I hope you had a lovely day yesterday! My house also is a mess. It’s that day after mess. Hope to get it cleaned up a bit today as I go back to work.
I too gave this a lot of thought yesterday. I’ll be excited to see what you come up with!
Thanks 
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Holy Cats! I had just started tidying up and I had an idea so I stopped to give it a once over and it is AWESOME. This works for anyone doing crochet squares too. I broke the Color Explosion down into squares then reworked the strips and the layout. I think, at the end, it stays pretty true to the straight lines of the original but puts them into a different perspective. Fair warning, there’s a lot of finish work to do because their are a lot more strips to join and this is definitely not a straight forward adaptation but by George, I think this will work. There’s still more work to do on writing it up and some decisions to be made but here’s a sneak peak at 365 squares organized into a blanket.
I am flabbergasted that this worked out so quickly. The blue/white squares are the different orientations of the squares (k/p or p/k). Flabbergasted I tell you. I’ll write up the whole thing later on. And hopefully won’t find any mistakes. Now back to wandering around my living room with a garbage bag.
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Your mind works in truly mysterious ways Karen💫
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Amazing thoughts you have while cleaning the house 
can’t wait to see the details behind your diagram. Meanwhile I’ve been examining temperature trends in my area.
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I’m on a break from cleaning and I’m not ready to work on the Color Explosion but I thought I would toss in a new topic.
So what yarn are you using?
I had a really great exchange with Nanci yesterday when she asked for the spreadsheet. Nanci used to live in New Jersey and work in New York City (basically the same climate I have) but recently returned to her home in Trinidad. How lovely does that sound?! Problem is, the temperature there is really consistent but they have lots of other weather (and some small earthquakes.) So she’ll be tracking rain, wind, sunshine, etc. (and some small earthquakes.) This project is very adaptable.
Naturally, our chat led to dreams of palm trees, a swimsuit with a sarong, a big floppy hat, and a tropical cocktail with fresh fruit and a little umbrella. Quite different from the wool sweaters, boots, barren trees, and hot toddies that are Yonkers these days. It occurred to me that a wool blanket in Trinidad might be pretty impractical. Felted Tweed is a great choice but the shop has a full palate of Rowen Handknit Cotton which would make for a lovely blanket! Ann and Kay have made it infinitely clear that all yarns are welcome here.
So spill it! What’s your yarn game?
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It’s actually a pretty scary place sometimes. 
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This explains why I am such lousy housekeeper. I am way too easily distracted. I’ve taken to doing a “10 minutes on, 5 minutes (okay sometimes 10) off” style of cleaning. I can do anything for 10 minutes. It’s amazing how quickly it goes and how much you can get done.
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Just started learning embroidery. A temperature sampler will be a perfect bite sized way to start my day and build my skill set. I’m on this!
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I’m probably going to marl using Felted Tweed. I love Felted Tweed. I’ll marl high and low. I’m in the Midwest so lots of temp variation.
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I should be binding off my Kiki Mariko today so ready to start a new big project!
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Good Morning Beautiful Yarn People! It’s Monday and I don’t have to go to work. To start the day, I thought it would be a good idea to share a few things for transparency.
First, I am not a mathematician*. I’m a fundraiser for a non-profit**. But I do love numbers. My mother is a statistician and I got that gene and both my brother-in-law and nephew-in-law are math teachers so I have good back up. So far this has been mostly simply algebra but if we go off the rails, they’ll help us stay on track. My fourth grade teacher, Sister Roberta Ann was nuts*** and the eighth grade teacher took pity on my me and would bring me into her classroom whenever she could to make sure that I was actually learning. She taught me algebra and every time I use it (which I could go on and on about how we use it every day) I think of her and her kindness.
Second, I do not work for MDK. I’m just a long time member who really needs a project. If I’ve learned one thing from Max Daniels, it is that self care is in the eye of the beholder. I love my job because I have lots of projects but I’ve leaned that I need one just for me. I do get other benefits from this. I get to virtually meet and hang out with all of you. Community has been the biggest challenge over the past two years and the MDK community has made it a lot less lonely. I have something to look forward to every day. And it’s bite sized. A perfect snack. I get to have some great back-and-forth with team MDK. Kay, our fearless group leader has been great. Although I’m doing a lot of the typing, there’s been a whole lot of behind the scenes chatting and emails. I have a feeling we’ll be dragging Ann into this soon. Suffice it to say, the advice and support on figuring out all these wild ideas has been both heartwarming and an example of great leadership. Projects like these remind me how blessed I am.
All that said, there’s a lot more coming in this lead up week. We’ll be busting some myths and working on some more adaptations of more field guide and MDK favorites. As I mentioned, my office is closed this week so there will be lots more posts to help us all get started. The spreadsheet is growing! If you’ve already gotten the original spreadsheet or version two (which went out this morning), you’ll be getting version three this afternoon. If you haven’t gotten one but want one, either DM me or drop an email to kjt1211@optonline.net.
*I have an odd habit of naming some of my clothes. I have a skirt named I-used-to-be-a-nun-but-now-I’m-just-a-regular-math-teacher.
**The non-profit I work for is an environmental justice organization that focuses on marginalized, urban communities. Excessive heat is our number one priority right now as it is nature’s number one killer. I’m stepping off my soapbox now but if you want more info, DM me or email me at kjt1211@optonline.net.
***Sister Roberta Ann was certifiably crazy and was put away two years after I had her. She would pick certain kids to pick on and I was her favorite. She tortured me. Now I know we all have “that teacher” but she took it to an extreme. She made me play Abraham Lincoln in the Christ the King Elementary School Fourth Grade Play. ABRAHAM LINCOLN! Basically, she made a nine-year-old girl play the lead in a drag show. My dad was furious but by the time I told him it was too late. Luckily, he had a friend who was costumer for Broadway and they made me, in their words, “the best G@ddamned Abraham Lincoln ever!” I even had spats. For the record, I was tall for my age but Peter Condon was taller than I was and he already kind of looked like Lincoln.
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HOLY CATS! Again! I’ve figured out something else about making a square blanket out of squares. Coming soon at a Lounge near you.
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When I knitted my blanket in 2019 (I think that’s when it was) I went the ‘easy’ way and knitted one garter ridge per day and used the temp for my zip code at noon. That was a pain. Every day I had my phone alert me at noon to check the temp. Not going that way this time. I’ll go with the average from the weather station for my region. I think Kay found that to be New Haven which is right next to me to the east but in a different county. I’ll look to see if my county has one but most of it is surrounded by water so we get different weather than other counties further into the Mitten. I’m in the knuckle of the Thumb of Michigan.
The spreadsheet that I created before was full of formulas. As I typed in the numbers the color would automatically pop in. Before I get started I need to go through all these piles of yarn to find the ones I bought for the year where I started and failed after just two or three weeks.
My yarn that I’m using is Scheepjes Color Crafter (DK) since I’m one of those who has a not-so-careful dog and husband. I was purchasing it through lovecrafts and woolwarehouse. I see Jimmy Beans has it and all my colors are available. I also learned that I don’t need to have the colors for summer immediately. It is Michigan, after all.
I’m thinking of adding some white for those below 0 days this time and do know I don’t have any here. So, I will have to place an order which will already mess up my Stashdown 2022 challenge. It happens, right?
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Myth #1: I’m a newbie. I just learned how to knit and this seems like a lot to me. I can’t even imaging what 504 stitches a day looks like. I don’t know enough to do this. (Expletives removed by me!)
Mythbuster #1: I see you. Are you feeling left out? Is your knitting confidence at a low point? Do you feel like you’re the steady ender in a game of jump rope and the other end of the rope is tied to a chain link fence? Been there. Done that. None of those are nice places to be.
Have we got a plan for you! You can make a giant, cozy temperature washcloth. Or half a wash cloth if you choose. At then end of the year, you’ll have a great blanket or a great triangle scarf/shawl/throw/whatever you want to call it.
Let’s get started. Grab your copy of Skill Set, fire up the app, or sit next to the guy who knits on the subway and ask him if you’re doing this right. It’s really simple, it’s a great way to learn, and it’s a slow start so you’re not overwhelmed with a big stitch count right off the bat.
Are you ready?
Cast on three stitches.
You did that? Good job.
Now start your first row. Increase one in the first stitch and then knit to the end of the row. Do this on every row until we are halfway through the year. Each row will get bigger and bigger until you get to the middle. (It will be on the date chart.) By the time you get there, you’ll be an expert. Then you’re going to start your decrease rows and work back down to the original stitches.
You don’t have any idea what I’m talking about? Although it may seem like it, this isn’t witchcraft (well maybe a little bit but we only use our powers for good.)
To increase you simply do what is know as a kfb. It means knit front and back. You’ll knit into the front leg of the stitch, leave it all on the left needle, and then knit into the back leg of the stitch. And just like that, your row is one stitch longer.
To decrease, you simply knit two together, aka k2tog. Knit into the front legs of the first two stitches as if they were one. Holy, cow, your row is one stitch shorter.
Give it a try! It makes more sense when you see and do it. There are great pics in the Skill Set book and even greater videos on the app. And I’m sure the guy on the subway would be happy to help.
Your rows will be laid out for you in the spreadsheet.
Now for the fun part. I mentioned you have a choice between a full blanket or a triangle shawl.
To make full blanket, you’re going to do 365 ridges. That’s two rows of garter stitch a day. You can do that! In the beginning you’ll only have a few stitches a day and if you make a mistake you can rip the whole thing out and start over very easily.
Depending on the yarn you’re using the kfb in the very first stitch might feel a little bit fiddly at first. Keep going for a few rows and see what happens. If it’s still making you uncomfortable you can simply start the rows with k1, kfb, knit to the end for the increase rows and then k1 k2t for the decrease rows which might make a little less fiddly. But do try doing it in the first stitch for a bit. Fiddly is not forever and you’ll get the hang of it.
To make a cozy triangle shawl/scarf/wrap, you’re just going to do the increases - no decreases. You’re also going to do 365 rows, not 365 ridges. 356 ridges will be huge for a triangle shawl or scarf. So you’ll just knit one row a day. That’s it. This also has the added benefit of ending up with what I’ve been calling “Mock Marls”. Marling is holding two colors together while you knit. The Mock Marl will result in the occasional ridge made of two different colors. Just like krab is not really crab, the Mock Marl is not really a marl but it will give you a cool effect.
Now if you are feeling bold you can make a few other choices.
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If you’re making a blanket, you can also do a Mock Marl. You’ll be doing two rows a day so you can do the first row of the ridge as the high temperature of the day and the second row as the low temperature. I would keep them in the same order and pick either high or low for the first row and be consistent with the order. But that’s just me. Your blanket, your rules.
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On either the blanket or the triangle shawl, you can add a slip stitch edge. Kate Atherley schooled us all on this recently here and here. You’ll end up with a nice smooth edge. In this case, you would slip 1 with the yarn in front (sl1wyf), move it to the back, work your increase or decrease and then knit to the end.
We’ll be talking about gauge and how to figure out how big your project will be tomorrow.
So see, after all that, it’s really quiet doable and there’s a whole website here of people who believe in you and want you to come to the party!! You’ll be off steady ender and jumping double dutch before you know it.
It just started snowing outside my window (flurries really) but I’ve got to get to the store so. Black eyed peas for New Year’s Day are not going to make themselves.
P.S. I just realized that this might also be a great option for my teacher friends in the Northern Hemishere. The longest rows will come in the summer when school is out of session. I know you still have work to do then but you’ll likely have a lot more time on your hands.
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I love the idea of doing a temperature blanket with rows to signify major weather events - snowflakes, obviously but what to do for the inevitable nor’easter?
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So cool that your hubby is interested, too. I told mine and he couldn’t believe knitters could do something like this. I live in Houston so I think my blanket might be a tad boring – but my Mom lives in NW Illinois and I may do one for her. I have been toying with ideas – How to add a day of tornado warnings, ice storms or floods in Illinois or hurricanes, tropical storms and flash floods (and in 2011 flash fires) in Texas. Hmmm. But it is a temperature blanket, not a weather blanket. However . . . maybe I could marl a strand representing the temp and one for precipitation – and the color could vary by the number of inches and type (rain, hail, snow)??? And then there’s the stages of the moon – maybe add a row or two to signify the full moon??? too many ideas . . .
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I love the phases of the moon idea! I’m thinking yes, temperature, but significant weather events as well. Snow is easy. Ice storm? Hurricane? Nor’easter?
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Maybe use duplicate stitches and add little icons. I was looking up different charts for alphabets a while ago in case I want to label my squares using K and P stitches.
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Your blanket, your rules!! There are no temperature blanket police as far as I know.
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I’ll be using Rowan Felted Tweed - my favorite yarn. I have it in every color, at least enough to get started. A friend of mine manages the data collected at a weather station just half a mile from my house, so he will send me the low, high and average temperatures there each day and my blanket will be very very local indeed. It will be crocheted hexagons following Cara’s (JanuaryOne) excellent directions on Instagram.
Here’s my (upside down because the background is tidier haha) rainbow of Rowan Felted Tweed.
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