Temperature Scarf, Ridge a Day
A portable temperature project: one garter ridge per day in DK makes a 66 in scarf by year’s end.
- Yarn
- DK (3) in 8–10 colours; small amounts of each.
- Needles
- US 6 (4 mm)
- Sizes
- 7 × about 66 in (18 × 168 cm)
- Example gauge
- 22 sts and 44 rows (22 ridges) = 4 in (10 cm) in garter
- Yarn needed
- About 510 yd (470 m) total. Use the calculator with “Scarf, cowl or wrap”, DK, and “Garter or ribbing”; the planner splits it by colour.
Do the math
The examples use the gauge above. Put your own swatch into the gauge calculator first, then use your numbers in each formula.
| Step | Formula | Example | Tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cast on | width × sts per in | 7 × 5.5 = 38.5 → 39 sts | Cast-On Calculator |
| Finished length | 365 ridges ÷ ridges per in | 365 ÷ 5.5 ≈ 66 in | By hand |
Materials
- DK (3) yarn (see yarn needed)
- US 6 (4 mm)
- Tapestry needle
Gauge swatch
Garter swatch. Count ridges: at 5.5 ridges per inch, 365 ridges ≈ 66 in.
Instructions
Plan
Set up the Temperature Blanket Planner with your town and year. Pick 8–10 colour bands and print the key.
Knit
Cast on (example: 39 sts) in the colour for 1 January.
Each day: Knit 2 rows in that day’s colour.
When the next day is the same colour, just keep going. When it changes, cut the old colour leaving a 4 in tail.
After day 365, bind off knitwise.
Finishing
- Weave tails into the same-colour ridge.
- Optional: add fringe in the coldest and hottest colours.
Designer’s notes
- Knit the daily high on one scarf and the daily low on a second for a pair.
- Want it shorter? Work 1 ridge per 2 days for a 33 in cowl, then seam the ends.
Counter set-up
Counter 1: day (1–365).
Open the row & stitch counter for several counters, or use the quick one below.
Tools for this pattern
- Temperature Blanket PlannerPick your town, year and palette to get the colour key and day-by-day tracker.
- Gauge CalculatorEnter your swatch counts to get stitches and rows per 4 in (10 cm).
- Cast-On CalculatorEnter your width and gauge; it rounds to the stitch multiple for you.
- Yarn Quantity CalculatorPick the project, size and yarn weight to get total yardage and skeins to buy.
- Row & Stitch CounterSet up the counters listed below; the screen stays awake while you work.