I just posted this gem to some of my Facebook groups and it was very well received. Thank you so much! This is my second temperature project and was inspired by a photo I saw advertised on Pinterest for a Bohemian style serape poncho with fringed ends.
Did you see my 2018 project? You can read about it in this post.
I have been wanting to do a temperature project for a few years, but the idea of doing a big blanket was just too daunting and seemed to require just a bit more time and dedication than what I had – so, I did the long – lonnngggg – pillow the first year and was contemplating if I would do another one and if so what it would be when the inspiration photo appeared and I thought “bingo! of course!” – I thought -given the length of my temperature pillow – that a long poncho would be perfect. I knew I would have to split it up into the front and back and this is just what unfolded.
This post will not “exactly” be a pattern. I’ll tell you exactly what I did, but you may want to modify the size, stitch, colors etc. I do believe the back could have been a lot less wide. What I recommend is to decide how wide you want your front panels to be and multiply that by 2 and add about 20 for a neck opening. Mine is large enough two can fit under it, but that would be perfect for cool ball games or camping etc. So, decided the width of the front panel – count your stitches and multiply by 2 and add 20 stitches for the back panel. I also used my J size hook, so you may need to adjust your size to your material, gauge and hook.
I chose to use my stash (it was also a 2019 goal to dig deep into my stash) so all of my yarns are 4-ply worsted weight yarns from deep down in my vast pile of yarn.
I live in Chesapeake, VA and we have a vast change in temperatures some days – sometimes almost a 40 degree difference in early spring and late fall – but, here are the colors that I chose and the temperature range.
Light Gray 0-32 (I think I only used this once)
Light Blue 33-39
Blue 40-46
Brown 47-53
Beige 54-60
Gold 61-67
Peach 68-74
Navy Blue 75-81
Red 82-88
Black 89+
Now, these are not traditional “temperature” blanket/project colors maybe, but again: I was stash busting and also making a wearable piece so I wanted to choose colors that people would wear.
I started the year with the front left panel, my J hook, and a chain of 66. I did 65 hdc across the rows from January 1 – March 31. *since the front panels are 3 months shorter than the back panel, the hdc stitch gives you a better fit for the back – I’m pretty sure double crochet would be too much.
On April 1st, I started the back panel with a chain of 146 and single crochet 145 across with one row per day until October 3.
Then the front right panel was worked like the first panel until the end of the year.
To join the panels together I laid the first panel with the start of the year furthest from me and attached it to the back panel in the way the year flowed – so, the last row of the front panel got attached(via slip stitch) to the left of the back panel to the next day. Then the right panel got attached with the end of the year furthest away so that the colors would match up closer. You can see on my example that when I changed colors on the rows that I did not weave in my ends. Just tie a few knots and leave as fringe. *I recommend leaving your tails longer than you want to trim them too at the end because as you work and turn it and toss it around these may/will fray. They will over time anyway, but to have it nice and fresh when you finish – keep them long. I trimmed mine after I washed it.
And that is it. That is really all there is to it. It is such an easy project if you have been wanting to make a temperature project, but don’t want to commit to a blanket.
I hope this piece inspires you to give a temperature project a try because it is a really fun thing to do. And if you miss a day – or 3 – of writing down the temperatures you can always google the high or low in your area (whatever you choose) and find the answer.
Have a great 2020!! Make something fun for you. <3
And just a quick note: One of my affiliates has a sale right now if you’ve been wanting to try the Bark Box. I get – or Ruger gets – the Bark Box for big dogs each month and absolutely loves it! He’s a Blue Heeler and so smart (I cropped him out of my poncho pictures lol) – but, when he gets his box he gets so excited and I cut it open and he just starts pulling all the big toys out! And, this is for real and an honest review – he completely tears apart toys I buy from the stores, but the Bark Box chewer toys he even takes a long long time to break – we have toys going on 4 months old now which is almost unheard of for him. Anyway, its great fun for your doggies.
