The Blanket That Holds a Year of Grief

I know some of you follow me on Instagram for a while now, and witnessed a project I as working on every single day in 2023.…since I’ve just entered said project into an art competition (I hope it gets selected) - it dawned on me that I have NEVER shared the finished blanket! 3 years later, voila!
When people ask me how I’ve made it through the first year after losing Justin to suicide, my answer is always: therapy and tons of yarn. SO HERE IT IS! 11ft by 4.5ft of one of the hardest years of my life.

 

This crocheted blanket is a year-long record of daily temperatures in El Dorado, Arkansas during 2023, translated into color through yarn. Each row represents a single day, creating a visual timeline where shifting hues reflect the natural rhythms of the seasons—subtle transitions, sudden extremes, and the passage of time made tangible.

Beyond its function as a temperature record, this piece is deeply personal. I began this project in the aftermath of losing my partner in 2022, using the steady, repetitive motion of crochet as a way to stay grounded and move forward one day at a time. The structure of the blanket mirrors that process: each row is small on its own, but together they form something whole, resilient, and enduring.

Among the rows is a single black line that breaks the pattern. This marks the day I lost my cat, Coco, who had been by my side for 22 years and lived to the age of 24. That row stands apart as a moment of pause and remembrance—an acknowledgment of love, loss, and the quiet spaces they leave behind.

This piece weaves together data and memory, routine and emotion. It is both a record of a year in temperature and a reflection of a year of healing, where each stitch carries not just time, but meaning.

 

Find some of the materials I've used HERE