What my Temperature Blanket Taught me about Blogging

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In 2023, I decided 16 days into the new year, that I was going to crochet a Temperature Blanket. And let me tell right now, the entire year was a bit of a disaster. But when I came out the other side of the immensely long project, I was glad that I did it. It even taught me a little something about blogging.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s back it up.

What is a temperate blanket?

The idea is to crochet one row of a blanket, and the colour of the row is determined by the high (temperature) in Auckland (where I was living) that day. After the year is over, you have a blanket that is 365 rows long and depicts the weather for that entire year. Very cool idea!

What my plan was

I had a great chart, with about 10 different yarn colours, which corresponded to different temperature ranges, and I was rearing to go.

I had my yarn/wool (although had some dramas along the way with that one, too. You can check out this Reel here to see the drama), and I even got the first 16 days completed very quickly, to catch up.

The debacle

All went well until about March or April when I realised just how wonky the sides were going. Some parts were great, other parts it looked ridiculous. I got mega frustrated with it and basically stopped doing it. I threw up my hands and gave up.

But then in about July, I decided “you know what, who cares if it’s wonky! That’s part of its character.”

The progress

So I picked it back up. And I was automatically several months behind. I figured out what I had done wrong, and managed to get the second half of the year pretty straight at the edges.

For the rest of 2023, I was scrambling to catch up, and I didn’t actually finish the temperate blanket until Jan 9th 2024. Buuuut I like to think that I still managed to do it in one year – I started on the 16th, I finished on the 9th. That’s under a year. 👏🏻

And while it was definitely a blanket with ✨ character ✨ I was stoked that I finished it. Of course, now it lives in my cupboard, but we won’t talk about that.

So what does this teach me about blogging?

3 things my temperate blanket taught me about blogging

Perseverance

Even when things go wonky and aren’t really going your way, keep going. Eventually, you’ll be able to look back and be proud of how far you’ve come.

This is especially true for blogging. So many people start their blogs and then when they don’t see the results they want to see in a few months, they give up. They move on. They don’t come back to it.

Blogging takes perseverance. Just like a temperate blanket that is going haywire.

Good times take time

I don’t like doing projects that take longer than a day to create. So this was an ambitious project for me. I like to start a project – whether it be sewing or crochet or an art piece – and finish it shortly after I start it.

But it was well worth it in the end.

Building your blog, getting into the routines and rhythms of updating your blog, and learning things like SEO or Pinterest … they all take time. You can’t expect it to go quickly. Good things take time, and it will be worth it in the end.

Every blunder is part of your story

That blog post that flopped? Part of your story, part of your blogging journey.

That declined guest post? Teaches you how to approach differently in the future.

That sudden decrease in traffic? Fuel to reassess. To diversify. To learn and grow.

These things are all just as much a part of your blogging story as the big and little wins. They make up the growth and the journey, as cheesy as it sounds (and I know it does sound cheesy!). Don’t worry too much about your wonky edges, keep crocheting, keep working on your blog.

You’ve totally got this. 👊🏻

What’s a hiccup that you’ve run into with your blog that you’ve managed to walk through? If you’re up for it, share it in the comments!