If you are in the fibre community, you probably have come across the buzz of making a temperature blanket for 2022. In case you do not know, a temperature blanket is a blanket you can knit or crochet based on the temperature of each day or the whole year in the city where you live. There are so many people hosting Crochet-Alongs, have blogs and vlogs about making a temperature blanket for 2022. A temperature blanket is a fun and amazing project that keeps you busy in your crochet or knitting journey for the year and the result of a cascade of colours is always beautiful.
However, there are so many people like me who cannot commit to a temperature blanket at the beginning of the year for various reasons, but may still want to make something, this article is for you.
For years now I have tried to work on a temperature blanket, but somehow in the year I would lose traction and abandon the project. This actually made me feel like a complete failure and somehow unaccomplished. 2020 and 2021 were exceptionally difficult years for me and most people, due to the pandemic and other life experiences, such that a temperature blanket was practically impossible.
This led to major decision to live a life of intention and finally take the leap to pursue my dream of becoming a digital nomad. This also means a lot of travelling and giving up having my yarn stash and hand making a temperature blanket seem like a pipe dream.
But I still want to make something to represent the weather of the city where I will be based which is Cape Town in South Africa. As I acclimatizing myself to this new life, I have decided that in the first quarter of 2022, I will focus on settling down in this new chapter with the aim to make something by the end of the year. In the meantime this is what I am doing so I don’t lose track.
1. Pick Out the Colours and Yarn
I have picked the colours which I am going to use based on the temperature of Cape Town. I am tempted to include the places which I visit in the year and will have to think of a creative way to incorporate this into my project. So in the meantime I have decided to have nine colours to represent the weather of Cape Town which ranges between-7 and 27 degrees Celsius. I have decided to use double knit because it’s widely available and the most economical. I will not limit myself when it comes to the brand so I can manage to get all the colours as per the chart below. If you want to design your own chart, here is the template in Canva and its available for free. Just log in and change the colours and temperatures to suit your design.
2. Keeping Records of the Weather
I have created a simple spreadsheet to record the weather. I am using the app AccuWeather to check at least once a week when I am doing my weekly planning. I know the commitment of a temperature project is that you have to check the weather daily and crochet/knit a few lines each day. Since I am not starting my project as yet, I am just checking the temperatures and recording them. I have also decided I will be adding the colours into my spreadsheet as a fun activity to keep me motivated. Here is the free editable template you can use.
3. Determine a Start Date
While I have decided to not stress myself on starting this project immediately but I also do not want to lose steam, I have still picked a start date. Part of the lesson learnt from the past failures is that I always felt I had time and left it until too late resulting in not completing the project at all. So even though I am not starting the project early in the year, I will definitely start at the beginning of the second quarter of 2022 when autumn hits. I really want to spend the first quarter of 2022 to settle down in this new life and gain traction to make sure that the new systems I want to set up for my business and life actually stick.
4. Pick a Project
I am definitely not going to work on a temperature blanket as it already feels overwhelming. I haven’t decided what I going to make although, I am strongly leaning towards a wall hanging which I am yet to work on the design. I recently saw another creator who made a snake with the same concept of a temperature blanket. This inspired me to believe I can actually think outside the box and work on something else other than a blanket.
I am also considering a smaller project such as scarf. While it may not give you much room to work the rows, I will still be able to work the colours with beautiful results. Making one granny square a day for each day and then later join them to make something is also on the table. I am still brainstorming on this and will eventually let you guys know at the beginning of the second quarter what exactly I will be making.
5. Pick a Stitch
I am going to do research on what stitch or stitches I am going to use for the project. Because it’s so colourful, using a simple stitch would work. However, others go for a different stitch for each day equal to the number of colours that they have. This adds to the intricacy and beauty of the temperature project. What I mean is each of the nine colours will have its own stitch. There are also other creators that have opted for one colour but use different stitches to represent each day. Another alternative would be to choose several designs of square made in one colour. I am definitely going for multiple colours; I will just have to work on the stitch or stitches that I am going to use. Since I haven’t concluded the design of project yet, I will set this aside for later.
6. Be Kind to Myself
I am my own worst critic, but one of the things I have decided moving forward is to be much kinder to myself. I have decided I am going to work on this temperature project in a way and method that works for me. So while I may still be contemplating, I keep reminding myself the goal of this is to have fun and not feel stressed and anxious.
So if you find a temperature blanket overwhelming or you feel like you can’t start immediately or just want to try something different I hope this helps you.
Have you ever tried to work on a temperature blanket, did you complete it or not? Will you be working on a temperature blanket or something in 2022? It will be interesting to see if there are people working on other alternatives.
Leave a comment and let me know.
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