The temperature blanket or scarf is a wonderful way to capture time in a handcrafted item. When we create something with our hands for ourselves or to gift another, the uniqueness is the intangibles of what the item carries. The blanket, scarf, hat, or garment has a piece of the knitter in it (and maybe their dog or cat too ;). The knitter crafts fabric from variations of knots, which evolve to the finished product. The knitter creates the product on trains, planes, and automobiles. Alone in solitude to escape the stressors of the day. In a group of acquaintances whose only shared quality is the love of yarn and knitting. In different cities, countries. The knitted product has traveled and carries with it hints of its surroundings and the mood of the knitter in the process of being created.
The temperature blanket or scarf is a sort of diary of a span of time communicated in yarn. There are many ways to complete a temperature blanket, but ultimately, the finished products document the days in colors that represent the weather. Weather has to be the greatest influence on our moods and daily activities. To capture a year’s weather in color is profoundly simple.
We love the concept of the temperature blanket because it can be so deeply personal and reflective in its process. Here are some ways you can make a temperature blanket or scarf.
- A year in review blanket - Is there a particular year that stands out as being special to you? Choose your year and your combination of colors to represent spans of 10 or 5 degree increments. Think about the average daily temperature. Be sure to select colors that you want to dominate according to the frequency of average daily temperatures. Don’t limit yourself to choosing cool colors for cooler temps. You could have an entirely blue-hued blanket with saturation varying per temperature range. Perhaps, you want to document the first year of marriage in a blanket. Use colors from the wedding to capture the seasons of the first year of matrimony.
- Monochrome scarf to show temperature through texture - A temperature scarf offers the satisfaction of completion faster than a blanket. If you thrive on checking off finished projects, go for a scarf with a similar concept described above. For the scarf, consider including different yarn weights and textures to represent the different temperatures. Find a yarn that comes in the same color for different yarn weights. You could have a monochrome scarf that displays the variations entirely in weight and textures.
- Seasons of change - Consider breaking up the seasons by color. Select a color for each season. Separate the seasons with a neutral color. Choose different saturation of the season’s color for different temperature ranges. For example, choose blue for winter, yellow for spring, orange for summer, and red for fall. Each season may have four different versions of that color to represent different temperature ranges in that season.
Overall, the temperature blanket or scarf is a great project to work on throughout the year. Make it simple and relaxing as a way to break up your more complicated projects. How do you measure a year in life? Measure in love and yarn!