If you’ve never heard of a temperature blanket. It is a blanket that records the temperature for a given time using different yarn colors. They have grown in popularity over the past few years.
This post is the opinion of Becca Jean’s World. Find the full disclaimer policy here.
My first one was for 2020, what a year to pick, right? I didn’t know what the year would bring when I decided to do it. Not that the goings of 2020 played a part in the temperatures. Anyway, I used temperature groupings that I found on Pinterest, but you can use as few or as many as you’d prefer depending on your geographical location. If you live in an area with large temperature swings, larger groupings would work but if you live in an area with minimal temperature changes, using smaller groups would be more what you need. There are many different options that you can choose from. Here are some different suggestions.
To go by 10’s: 0-9, 10-19, 20-29 etc.
To go by 5’s: 71-75, 76-80, 81-85, etc.
Custom groupings: 11-22, 23-33, 34-44 or 65-74, 75-84, 85-94 etc
It can vary depending on your pattern or geographical location
The second one that I made was for the first year of my daughter’s life. I saw the idea on Instagram and thought it would be cool to do for her. She’s in her 20s now so it’s something she can look back on. I used the same temperature groupings as the first one but a new design of Becca Jean’s World. The side panels were done to make it more symmetrical. The left panel is the most used color to the least used color and the right side is just random striping.
Is a temperature blanket right for you?
Is making a temperature blanket something that you should do? That depends on you and how you like to do your projects. They are fun but can be time-consuming. Whichever way you decide to make one, it should suit your life and time for crochet. It also depends on the pattern you pick, some patterns are less time-consuming than others.
Current year temperature blankets allow for one row or square a day (if you stay caught up with each day). I did not with my blanket for 2020. Also remembering to get the temp each day can be a challenge, on more than one day I had to research the temperatures on the weather history site. I used www.almanac.com/weather/history for my historical weather data.
If you can stay caught up, this can be a great way to have variety in your crochet and WIPs. A row or two a day and on to your other project(s).
Past time frame temperature blankets allow for more planning for both yarn choice and time frame. Knowing what temperatures I was working with allowed me to adjust some colors in my most recent blanket. I ended up using less than originally planned because I didn’t have some of the temps on my temperature groupings.
What style should you make for your temperature blanket?
Next, would be to decide what style to make the afghan in. Rows or granny squares and what stitch or size square should you use? I have done both versions and feel that this is completely a matter of personal choice.
My granny square temperature blanket was made using Becca Jean’s World’s Four Pips granny square pattern. Making a granny square blanket makes a very portable project until it comes time to sew it together. I used an additional color to separate the months for this project but that is totally personal choice.
If you are doing rows, be sure to use a short stitch because you will have 365 rows once you are done with the year. I didn’t end up using a short enough stitch so my most recent one is VERY long but my daughter is completely ok with it. And I love how the striping worked out for the stitch.
I often see temperature blankets in linen or moss stitch. I enjoy this stitch but wanted to do something different from other blankets. You should use the stitch that makes you happy. My current temperature blanket is corner-to-corner (c2c) blocks for a historical time frame.
Here are some suggestions for possible stitches.
Single crochet
Moss or linen stitch
Front or back loop single crochet
Granny squares
C2C blocks
Yarn Suggestions
There is not one yarn that is better than another for a temperature blanket. The yarn you chose needs to have enough colors for your temperature gauges and be able to suit the situation in which it will be used in. For example, if it will be used regularly it needs to suit the washing needs of the recipient. Also, the fiber content needs to be considered for preference and potential allergies. I have seen wool, acrylic, and various blends all used for different temperature blankets. I have used worsted-weight yarns for my temperature blankets,
My first 2 temperature blankets were made with Caron Simply Soft, primarily because I had them in my stash already and I was looking to use some of that up. I did have to buy additional skeins to finish the blankets. My current blanket is in Red Heart Super Saver, I wanted the large color variety of options in the blues. See my reviews for Caron and Red Heart.
Summary
Deciding to do a temperature blanket is a big decision but can be a great way to remember a certain year or timeframe. Whether it’s right for you depends on a few things, pattern, time to dedicate to it, and potential cost. I have found them to be enjoyable and have a 3rd blanket started. It will be another based on the past, to commemorate a time in my parents’ life. I’ve come to find that I really enjoy the random striping that occurs with temperature blankets.
