How to Finish Your Temperature Project Without the Overwhelm
In January, when everything is fresh and exciting, temperature projects sound like a great idea. But as the year wears on, life happens and suddenly it’s October and you’re super behind. First and foremost, it’s OKAY to be behind. Things happen. You’re probably looking at your partially completed project and wondering how in the heck you’re going to get it done. Don’t worry, that’s why we’re going over how to finish your temperature project without the overwhelm.
How to Finish Your Temperature Project Without the Overwhelm
Disclaimer: While this post is meant to be a general guide for all kinds of temperature projects, the one I’m most familiar with is my pattern: Kelvin the Temperature Snake. If you’re working on a larger project like an afghan, the same principles will apply, but you may have to account for the longer time it takes to do each row.
1. Figure Out Where You Left Off
If you haven’t picked up your project in a while, it might be tough to figure out where you were. Look over your notes and rows carefully to see what month you left off on. For me, since I used a different color to split up the months on Kelvin the Temp Snake, I can count the sections.
I left off mid-way through July, for example.
2. Easy Math
Once you know where you left off, it’s time to do some quick math (ugh, I know, but it’ll be easy, I swear!).
- Start by adding up how many days you have already completed.
- July 17th was the last day I worked, so I’ve worked a total of 198 rows starting from Jan. 1st. (This number ignores the divider rows and the rows of the head.)
- Then subtract the number of rows you’ve already worked from 365 (assuming you’re doing a full calendar year).
- 365 -198 = 167
- This is the how many rows I have left to complete for the whole year.
- Now you need to decide when you want to have this project finished. Then count the number of weeks (or weekends) are left until that date.
- I want to have my current temp snake done by the first week of Jan. 2024, so I have 13 weekends left to finish as of today (10/13/23).
- Then divide the number of rows you have left by the number of weeks/weekends you have left.
- 167/13 = 12.8
- So I need to work 12-13 rows every week/weekend for the rest of the year in order to get my temp snake completed on time.
3. Make a Plan
Now that you know how many rows you need to complete each week, it’s time to look at your calendar and be realistic. Ask yourself some questions before committing to powering through rows each week.
Do you have any big events coming up like markets, trips, or holidays where you’ll be too busy to complete your rows? For example, if you know the entire family is gathering for Thanksgiving, then mark off those days on your calendar.
Once you’re done marking off your busy periods, take another look at your calendar and see how much time you actually have left. Maybe you only have 5 weeks total left to finish instead of 13 because your schedule is jam-packed. That’s OKAY! Don’t panic.
Just re-do your math really quick. Divide the number of rows you have left by your actual time left.
For example: 167/5 = 33.4 (this is essentially 1 month’s of rows per week)
Now if you’re making a project like Kelvin the Temp Snake, where each row is very short (Kelvin’s rows are only 27 stitches around), this is totally doable. You can even break it up and do 4-5 rows a day so you don’t have to crank out so many rows at once.
However, if you’re doing a larger project like an afghan, this is the point when I would recommend reconsidering your deadline. Unless you’re a super speedy crocheter, it will take much longer to do 33 rows for a blanket. Use your best judgement and don’t stress yourself out trying to finish. Think about how many rows you can reasonably accomplish a day and go from there.
You can always do larger chunks if you find yourself with more time on certain days too to catch up!
4. Stay Motivated!
You’ve got this! Temperature projects can get stressful and out of hand fast, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Just take it one stitch at a time and soon you’ll be looking at a beautifully completed piece!
A great way to stay motivated during the last couple of months of a temperature projects is to share your progress on social media where fellow crocheters can cheer you on. The best place to share (in my opinion) is in Facebook groups because it’s easier to keep track of posts.
Temperature Blankets Around the World is a great group to join and you can share temp projects of all kinds (not just blankets). Or you can join my group: cbfiberworks Crochet Club, where I’ll be posting weekly progress threads specifically for temperature projects.
The goal is to have fun and not get stressed out trying to finish. We can do this!
Summary
Have you ever made a temperature project? How did it go? Or how is it going? Share your temperature project experience below! And if you’re interested in starting a temperature project, you might like this article: Quick Guide to Starting a Temperature Project.
If you want to share your temperature project with me, you can always tag me on social (@cbfiberworks)! I hope you enjoyed this article and feel ready to complete your project with confidence.
Have a wonderful day and happy stitching!