Once you decide that you want to make a temperature blanket to record a year or time period then you will have a lot of decisions to make. For example, you’ll need to choose a time period and location. Additionally, you’ll need to choose your temperature blanket pattern. Finally, you’ll need to choose your temperature blanket colors and yarn. Picking colors and yarn for your temperature blanket is important because you need to know how many colors that you will use, what range of colors you will need, and how many balls of yarn you might need. This post is here to guide you.

BUT FIRST: Check out our detailed guide for how to knit or crochet a temperature blanket.

How to Choose Temperature Blanket Colors (and how many!)

Before getting started, you should check the high and low for the year in the location you will be doing the blanket for. This will allow you to see the full range of temperature changes and then you can break it down from there into sections. More information on temperature blanket location and time period here.

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.

Although you will see that many temperature blankets are done with rainbow colors, having red be the warmer temperature and blues being the colder temperature, you can pick whichever colors you enjoy. Pick a palette that you love, something that will fit your home. Even if that means having your hottest day of the year in a shade of blue, do what works for you! It is really just about showing the difference throughout the time period. You can also work the blanket entirely in different shades of blue (or whatever color you love)!

TIP: Remember that you will be working on this blanket for an entire year. Make your color selections something that will excite you throughout the year.

How to Choose The Right Yarn for a Temperature Blanket

Because you will be using a range of colors, it is suggested that you pick a line that has many choices to give you variations. There are quite a few great options that you could use for your temperature blanket.

No matter what yarn you choose for your blanket, be sure that it is something that is easy to get. I would hate for you to get halfway through your blanket to find out you don’t have enough yarn and then you can’t get a specialty yarn, or you don’t have yarn in the right dye lot. Some great examples of good yarn to choose include:

• Red Heart Super Saver
• Red Heart With Love
• Caron Simply Soft
• Bernat Super Value
• Caron One Pound
• Chic Sheep by Marly Bird™
• Red Heart Soft
• WeCrochet Swish Worsted
• WeCrochet Wool of the Andes Worsted
• WeCrochet Mighty Stitch
• WeCrochet Shine Worsted
• WeCrochet Brava Worsted

These are all worsted weight yarns. However, you could choose a different yarn weight. Learn more about yarn weights here.

How Much Yarn Do I Need For My Temperature Blanket?

It is hard to tell exactly how much yarn you will need for this project. Just like meteorologists, we can’t definitely tell what the weather will be during the year so we need to make a guess. I suggest having at least 2 balls of each color that you are going to use as a starting point.

Let Your Temperature Blanket Pattern Guide You

If you’re using a knit or crochet blanket pattern, then let it guide you in choosing your temperature blanket colors and yarn. The pattern will tell you what yarn weight and colors go well together. You can vary from this but it’s a great starting point.

Get Our Temperature Blanket Tracker!

Make your temperature blanket easier on yourself by grabbing our AMAZING temperature blanket tracker? Just use the button below to get access to the document. Make sure that you download a version to your own computer/Google Docs.

Start here to learn how to knit or crochet a temperature blanket. Other helpful posts:

• Choosing Time Period and Location for Temperature Blankets
• Popular Basic Stitch Patterns for Temperature Blankets
• How to Start a Temperature Blanket Anytime and Benefits of Doing So
• 33 Free Knit and Crochet Temperature Blanket Patterns
• 49 Free Granny Square Crochet Blanket Patterns