day, a week's worth of stripes on Sunday, or whatever works for you.
  • PATTERN CHOICE. There are many blanket options available - everything from stripes to granny squares - but if you're not ready to commit to a blanket, make a scarf instead!
  • KNIT-ALONG. Accountability is key during a year-long project, so find a friend or KAL working on the same project to keep you inspired.

    Temperature Blanket Patterns

    There is no shortage of temperature blanket (or scarf!) patterns. You can find both knit and crochet options in a variety of yarn weights. We think these 5 projects are all great options, but you can find an ever growing list of projects in our 'Temperature Blankets' bundle on Ravelry. 

    1. C2C Temperature Blanket MKAL 2018 by Esther Dijkstra (crochet)
    2. Chevron Tunisian Temperature Blanket by Amy Minard (crochet)
    3. Tunisian Crochet Temperature Blanket by Toni Lipsey (crochet)
    4. Temperature Blanket 2018 by Rachel Russ (knitting)
    5. Daily Temperature Blanket by Clare Thornley (knitting)

    There are so many great reasons to cast on a Temperature Blanket. Maybe you want to document the first year of a new baby's life or want to make something to document your travels. However you decide to set up your Temperature Project, make sure to always have our guide handy so you can make notes, document temperatures, and always be reminded what color to use next. 

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