There’s just something about watching the sky day after day and finding a rhythm in nature through intentional observation.
I have fantasies about tracking the weather patterns on our Eventual Farm…learning the ebb and flow of nature in our own personal micro-climate…how each day of sunshine, each drop of rain, and each gust of wind (and it’s direction) will directly impact our plantings, harvests and livestock.
I fantasize about these observations while we pull ourselves together and continue on our path towards our Eventual (forever) Farm. In the meantime, in addition to daydreaming, I crochet.
About a year ago, I came across a Sky Scarf on Pinterest and was, of course, inspired.
Pinterest will do that.
A Sky Scarf is a kind of weather journal that encourages you to observe the sky and then knit or crochet a row that is representative of that particular day. Cool idea, right? However, it took me almost a full year to figure how to implement the idea in a way that would work for me since the original scarf idea was great in theory, but who really needs a scarf that is 365 rows long?
Right.
It wasn’t until last November, while I was finishing up a baby blanket in the round, that I had an Aha Moment and realized that a Sky Blanket was the way the go!
So, I ran out, bought a bunch of yarn (though not nearly enough to complete the project) and started it on my 38th birthday (November 29, 2014). I am crocheting in the round and, if my calculations are correct, I should have a King sized afghan by November 28, 2015.
If I can keep up, that is.
See, when I first started the blanket, each day’s round only took a minute or two, but as the blanket gets larger, naturally, each round takes a bit more time. For the most part, I’ve been able to keep up and crochet a round in the evening before bed. However, on especially long days when I’m just too tired or when Sprout is having a horribly crabby teething experience, I make note of the sky and try to catch up the next day. On wickedly long weeks when I might be a few days behind (like this week), I play catch up on the weekend with a good movie and some tea.
I am currently finishing up my 55th day and have two days to catch up on, plus today (another blue skied day)!
So, how do the colors in my Sky Blanket break down? Here’s what I’ve chosen:
- Light blue and dark blue – Clear Skies
- White – Cloudy, no storms
- Fluffy white – Snow storm
- Light Grey – Cloudy, no storms or very light rain
- Dark Grey – Rain Storm
- Fluffy dark grey – Heavy thunderstorms (not yet integrated)
Now, how do I decide which color to pick to represent the sky for that day? While some pick a certain time of day (say, noon) and use the color of the sky at that moment, I set my intention to watch the sky throughout the day and use a color or colors that best represent what was seen throughout the majority of that day. I then either use a single strand to represent that day, or double them up as needed (blue and white combined for a partly cloudy day, etc.).
So far I am very pleased with the process and how the blanket is turning out! I’m also excited to have a chronicle of my 38th year, in Sky Form 🙂
However, I am unsure about one aspect of the blanket…The carrying up of the colors in order to avoid 300+ potential knots throughout the blanket while changing colors. I haven’t decided if I will continue to carry all of the colors up in the one corner of the blanket or if I’ll go back and tie off a few (if not all) of them.
Thoughts?
Alright, I’m off to play some catch up!
Here’s to more sunshine filled, clear skied days than cloudy ones in the year ahead!
xoxo.
M
P.S. – You can keep up with it’s progress on Instagram, if you’re so inclined.
