The effects of climate change are visible. We just entered 2021, but cannot look away from the changes in nature that we witnessed last year. The digital clock in Manhattan’s Union Square was turned into a climate crisis countdown as a warning to people as to what can happen if we don’t act sooner. The chilling temperature too is a signal that climate change is real. Needleworkers around the globe created temperature blankets and scarfs that track the local weather patterns. The final products were displayed on Twitter as we finally bid farewell to 2020. The knitting enthusiasts weaved the weather, using different colours and creativity to visualise the tangible records of temperature changes, one stitch at a time.

At the start of 2020, Twitter user Josie George shared her thought about the project, motivating others to engage and share their similar work. It is a good way to engage with the climate and with the changing year—a way to notice and not look away. Each project follows a basic pattern utilising a key to track some combination of the temperature, sky conditions, season and date. The personal stitching is a part of a much larger movement to document micro weather changes that may serve as indicators of broader climate issues. From Using Electricity Efficiently to Family Planning, 7 Measures to be Adopted by Societies For a Greener Future. 

People around the world wrapped up the year with temperature scarves and blankets, documenting the weather for all of 2020, and the results are gorgeous. Tracking the daily high and low temperature of a specific location during the course of year, the results resemble a bar graph.

Check Josie George's Knitting Project:

Weaving the Weather!

Temperature Blanket

Beautifully Crafted!

Purrfect!

Another Temperature Blanket

Weather of 2020 Into One Big Project!

Beautiful Work

Temperature of Noon Each Day!

2020 Temperature Blanket

Seems So

The specific techniques and materials used by this community of knitters vary, but they share a common goal—add a personal touch to a technical subject. By knitting row after row of climate data, crafters break down climate change into a more creative way that is easier to process and also understand the significance of acting now, before it is too late. Again, with last year being so challenging, it seemed a great way to keep sanity.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 02, 2021 01:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).