With it being the New Year, one of the most popular crochet
projects to start is a Temperature Blanket. These blankets are made by
crocheting one row for each day of the year, and different colors are used
based on what the day’s high temperature is. It’s a fun way to document the
year with a craft project, and with just a little bit to do each day it’s an
easy project to keep up with! To make a temperature blanket you will need to
know how to chain, single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet. So
let’s get started!
You will need a number 4 worsted weight yarn, and you will
use a size I hook. To make your gauge swatch for this blanket you will follow
this pattern:
Row 1: Chain 13, single crochet in second chain from hook
and in each chain across. (12 single crochet)
Row 2-15: Chain 1, turn single crochet in each single crochet
across.
After making your last row measure your square. It should be
4”x4”. If your square is larger than this, you will want to go to a smaller
hook- like a H. If your square is smaller than this, you will want to go to a
larger hook- like a J. Because this is a big project, it’s important to make
sure your gauge is correct, you don’t want your blanket to come out too big or
too little!
Once your gauge swatch is complete you are ready to begin!
Now you need to decide what size blanket you’d like to make. What size blanket
you want to make will determine how many chains you need to make to start your
blanket. Here is a little chart to help you out-
Lapghan size- 168 chains
Throw size- 210 chains
Twin size- 242 chains
Full size- 292 chains
Queen size- 315 chains
King size- 371 chains
No matter what size you are making the basic pattern is the
same. It’s the same as the gauge swatch we made, but you will change the number
of chains to fit the pattern you are making. For example, if you are making the
Throw size this is what your pattern will look like:
Row 1- chain 210, single crochet in the second chain from
the hook and in each chain across. (209 stitches)
Row 2-365 chain 1, turn, single crochet in each single
crochet across. (209 stiches)
How easy is that? This is a great project for anyone just
starting out with crochet because it gives you lots of practice on basic
stitches. If you want to mix things up a little bit from doing all single
crochet stitches there are a few things that you can do.
On the first day of every month make your row from half
double crochet instead of single crochet. You can also do a double crochet for
special days in the year and holidays. Some examples of special days might be
birthdays and anniversaries, or any other day that has a special meaning for
your family. Holidays to include are New Years Day, Valentines Day, Leap Day
(if it applies during the year you are working with), St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial
Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Halloween, Veterans Day,
Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
So now that we know the pattern, here are the color charts
for the different temperatures. We have two color charts for you based on which
brand of yarn you like to use. We have charts for both Red Heart Super Saver
and Vanna’s Choice yarns.
Here is the chart for Red Heart Super Saver:
Here is the chart for Vanna’s Choice:
If you’re new to crochet, you can view a video tutorial on
our YouTube channel that will help you get all the basics you need to get
started. You can find that video by clicking here.
Now, you don’t even have to make a blanket for 2017 if you
don’t want to! There’s a great online resource that you can use that will give
you the temperature for any year that you’d like! You don’t even have to start
it on January 1! This is a great way to capture a special year for your family.
It could be the first year of your marriage, or the first year in your
children’s lives. You can find the website to make your own custom temperature
blanket by clicking here.
It’s a very simple to use site, you simply select the
country you live in, if you want your temps in Fahrenheit or Celsius, and the
starting date. To give you an idea of what it looks like, this is the custom
pattern I made starting on the date my oldest child was born.
How cool is that? It’s such a unique way to capture a
meaningful year. The site will even create a PDF pattern that you can download
for FREE!
