And what a year it has been! Do you find yourself tracking everything? Steps, days of isolation, days until next summer? I find myself counting down the days to a BIG EVENT. I have one coming up in the spring of 2021 and decided to mark the countdown by making a Temperature Scarf.
A Temperature Scarf is a fun project popularized a few years ago with the increased awareness of global warming. It’s meant to track the temperature and/or weather over a period of time; usually a year. It’s a fun stash buster where you partner with Mother Nature; you choose the colors and she controls the design. Here’s how it works:
First, create a chart with a different color for each 10-degree spread. Make a second chart if you want to record the weather. My charts range from 100 to 0 degrees (10 colors) and the weather chosen include: snowy, rainy, cloudy, hazy, and sunny (5 colors). Feel free to use a larger temperature gradient or more or fewer weather conditions. Assign one color to each temp band and/or weather condition.
Next, select a city or favorite location. Let’s say Paris or Warren. Paris, because your trip was canceled and you are waiting for the green light, or Warren because we love it here.
Then, go to timeanddate.com, select Weather, and search for your chosen city (Warren Township, NJ). Select Yesterday/Past Weather. Go back as far as Sept 2009, and identify the high temp for each day and the weather at that time.
I chose Warren and decided to start with May 1, 2020. [If you would like to make a 2020 scarf, contact me for the full chart of temps and weather from Jan – Oct. I’ll post the remainder after Dec 31. FYI: In 2020, Warren’s daily highs have fluctuated between 30 and 93 degrees.] 
For the yarn, choose colors that work well together. They do not need to be the same weight. Plan ahead; the colors in the mid-range will appear more frequently than the extremes. If you want to include both the temp and weather, choose any yarn weight for the temp and thin yarn, e.g., silk mohair or fingering yarn, for the weather. When using 2 colors, you will be holding 2 colors throughout.
One -two rows represent each day. Work on it daily or plow through. Any pattern or design will do. Other ideas: seasonal placemats or baby blanket.
For Knit or crochet pattern ideas, here are a few links.
Knit: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/my-year-in-temperatures–scarf and https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/zickzack-scarf
Crochet: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/groovy-ghan
An idea for children: Fold a sheet of lined paper in half vertically. Create a color chart to represent the temp ranges and weather. Color one line on one side of the fold for the temp and the other side for the weather. To make a lesson, pick the same month from 10 years ago and make another drawing. What do you see? How are they different? How are they the same?
Hope you enjoy your unique project. I’ll share mine in the spring. Can’t wait!