Crochet Temperature Blanket 2022

 At the beginning of 2022 I decided to crochet a temperature blanket. I love it as I can look at this blanket and read the squares - this is the week it was hot or when we were interstate and the temperature was -3 celsius,  and births and deaths too....

The temperature decides which colour yarn you use.

 I chose granny squares - one row per day, one week in each square plus a border colour of cream or multi coloured for when we traveled. I used the daily maximum temperature for Perth, Western Australia and added 4 ply grey wool on days that it rained. I decided on 8 rows of 7 squares and had to include 4 extra squares - 8 x7 = 56, so the first square I started on 25th December, 2021 as we had 4 very hot days.... the other extra squares are those with circle centres.  I used 4 Seasons Marvel 8 ply acrylic yarn from Spotlight stores as this had a wide range of colours to choose from. The blanket isn't too heavy and fits nicely on a queen size bed.

I also made one for my grandson based on his first year of life, basically 2021. 

There are many different ways to crochet a temperature blanket, very individual with colour choices and many people add extra colours or rows for special events.

Tips if you are planning to make one:

- Do lots of research using google, Pinterest or Facebook groups

- use a yarn in a range with lots of colours and is readily available

- you may want to do a sample row or square to work out how large it is going to be. 

I crocheted a border of half double/treble crochet using the colours in temperature order so it has an in-built colour gauge.

Well, I'm off to choose my colours for 2023 and have found a flower square which I may use as a weekly square or I may do a monthly square using linen stitch. I still haven't made a firm decision 11 days in to the year.....

Reflections on 2022

 In 2022 we did three road trips, my Multiple Myeloma remains in dormancy and I did so much crocheting my arm started to hurt.....

In April - May we took our caravan across the Nullarbor, to the Victoria High Country, Snowy Mountains and Blue Mountains, along the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, visiting friends, bakeries and breweries along the way.

On the way home we went to the Flinders Ranges and Arkaroola in South Australia:

Arkaroola, Flinders Ranges, South Australia

Sunset over Lake Menindee, New South Wales

Our second road trip was to Francios Peron National Park, near Monkey Mia, 800km north of Perth. 

We stopped at Kalbarri for a couple of nights and here we are at Nature's Window.

Sunset at Big Lagoon

Stand up paddle boarding

Where red dirt cliffs meet turquoise waters

Our third trip was down south and we went to Elephant Rock at Denmark

Elephant rock, Denmark, Western Australia.

Here are some of the pieces I crocheted:

Shawl I crocheted for my daughter in law with Scheepjes wool.

Crocheted bag with Northern Diamond Squares - pattern design by Torun Johansson.

Hexagonal Cardigan

Temperature Blanket for my Grandson's first year....

I took my 38 Mate Myeloma Australia cap with me on my travels;

38 Mate cap traveled over East...

38 Mate cap travelling in the South West of Western Australia.

All the best for 2023, stay safe, stay strong and stay happy and healthy.

Reflections on 2021

 In January 2021 our grandson Sebastian was born. My multiple myeloma is still in remission though I'm on maintenance medication, I'm immunocompromised due to my stem cell transplant and am triple vaxxed but still worried about how Covid would affect me.

Here is some of the art I created this year:

We went to the Stirling Ranges National Park:

Esperance:

Margaret River, Beedelup Falls and Bridgetown:

All the best for 2022, stay safe, stay strong and stay happy.

Reflections on 2020

 Well, what a year 2020 turned out to be.... with covid keeping us close to home we spent many weekends hiking in the local national park.

I spent winter crocheting blankets, my favourite being a baby blanket as our daughter in law is having our grandson in late January 2021.

I took an online art course - Kaleidoscope 2020 - as well as a couple of other free courses too....

And I had fun creating gel print collage landscapes....

Holidays - we went up north for a week to see the wildflowers...

Health - my multiple myeloma returned to the point where I needed treatment and have been taking chemo tablets for 6 months and am in remission and will continue on the maintenance dose until it returns.

All the best for 2021 - my One Little Word will be Family as we are celebrating the birth of our grandson in January ..... so excited.

Reflections on 2019

Reflections on 2019

The best day this year was in March - my son's wedding day.

Here are some of the landscape gel print collages I have created this year as well as my Index Card A Day 2019....

My multiple myeloma is returning. My paraprotein levels were at zero from July 2015 until May 2019 then they increased to two and are now at three which is so very low but it means it's coming back but I will have no treatment until the level is much higher.

In July I was diagnosed with Papillary thyroid cancer and had a total Thyroidectomy and neck dissection to remove my thyroid and 45 lymph nodes on the right hand side of my neck of which 10 were cancerous so it had begun to spread. My scar is looking much better my neck is still swollen - lymphodema - as the fluid doesn't know where to go. It has been difficult to cope with physically and mentally too.

In September we took our new camper trailer up north to the Pilbara. We went to Australia's largest rock, Mt Augustus then to Karajini National Park, Millstream and across to the coast to Coral Bay.

Wreath flower, Mt Augustus and Lyon River

Dales gorge, Karajini National Park

Dales Gorge and Fern Pool, Karajini

Circular Pool, Dales Gorge, Karajini

Millstream

Coral Bay, Western Australia

In October we headed over to Tasmania with the camper trailer so my husband could compete in the national event of his moto sport. Tasmania was beautiful, three seasons in one day - autumn, winter and springing very much like the UK with mountains and green grass.

Crossing the Nullabor from Western Australia to Victoria we stopped at the Old Telegraph Station at Eucla,  the great Australian bight, the Penola windmills, Kymba grain silo art and Smoky Bay.

The Otway Ranges inVictoria.

The Great Lakes, Tasmania

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Friendly Beach, East coast, Tasmania

Coles Bay and Wineglass Bay, Tasmania

Tessalated Pavement, Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania

Coal mine residential buildings near Port Arthur, Tasmania

Port Arthur, Tasmania

Hobart, Cascade Brewery, Salamanca Markets, Tasmania

Russell Falls and a photobombing husband, Tasmania

Strahan - West Coast Wilderness Railway and Heritage cruises on Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania

Cradle mountain and a wombat, Tasmania

Sheffield - the mural town, Tasmania

Port Melbourne - ferry, Ballarat, Victoria

In 2020 we have plans to do more travelling in our camper trailer and hopefully no more health scares. Hope it's a good year for you. Take care, love and hugs, Shells.