Crochet Temperature Blankets: Picking Colors & Yarn

by Katelyn Moll on Nov 16, 2020

Temperature blankets are a snapshot of the weather over a given time period in a given area through your crochet. The great thing about temperature blankets is that you can pick any colors, yarn, stitch pattern and time span that you want.

Yarn color palette — Pick your yarn color palette before you start! This palette is from Wool of the Andes Worsted.

Please join us for our 2021 Temperature Blanket Crochet Along!

Once you decide that you want to make a temperature blanket to record a year or time period you will need to choose what yarn you will use. Picking colors and yarn for your temperature blanket is important because you need to know how many colors you will use, what range of colors you will need, and how many balls of yarn you might need.

Picking Yarn Colors and Deciding How Many

A top-down view of a hand holding a crochet hook against a partially-completed crocheted temperature blanket in orange, rust, and gold tones. — Join our 2021 Temperature Blanket Crochet Along, featuring this pattern by Toni Lipsey

Picking your colors and how many is determined by range between your high and low temperature. Take a look at the highs and lows that you are seeing for the year, or the year before, to get an idea of where to start.

Most often people pick between 8-10 colors to represent their temperatures. Each of these colors will represent between 5-12 degree changes. This all depends on how much of a difference you have between your high and low for the year, so yes that means that there is some math before you get started on your project.

A yarn color palette called "Warm Tropics" featuring a range of warm colors in Swish Worsted yarn.

Although you will see that many temperature blankets are done with rainbow colors, having reds be the warmer temperature and blues being the colder temperature, you can pick any colors you enjoy. Be sure to think about the value difference in the colors so that you can always be sure to see the difference. A really great way to do this is to take a black and white photo of your color selections. This will show you if there is any value difference between your colors.

Picking the Right Yarn for a Temperature Blanket

Because you will need multiple colors of yarn it is important to pick a yarn that is affordable for your budget and also that has a wide range of colors to choose from. You might also consider if the yarn is machine washable for ease of care, and remember that the weight of the yarn will affect your chosen stitch pattern and the size of the final finished blanket.

An example temperature gauge for a crochet temperature blanket

It is hard to tell exactly how much yarn you will need for this project. Just like meteorologists, we can’t predict what the weather will be for the entire year, so we need to make a guess. If you aren’t sure what your average high or low is for your area try out a weather tracker to get those answers. A lot of your yarn requirements will also depend on where the temperature falls in your scale. If it is an uncommonly cold or super warm temperature you might only use it once or twice so you might only need one or two balls of that color.

You can look at last year’s temperatures, or examine several recent years’ temperature history to get a feel for how often certain temperatures might occur. Then make an educated guess.

WeCrochet Yarn Suggestions

There are quite a few great yarn options from WeCrochet that you can use for your temperature blanket.

Balls of Brava Worsted yarn from crochet.com — Brava Worsted

Brava Worsted is always a great choice! Not only is it super affordable but the color selection is extensive. Another great thing about this yarn is that you can get a 500g skein of some of the colors (Brava 500) that you might be using a lot! This is a go to option when making a blanket for someone else because it’s machine washable and dryer friendly, and the price can’t be beat.

Brava Worsted: 100% premium Acrylic, 218 yards, 49 colors

Balls of Swish Worsted yarn from crochet.com — Swish

Swish comes in both worsted and DK to make it a great choice for making temperature blankets. This yarn line has a large color palette making it a great choice for color work projects like a temperature blanket. This yarn is machine washable, and super soft.

Swish Worsted: 100% Fine Superwash Merino Wool, 110 yards, 43 colors

Swish DK: 100% Fine Superwash Merino Wool, 123 yards, 39 colors

Balls of Wool of the Andes Superwash yarn from crochet.com — Wool of the Andes Superwash

Wool of the Andes Superwash is another strong option when it comes to color selections. It’s a great option for a warm wool fiber that is also machine washable and easy to care for.

Wool of the Andes Worsted Superwash: 100% Superwash Peruvian Highland Wool, 110 yards, 100 colors

Balls of Comfy Worsted yarn from crochet.com — Comfy

Comfy is a a great cotton-blend option. This yarn is a combination of cotton and acrylic that will make it perfect for areas with warmer weather. This machine washable yarn is also great for gifting as it is easy to care for and a natural fiber. It comes in both Worsted and Fingering weight, which means you can select the weight that will keep your Temperature Blanket the right size.

Comfy Worsted: 75% Pima Cotton, 25% Acrylic, 109 yards, 34 colors

Comfy Fingering: 75% Pima Cotton, 25% Acrylic, 218 yards, 19 colors

Balls of Palette yarn from crochet.com — Palette Yarn comes in 144 colors

Palette is always a fan favorite when it comes to color work. With 144 colors there are so many options for your temperature blanket – you could even use a different color for every single temperature!

Palette is a fingering weight yarn so it will require more stitches depending on what stich pattern you choose. Being fingering weight could be a benefit so that your finished project doesn’t get too large but you still get all 365 days included. This yarn is hand-wash only and lay flat to dry.

Palette Fingering: 100% Peruvian Highland Wool, 231 yards, 144 colors.

A top-down view of a hand holding the edge of a crocheted temperature blanket in warm colors.

If you haven’t already, please join our 2021 Temperature Blanket Crochet Along, and read our other related articles:

The Ultimate Guide to Temperature Blankets

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Tags: How to, Inspiration

Light Touch CAL: Crocheting the Front & Back

by Kerry Bogert on May 28, 2020

Welcome back! I’m blogging through my progress on the Light Touch Pullover Crochet Along (CAL). Today I’ll talk about which yarn I chose for the project, as well as my progress on both the front and back of this lovely sweater. Read on!

A white cat snoozes behind a soft gray crochet swatch with a metal hook in it.

There is nothing I love more than a project that just flies off the hook! Right now, my Light Touch Pullover is that kind of project.

What Yarn Did I Choose?

After testing the 3 different options for yarn, I decided to go with Stroll for my sweater. It’s deliciously soft and is available in so many colors. I ultimately decided that Jack Rabbit Heather was the one for me. It’s a beautiful gray-brown that has just the slightest hint of a pale purple undertone. It’s a color I don’t currently have in my handmade wardrobe and it will pair beautiful with denim. I tend to wear jeans … a lot. So a color working with a denim is a must for wearability for me.

A wooden background with a half of a crocheted sweater in gray, accompanied by a ball of gray Stroll yarn and a metal crochet hook. — **It took a few tries, but changing my hook size and blocking technique helped me achieve gauge. Getting started also took a few tries.**

How Did I Get Gauge?

You might remember in my last post that I was struggling to reach gauge. My swatches kept growing larger than the recommended gauge in the pattern. I was able to solve this issue doing two things.

First, I went down a hook size which got me spot on to row gauge.
Then, I changed my style of blocking. Instead of wet blocking, I tried just lightly misting the piece with squirt bottle water, pinning to size, and allowing to dry. This worked like a dream and my finished project should fit just how I hope.

Starting the Back of the Pullover

This project starts by working the Back piece front the center out before moving on to the Front and Sleeves. It’s then finished by working the Neckline and Hem. This all seems straightforward, but I have a crafty confession to make; I had to restart this project three times. I struggled to count my stitches properly and being off by just one stitch will cause the lace repeat not to work out correctly. So, as you start your sweater, take the time to slow down, count your stitches, and don’t feel bad if you have to start again. You aren’t alone.

Apart from the beginning chain, there was only one other area that caused me to misstep. There are instructions at the end of Row 15 that tell you to attach a new yarn at the top of the turning chain of the same row and chain two stitches. I could not wrap my head around why the pattern called for this or what to do with the chains when I had them. I decided to go to the designer, Natasha Robarge, for help.

A wooden background with a blonde basket full of gray yarn on the right. The top half of a crocheted sweater in gray, accompanied by a metal crochet hook. — **Strategically placed extra stitches help shape this lovely scooped neckline.**

These two extra stitches help shape the neckline. Once you chain them, you work a double crochet in each to extend the row. Yes, it’s as easy as that! Your following row is two stitches longer and the neckline has a lovely gentle scoop.

Working the Front of the Pullover

The Front piece of the Light Touch Pullover is worked the same as the Back, just with a few less stitches which makes a deeper scoop to the neckline. Instead of two chain stitches at the end of Row 15, you work ten more stitches.

Both the Back and Front pieces flew off my hook so quickly that I decided to jump ahead and block them. I didn’t want to wait to finish the sleeve and then block all four pieces. I also love the satisfaction of seeing a beautiful piece all pinned out and ready to seam. It feels so close to done!

Half a gray crocheted sweater blocking on purple blocking mats, set on a wooden deck. — **A lovely, sunny day will have your dry your crochet project very quickly! I set my blocking Back piece out on the deck to dry.**

And off to Sleeve Island

Sleeve Island is where I’m headed next though. I’ll report back soon with details on how they’re worked, how they are seamed into the body pieces, and any tips I discover along the way.

Until then, have you ordered your yarn to start your Light Touch Pullover? Have you had a chance to start? Tell me in the comments below if you had to start over a couple of times too! It will help me feel better about my false starts.

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Tags: Crochet Alongs, Staff Projects

Light Touch CAL: Choosing Yarns

by Kerry Bogert on May 7, 2020

A stack of crochet swatches and a crochet hook. One swatch is marked with a slip of paper that says "Right Side."

Have you ever seen a pattern that just won’t leave you alone? It begs you to make it, morning, noon, and night? That recently happened to me when we reviewed pages the pages of WeCrochet Magazine, Issue 3. After seeing Natasha Robarge’s Light Touch Pullover, I couldn’t get it off my mind. So, naturally, when I saw that it’s was the choice project for our latest CAL, I jumped at the chance to work the project along with all of you.

a model wears a hand-crocheted sweater in dark red

In the mag, our Brand Director Sara Dudek recommends three possible yarns for this sweater. Here I’ll explore those three options and share their properties to help you choose the yarn that will work best for your needs. I’ll also share some interesting things I learned through the process. At the end, I’ll reveal what yarn I decided to use for my project.

Each of the swatches shown were worked following the swatch pattern provided in the pattern itself, which consists of 23 alternating rows of Single Crochet and Double Crochet. I used a U.S. size G/6 (4.25 mm) hook.

Capretta Superwash

The first yarn I swatched for this project is the one that was recommended in the pattern. Capretta Superwash is a deliciously luxurious yarn. It’s a blend of fine, superwash Merino wool, Cashmere, and nylon. This yarn is so soft and blooms beautifully when blocked. (Note, “blooming” is when a fiber plumps and sort of fills out when blocked.) It also developed a lovely halo the surface of the fabric that’s pretty dreamy. It reminds me of mohair and I really love it.

This yarn is a great choice if you want to create a sweater that’s as easy to wear to the office as it is a special occasion. It’s sure to become a wardrobe staple that will last for years to come.

Stroll

Working up this swatch was the first time I had the pleasure of working with Stroll. It comes in at a mid-level price point and it’s a blend of fine, superwash Merino wool and nylon. As you hold this yarn in your hand, you wouldn’t know it doesn’t contain the cashmere that Capretta has. It’s just as soft. As I worked with it, it felt like I was crocheting with feathers. It’s incredibly light without being too delicate. It didn’t bloom when blocked, instead it retained its sharp stitch definition and the drape is just amazing.

This yarn has quickly become a personal favorite. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a sweater that will layer beautifully and works well as a transitional piece of clothing. With its airy quality it will wear just as well over a camisole in August as it will over a blouse when the weather cools in October.

Palette

Palette is the best yarn when you’re looking for something affordable, that comes in about a million colors, and is 100% wool. It is more rustic in feel than the other two yarns, but not the least bit itchy. It has a bit of tooth, meaning you can feel it grab and want to connect with the fiber around it. That means you’re going to be careful how you wash it! This would easily felt, so be sure to block your FO in cool water and lay flat to dry.

A sweater in this yarn is a must if you’re looking for a workhorse garment. It won’t feel precious in the sense that you’ll want to save it just for special occasions. You’ll want to wear it for all occasions, whether you need a warm layer when hiking or something to stay off the chill when working in the garden.

Tips for Getting Gauge

The biggest tip I was reminded off when working these swatches is to check your gauge after blocking! It’s the most important step in the process of crocheting a garment if you want it to fit your body. Don’t assume anything when it comes to swatching, yarn choice, hook size, and gauge.

Before blocking, all my swatches got gauge. After blocking, they did not. All three of my swatches grew in size. Which means I crochet more loosely and I need to use a smaller hook. If my swatch was too small, I would need to use a larger hook. Does that mean I need to make another swatch? Yep, it does. If I want my sweater to turn out the size listed in the pattern schematic, I need to get gauge!

The Big Reveal: The yarn I’m using is…

There is so much to love about each of these yarns, but if I said it was hard to choose which one to use, I’d be lying. I knew the moment I stitched the first DC that Stroll would be the yarn for my Light Touch Pullover. I’d love to hear what yarn you decide to use for yours! Be sure to share in the comments below and tag your posts on social media #lighttouchCAL.

Join me next time when I’ll share what color Stroll I decided to use (and why!), what hook finally got gauge, and how the first stages of the pattern are going.