Create Your Own Temperature Afghan

There are many ways to preserve the memory of days gone by. A daily diary or journal, photos, notes on calendars. For years my mother in law made a note in her journal or on her calendar the weather for each day. She would make a notation of temperature, precipitation, sunshine and cloud-cover. It’s always fun to look back and see how things were on this day in history! I married into the weather-watching family and it’s become a favorite activity for my children, too.

When I came across the idea of keeping a record of the daily weather by knitting or crocheting an afghan that documents the temperature of each day I was intrigued. A Temperature Afghan has been on my list of projects I wanted to try for some time and so I decided this year was the year.

Have you heard of a temperature afghan? It’s simple. For each day of the year, knit or crochet a row in a color of yarn that coordinates with the temperature of that day. Some call it a temperature blanket, but you could also make a smaller project such as a scarf.

To make a Temperature Afghan of your own you’ll need:

Yarn in various colors. I recommend at least 6 and up to 12 depending on the range of temperatures in your region.

A crochet hook. Choose a size that works best with your yarn and pattern.

A pattern. Whether you are a beginner or have plenty of experience working with yarn, choose a simple pattern to crochet (or knit.) I am making a smaller afghan (not too wide) using the Granite (or Moss) Stitch. Any pattern you have could work. If you need one, there are lots of free patterns available. Ravelry.com or a google search will help you find something that just right for you.

A way to track daily temperatures. You can record from your local weather station or search online. My son created a spreadsheet for me so I can write down the temps and then check them off when I stitch the coordinating row.

How I am working:

I have eight different colors of yarn so I divided the normal range of temperatures in my region into eight different divisions and assigned each a color.

• 9 and under = light blue
• 10 to 24 = dark blue
• 25 to 34 = light purple
• 35 to 44 = dark purple
• 45 to 59 = green
• 60 to 74 = yellow
• 75 to 84 = orange
• 85 and up = red

On my chart, my children and I record the high, low and average temperatures of each day. I am using the highs for each day, but you could use the lows, or both! You are the master of your afghan, make it your own!

I could crochet one row each night – First Row on Jan. 1st, Second Row on Jan. 2nd, etc. but I like to catch up on the weekends while we watch television or a movie. As I finish a row I check it off on my little chart. And so it goes, and grows. The end result will be a long, narrow lap blanket for cuddling up on cold winter days or while reading a good book.

Things you’ll want to think about:

Keep it simple. You don’t want to choose a pattern with a stitch that is too large. Remember, 365 rows of stitching, it’s going to get loooong if you choose a tall stitch.

Make a plan and get your tools/resources in place. Websites like Weatherghan.com do a lot of the planning work for you. You can plug in your zip code and choose a color scheme and they’ll create the charts for you. That’s pretty nice! I gave my kids a school assignment to create a spreadsheet and to track the weather, so we have things covered pretty well. Personally, I enjoyed getting lost in the yarn aisle of my local craft store while choosing my rainbow of colors.

Get Creative. You can find recorded temps for years all the way back to the 1940’s. How about surprising your children with a blanket using the temperatures from the year they were born. I love the idea a 50th wedding anniversary gift using the temperatures from the year the happy couple was married.

Supplies I’m using are:

A soft yarn in 8 different colors and size ‘h’ crochet hook. You’ll find supplies at your favorite craft store or you can use my Amazon Affiliate links:

Do you knit or crochet? Have you tried a temperature blanket? I’d love to hear how you created yours!