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For many of us, it can be hard to wrap our heads around the abstract concept of climate change. One woman decided to take matters into her own hands for her New Year's Resolution and give herself a way to visualize how the weather was changing in her hometown. Josie George is putting her knitting skills to good use by creating a scarf where each row represents the temperature and weather of her town. And apparently, she's not the only one creating a knit temperature guide.
After posting her project on Twitter, others have been responding about their own temperature blankets and scarves. Each person has their own unique way of marking the weather. For George, she has one colored strand according to the temperature and then a second row that marks whether a particular day was cloudy, sunny, rainy, or snowy. There are no limits to what you can represent. For instance, one woman's crocheted temperature blanket includes squares colored according to the temperature, while others also include markings to represent the seasons.
For George, her scarf has a dual purpose. Not only will it get her knitting daily, but it will also get her more involved with climate change. “I decided that this year, every day, I would knit a row on a scarf to mark the corresponding daily temperature/weather of my town,” she tweeted. “It felt like a good way to engage with the changing climate and with the changing year. A way to notice and not look away.”
The beautiful thing about creating a temperature blanket is that it can be customized. People often use rainbow colors, but others might select pastels or a more restricted palette. Even the choice of the stitch is up to the creator, making the results truly unique. If you are interested in creating your own but aren't sure where to get started, this free printable chart will give you an idea of temperatures and corresponding color schemes.
Of course, not all areas will have a wide range of temperatures throughout the year, so you'll want to consider your local high and low temperatures and construct your scale from there, as George did. So if you are looking for an excuse to keep knitting or crocheting while at the same time commemorating an entire year, a temperature blanket makes a great project.
Josie George is knitting a scarf that will commemorate the weather in her local area.
I decided that this year, every day, I would knit a row on a scarf to mark the corresponding daily temperature/weather of my town. It felt like a good way to engage with the changing climate and with the changing year. A way to notice and not look away. Here's January then. pic.twitter.com/XQ9scIMX5c
— Josie George 🌻 (@porridgebrain) February 2, 2020
Temperature blankets are a popular non-conventional knitting and crochet project.
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I am knitting a temperature scarf for the year of 2020. Each day I knit a row according to the temperature and the assigned color. I am loving it! I love thinking of today as light blue. From 19-67 degrees this month! pic.twitter.com/w5on49rJK9
— Jennifer Fairbanks (@JenFairbanks8) January 30, 2020
You can create your own color palette and stitch pattern for something truly unique.
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This is how January looked for my temperature blanket! What will February hold? pic.twitter.com/IMwWs2MbNC
— Shannon (@Shayzie1972) February 2, 2020
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