A Short History of Temperature Blankets
Temperature blankets are a fascinating way to combine craft and data. The idea is simple: each row represents one day’s temperature, and each colour represents a specific temperature range. By the end of the year, the blanket becomes a visual record of how the year looked, temperature-wise.
For my project, I use one colour for every three degrees of daily average temperature. Some people use the daily high or combine averages with highs and lows, but for me, keeping it simple made it manageable and easy to track. Each day I knit a row, and by the end of the year, I have a colourful snapshot of the weather patterns that shaped the year.
How I First Learned About Temperature Blankets
I first became aware of temperature blankets a few years ago, probably during the COVID lockdowns. Like many others, I was scrolling through social media and kept seeing photos of these beautiful, colourful blankets. I wasn’t a knitter at the time, but the visual result immediately caught my attention.
It felt like such a creative way to record something as abstract as daily weather, and it seemed like a fun way to learn a new skill. I had no idea at the time that I would eventually take on the challenge of tracking over 100 years of climate data, but that first spark of interest set me on the path.
Knitting as a Climate Tool
Once I started my first blanket in 2023, I realised there was more to it than just learning to knit. Each row became a tangible record of the day’s climate. I could point to a section and say, “This is where the polar vortex hit,” or “This was a particularly warm week in March.”
Suddenly, abstract statistics became physical, visual, and relatable. It also made it easier to talk about climate patterns with friends and family because they could literally see the changes unfold in front of them. That was the spark that pushed me to expand my project beyond a single year - to capture over 100 years of Kentville, Nova Scotia climate data.
A Long Tradition of Communicating Through Textiles
There’s a long tradition of using textiles to communicate and record information. In the past, knitting and weaving have been used to share cultural stories or even encode messages in wartime.
Temperature blankets fit into that tradition in a modern way. They take data and make it understandable, visual, and engaging. They can educate, spark conversation, and, in my case, serve as a personal tool to track climate change over decades. Each row, each colour, is part of a story that makes abstract numbers easier to connect with.
Beyond a Trend
While temperature blankets are popular right now, I think there’s a lot of potential for them to move beyond a trend. My project shows how these blankets can document long-term climate trends and even serve as a subtle form of activism. They aren’t just pretty patterns; they’re storytelling, teaching, and a bridge between science and art.
Every row matters, every colour has a purpose, and the full blanket captures a story that’s much bigger than a single day. For me, it’s a way to combine creativity and climate science in a hands-on, visual, and meaningful way - one row, one day, at a time.
