I’m pretty upset that no one has told me about temperature blankets. I literally had to stumble upon this concept, on my own, during one late night scroll session on Instagram.

My family is pretty crafty, with several family members who knit, crochet or both. I quickly text my grandma “Have you heard of a temperature blanket?” in which her response was, “I’ve heard of an electric blanket”.  I suddenly didn’t feel so bad for not knowing about the temperature blanket trend. 

So what exactly is a temperature blanket? It’s a blanket that is crocheted or knitted, one row per day in a color that corresponds with the daily temperature. It’s most common to start at the first of the year, but you could start anytime. As a homestead, where the weather directly affects our day to day operation, and a day job in tech that swims in analytical numbers, how cool is it to have a visual representation! Anndd a functional visual representation at that, because let’s also be honest, you can never have too many blankets. 

Photo & Temperature Blanket Via Knitalie Co.

Create A Color Range

If you Google “Temperature Blanket” you’ll stumble upon quite a few color guides. In my research it’s most recommended to use 8-14 different colors to get the best variation. Don’t feel bound by these  guides though, they are just a suggestion! Feel free to choose your own color, and create a temperature range that best fits your climate. Most people use 10 degree or 5 degree increments, and designate 1 color to each increment. Luckily here in Michigan we get to experience the four seasons, going from -20* to 102*, sometimes even on the same day.

To get the best range for the temperatures we typically experience, I decided to go by 7* taking me from 0*F and below to 98*F and above. You can see my temperate range and colors below for the Henstooth Temperature Blanket 2020!

Choose A Pattern

I can crochet, I can hand-knit but I can not knit with needles to save my life.  So one of the best part about this project is you don’t have to master any crazy pattern. You can do a straight line back and forth, zigzags if you please, granny squares if you must, or a crazy pattern if you wanna show off. Anyone can do it. Anyone!

Also, if knitting or crocheting is not your “thing” and you have some other creative way you want to participate. DO. IT. If there is anything you should know about Henstooth, it’s that we love those who are willing to put their own spin on things. You’re our kind of people, and we’ll always have room for you at our table.

Now if you’re looking for inspiration, I’ve linked a few patterns below. For my blanket I’m planning to crochet using the moss stitch, also referred to as the granite stitch. I’m using a combination of yarn brands, but will stick to a medium weight 4 skein with a H, 5.0mm hook. 

Remember for these patterns you’re just using them for the stitch pattern, you’ll be using your own colors, creating one row per day. 

Stripes (Knit)
Stripes (Knit)
Zig Zag (Knit)

The Strategy

Some people truly crochet/knit one row per day. Some people record the temperate each day, then designate one day per week to creating those rows. Others document each day and work on the blanket sporadically when they can. 

I’ll be honest with you. I’ve been looking for something that I can wake up early and dedicate some “meditation” time too, if you will. Just a quiet moment to myself. I think this may be the project. I have full intentions of carrying this project out on a daily basis, but let’s be real – life happens. In those moments I’ll record the the daily temperature to come back to or use something like Weather Underground if I need to gather some historical data from my slacking..

To help keep you on track, you can download our free temperature tracking calendar below. It’s a blank template so you can print one each month and fill in the dates! 

Temperature Blanket 2020. Who is with me? I’m all for accountablitly, and would love to see a crew of us complete this project together!

The project will officially kick off on January 1, 2020 but in the meantime I’ll be sharing yarn sales and my planning process on Instagram, so be sure to follow us. Once the project kicks off I’ll be sharing regular updates throughout the year, as well as the progress of others who are participating. The new year will be here before you know it so comment below, or DM us on Instagram if you’d like to join in and use #henstoothtemperatureblanket so we can all follow along.

*This project is in no way sponsored by Lion Brand, or any other company. I just happen to like their patterns and yarn.