Tatting as a diary – the temperature runner

 

Sometimes the simplest ideas take the longest to translate into reality.  Recording the daily variations in outdoor temperature has become a thing.  Needing neither another blanket nor another scarf ruled out crochet and knitting; besides, I’d far rather tat.  Coming up with a design that was basic but not boring (for me) took an immense amount of time and wasted thread.  Most similar projects go for a spread of colors in the approximate order of a rainbow.  Bearing in mind that this project begins at the coldest-toed time of year – in the northern hemisphere – and considering my notoriously short attention span, as evidenced by an earlier, almost-forgotten resolve to write a haiku every day, meant coming up with colors in my happy spectrum.

I decided on black for anything lower than 10 degrees or higher than 95 degrees.  I like the color black more than I like temperature extremes.

10-19 degrees – Lizbeth 634 (medium violet pink)

20-29 degrees – Lizbeth 178 (grape pomegranate, which sounds nicer than the flavor would be)

30-39 degrees – Lizbeth 710 (light bright blue, though I’d call it a pale, powder blue)

40-49 degrees (which we’ll allegedly see tomorrow after today’s day of snow) Lizbeth 704 (medium sky blue)

50-59 degrees – Lizbeth 616 (daffodil med – there’s no other daffodil color so take your choice whether that’s medium daffodil or daffodil medicine.)

Other colors currently being auditioned for warmer weather include 683 (Light leaf green)  661 (country turquoise medium).  A few others, including the ball of black thread, were dispersed by bad cat Berry to parts unknown.  These colors could change – much depends on whether  Berry returns the threads she stole.

 

Here's the basic square.  In size 20, it’s 1 ¼ inches square.  In size 80, the size I’m using, it’s a sneeze under 7/8” square.  Size 80 seems to present a few unique challenges.  The thread needs to be dangled before starting each ring.  A fine crochet hook is needed for joins, as few picks or onboard hooks will fit through the picots unless they’re disproportionately huge.

 

 

And here are the first few days.  You’ll notice both pictures are thoughtfully photographed wrong sides showing, so you can see the order of construction.  Of course, this has nothing to do with the lateness of the hour…  I’m using the warmest daily temperature for the large rings, which I wanted to be in an x shape rather than as a plus sign.  You can go for the plus sign if you like, simply by joining the squares differently.

 The pattern:

You’ll need a shuttle wound with thread for the higher temperature and another wound with the thread for the lower temperature.  Work in ends as you tat.  Starting with the thread for the higher temperature,

R: 6-6-3-6-6.

<<RW.  Using the thread for the low temperature to form the chain stitches, CH: 6-6.

Shoelace, so you’re still working with the CH color and R: 6+3-6.

Shoelace again, CH: 6-6      RW**

R: 6+ (to small R) 6+ (to previous large R) 3-6-6>>  The sequence between brackets is done twice, then tat between << and ** once more.

R: 6+ (to small R) 6+ (to previous large R) 3+ (to first large R) 6-6

RW.  CH: 6-6

Shoelace, R: 6+ (to last large R) 3+ (to first large R) 6.

Shoelace, CH: 6-6. 

Cut threads, leaving tails about 6 inches long.  Thread first color through a needle and join to beginning, tie tightly, and sew in the end.  Then sew in the other end.  Pull tight before snipping off tails.

Join squares as you go, ideally one each day...  or at least keep a temperature diary so you can catch up when you have time.  (As I do with the haiku.)