Slow starts and speedy squares

I know that conventional wisdom says January is never ending but I’m still struggling to believe it is February already. I don’t feel quite ready to emerge from my winter cocoon just yet.

But I did want to show you the progress on my 2026 Temperature Blanket which is a kind of mash up of twin loves - Mitered Squares and Temperature Blankets.

In short I wanted to knit another year-long blanket project but I didn’t want to subject myself to any more knitting than was absolutely necessary - mindful of what happened with my 2020 project.

And so the idea of mitered squares was born - with one tiny square for each day. Much more manageable, much more achievable, much more portable.

THE DETAILS

Each square is 10 sts by 10sts with a paired central ssk/k2tog at the centre of each RS row. and takes about 10 minutes to knit (yay).

Each square measures 14.5cm (unblocked) and I am knitting each month as a panel of 6x5 squares - I’ll come up with a fudge for the non-30 day months but as luck would have it this month, the 30th/31st January were both 8 degrees (C).

Each panel is approx 27cm x 22.5cm and I think this will grow a bit on blocking.

I’m estimating that the finished blanket (arranged in 3x4 squares) will be 90cm x 92cm (36” by 36”) but I am also planning to add a border around each panel and then around the whole thing which will add to it a little more.

That’s my cunning plan anyway.

YARN CHOICE

In terms of yarn choice I am using Yarnsmiths merino DKhouse.co.uk/yarn/yarnsmiths-merino-dk-superwash-all-colours which is a superwash yarn with a fabulous array of colours to choose from. It comes in 50g balls which is handy as some of the colours might not see very much use and I don’t want to have masses of leftovers (50g ball has 110m/120yds).

My scale is in 2 degree (C) increments and so far I am happy with how it is working up, although I do need to decide on some colours for the higher end - thankfully we are a few months away from needing those.

If you enjoyed this you might also like:

Temperature Blanket eBook

£8.50

The 2020 Temperature Blanket: Completed

Well, it happened.

2020 is done and dusted and so is the blanket to end all blankets. Much like 2020 itself, the blanket was seemingly never-ending and it has turned out slightly larger than planned.

And by larger I mean that folded in half lengthways, it’s the perfect size to cover our double bed.

It is well over 8ft long and no - I haven’t measured it as I don’t have a big enough house :)

I did do a few basic calculations though and worked out that it comprises approximately:

• 792,000 stitches

• 293 hours of knitting

• 1.98kg yarn

I managed to get a stretched out photo by employing a handy helper and commandeering the stairs.

We have agreed that the blanket can live downstairs as a family TV blanket snuggler, on the understanding that it lives on my bed at night and I think we are all happy with that arrangement.

If you are curious as to how I actually knit the blanket you can find my planning post here and at the end of this post I have given details of the yarns I used. I didn’t keep track of actual amounts though. At the blankets widest point it was 550 stitches across (2200 per day) so I ordered yarn as and when I needed it. It’s safe to say that I used at least 2 balls of each colour apart from the 2 extremes of temperature.

If you are interested in how to knit your own Temperature Blanket you can find my e-book here.

A new e-book: How to Knit a Temperature Blanket

E-book: How to Knit a Temperature Blanket

As my own 2020 Temperature Blanket draws to a close I find I'm not ready to say goodbye to it just yet. It's been quite the year - to say the least - and knitting this blanket has given me so much comfort and support during some very unsettling times.

I wanted to create a resource for those who'd like to knit their own Temperature Blanket and so I've written a 19 page e-book with tips, suggestions and resources for you such as:

• Working out a temperature scale

• Yarn choice

• Estimation of yardage

• Size and gauge

• Choosing colours

• Ideas for construction

Like any big project the idea of starting a Temperature Blanket can seem a little daunting. Decisions on yarn, needles, colours, temperature scales etc - can all seem a little overwhelming. That's why I thought it might be a good idea to do this together - within a separate group in the Everyday Knitter Mighty Network.

If you purchase the e-book there is a link in the PDF which will take you to the dedicated, private group which, whilst quiet at the minute, will hopefully provide you with a year long source of support and encouragement from others undertaking a Temperature Blanket of their very own.

Once 2021 is underway I might open this group out to others from the main Mighty Network group who are undertaking their own annual project (of whatever nature) but I'll be totally honest and say that I haven't decided about that yet. Whilst I want to make it as accessible as possible I would like the group, at least for the first month to be exclusively for those who are undertaking this project.

If you have any questions please do pop it in the comments below or email me (email link at the bottom of the page