2020 Temperature afghan for Dallas, Texas

I am left-handed. My mother and grandmother are both skilled at crochet but teaching me didn’t work well. Today, learning new left-handed techniques can mean using a video on YouTube. I learned in high school, using a book of instructions.

The idea of trying a temperature afghan has been bouncing through my head for a while. In 2020, I had a surgical procedure requiring I stay off work for a while and I retired later in the year. 2020 seemed a good year to try this one.

A temperature afghan records the temperatures of the year, usually with a single row for each day of the year. You might choose to use the current year, the year of your birth or some other year. Next, you choose the type of temperature: high, low, mean or median. Do you only use one temperature for the day or perhaps both high and low?

If you check online you will find a number of sites giving you colors and assigning temperature ranges. If you choose to use one of these, you may need to make adjustments. In my city we regularly we see temperatures over 100 for multiple days but rarely see temperatures under 32. You may need to go higher or lower in your temperature ranges. If you want to make your own choices, decide on colors for your yarn. Do you want to start with one color and go around the color wheel or use random colors? How many temperatures are assigned to each color?

I chose the highest Fahrenheit temperature recorded each day near my Dallas home.

I initially tried a simple wave pattern alternating 4 single crochet with 4 double crochet, rotating each row, with random colors chosen for the various temperatures. By April, it was clear 365 rows created an awkward size. I finished this first try at the end of April with a simple border.

The redesigned version combines Tunisian crochet with single crochet and double crochet stitches. Each column has 4 months of the year, starting with January on the left lower corner and going up and across. The colors started with shades of blue for lower temperatures going around the color wheel to shades of grey and black for the higher temperatures. Black was intended to be over 105 but we never reached that in 2020 in Dallas at my house.

Remember these instructions are written from the viewpoint of a left-handed crocheter. I do not think there will be any problem making this from a right-handed perspective. I am new to writing crochet instructions.

Materials:

Hooks: Tunisian hook size K and regular crochet hook size J. The size is not critical but will alter the size of the afghan.

Yarn:

Choose a color for edging and joining. I used Aran.

Multiple colors for temperatures. I used scrap yarn and chose 30 shades of yarn and a temperature range from <32 to 105.

I used a strip of poster board with holes to keep track of my colors. It took several attempts at arranging colors before I was happy with the color arrangements.

Notes:

Panel 1 is January to April

Panel 2 is May to August

Panel 3 is September to December.

Panel instructions:

Notes:

Begin panel with Tunisian hook.

Each panel is 128 rows of Tunisian crochet.

Each day is 1 row of color stitches.

Each panel will begin with 1 row of main color. Next are rows of an appropriate color for each day, a row of main color between the months and an ending row with the main color.

Panel 1 is January to April. Panel 1 will need an extra 2 rows if it is a leap year and an extra 3 rows if not. I did 2 rows of the main color between months to add the needed rows.

Panel 2 is May to August. This panel needs only 1 row of main color between the months.

Panel 3 is September to December. Panel 3 will need one extra row.

Row 1a: Chain 32. Draw a loop up in second chain from hook and from each remaining chain to end. Retain all the loops on the hook. Be careful not to twist the chain.

Row 1b: Complete row by working off loops. Yarn over hook, draw through first loop on hook, * yarn over, draw through 2 loops on hook, repeat from * until 1 loop remains on hook.

Row 2a: The loop on the hook is the first loop. Insert hook under second vertical bar from edge, yarn over hook, draw up a loop. Draw up a loop in each remaining bar to within 1 bar of end. Inset hook under both vertical bars of last stitch and draw up a loop.

Row 2b: Complete row by working off loops. Yarn over hook, draw through first loop on hook, * yarn over, draw through 2 loops on hook, repeat from * until 1 loop remains on hook

Rows 3-128. Repeat row 2 until you have completed rows of color for each of the dates of the 4-month period plus ending row of main color.

Ending the panel: *Pick up a loop under next bar. Draw loop through on hook. Repeat from * to within 1 bar from end. Insert hook under both bars and work off last stitch. Fasten off.

Sides: I used a regular crochet hook size J.

Work all rows from side one. Sides are worked in main color.

Side 1 of panel

Row 1 of side 1: With loop on hook, work along left side edge of panel. Work 1 single crochet in edge stitch of first 3 rows. * Work a double crochet under the third bar of the next row. Do not work the edge stitch behind the double crochet. Single crochet in each of next 3 rows. Repeat from * across. Fasten off. The last 4 stitches will be single crochet.

Row 2: Work 1 single crochet in each of next 4 stitches. * Work a double crochet in second bar. Single crochet in each of next 3 stitches. Repeat from * across. The last 3 stitches will be single crochet.

Row 3: Work 1 single crochet in each of next 5 stitches. * Work a double crochet in first bar. Single crochet in each of next 3 stitches. Repeat from * across. Fasten off. The last 6 stitches will be single crochet.

Side 2 of panel

Row 1 of side 2: With loop on hook, work along left side edge of panel. Work 1 single crochet in edge stitch of first 3 rows. * Work a double crochet under the second bar of the next row. Single crochet in each of next 3 rows. Repeat from * across. Fasten off. The last 4 stitches will be single crochet.

Row 2: Work 1 single crochet in each of next 4 stitches. * Work a double crochet in second bar. Single crochet in each of next 3 stitches. Repeat from * across. The last 3 stitches will be single crochet.

Row 3: Work 1 single crochet in each of next 6 stitches. * Work a double crochet in first bar. Single crochet in each of next 3 stitches. Repeat from * across. Fasten off. The last 5 stitches will be single crochet.

Stitch the panels together.

The January segment should be on the bottom left. The May segment is the center panel adjoining the January segment. The December segment is on the upper right.

Border

Row 1: Stitch around the afghan using single crochet of the main color. Place 3 single crochets in each corner.

Row 2: Repeat border row 1.