All About Crocheted Temperature Blankets

A crocheted temperature blanket is typically a year-long project that captures the daily high (or low) temperatures of a chosen location through rows of colorful crochet. These unique creations not only serve as cozy blankets but also as vibrant records of climate, making them both functional and sentimental.

The concept of temperature blankets became popular in the mid-2010s, inspired by the quilting tradition of documenting daily events. Though the originator is unknown, the idea spread rapidly through crafting communities on Pinterest, Facebook groups, and crochet blogs, resonating with crocheters seeking a creative way to commemorate a year.

Choosing Colors for Your Temperature Blanket

The key to a stunning temperature blanket lies in its color palette. Here are some strategies:

Temperature Ranges: Divide your local temperature range into 10-12 increments (e.g., 0-10°F, 11-20°F).
Color Psychology: Use warm colors like reds and oranges for hot days, cool blues and purples for colder days, and greens or yellows for mild weather.
Harmonious Palettes: Stick to analogous colors for a cohesive look or choose complementary colors for contrast.
Neutral Accents: Add white, gray, or black for special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries.
Neutral Colors: Choose a color to mark the beginning of each new month.

Tools to Help You Choose Colors

To help you choose the colors of your temperature blanket, you may want to use a traditional color wheel. You can view them online and you can order cardboard color wheels online.
Pinterest is a wonderful place to go to search for temperature blanket and palette inspiration.
Another way to get ideas for the colors for your temperature blanket is to decide which yarn you’ll use and select colors from that yarn’s available palette.

Create a Color Chart

Once you’ve selected your color palette and have ordered your yarn, you’ll want to create a color chart. You can use a piece of printer paper and list your temperature degree increments (such as 0-10 degrees Fahrenheit, 11-20 degrees Fahrenheit, etc.) Then snip a piece of yarn from each color you’ll use in your blanket, and tape it to your chart.

There are also cardboard or wooden tools that have been created for easy use.

Here’s an example of a white and black plastic color chart and related tools.

Some yarn companies are embracing temperature blankets and are offering a wide variety of coordinating colors.

Here’s an example of a very popular temperature yarn style called Brava worsted.

Suggested Color Ranges:

Reds (90°F+): Cherry Red, Scarlet, or Poppy.
Oranges (80-89°F): Pumpkin, Tangerine, or Papaya.
Yellows (70-79°F): Mustard, Sunshine, or Lemon.
Greens (60-69°F): Kelly Green, Pistachio, or Mint.
Blues (50-59°F): Azure, Denim, or Royal.
Purples (40-49°F): Lavender, Plum, or Grape.
Grays (30-39°F): Slate or Charcoal.
Whites (Below Freezing): Arctic White or Soft Cream.

Okay… let’s move on and talk about a variety of strategies for creating your temperature blanket.

How Often to Crochet a Row

While a popular method is to crochet one row per day, there are variations:

Daily Highs or Lows: Crochet one row each day, reflecting the day’s high or low temperature.
Weekly Averages: Summarize the week with a single row using the average temperature.
Monthly Approach: Crochet a block for each month, blending the daily data.
Seasonal Focus: Dedicate rows or blocks to seasonal temperature changes.

Alternate Crochet Projects Using the Temperature Blanket Theory

If a blanket feels too ambitious, consider these alternatives:

Scarves: Create a temperature scarf for a less time-consuming project.
Pillows: Crochet panels to commemorate a single season.
Table Runners: Highlight temperatures across a memorable year or over a specific season.
Wall Hangings: Turn your temperature chart into a stunning piece of decor.
Baby Blankets: Use the concept for the first year of a child’s life.
Coasters: Dedicate a coaster to each season or significant month.

Crocheted temperature blankets are more than just functional items—they’re tangible time capsules of life’s climate moments. Whether you choose to create a blanket, scarf, or wall hanging, this project is sure to add a meaningful and colorful touch to your crochet journey.

For more inspiration and to see examples of temperature blankets people are creating, you can search Etsy and Pinterest. There’s even a group on Facebook dedicated to temperature blankets.

I’ve started a virtual cork board about temperature blankets, over on Pinterest. You can go head over to take a peek, you’ll find ideas for temperature blankets as well as dozens of crochet-related inspirational ideas.

Here’s where you go for the crochet-inspired and temperature blanket ideas, over on Pinterest.

Do you have a crochet-related Pinterest account or would you like to learn how to create a crochet presence on Pinterest? Scroll down respond in the comments section below.

What intrigues you about temperature blankets and what ideas come to mind?