Hi! Does anyone have any other ideas that follow the same concept but aren’t necessarily knitting/crocheting?

I loved the part where you said "but when I look for that horrible day it blends in with the rest of them" this video is so helpful and just nice to listen to thank u

Twice I crocheted a divorce blanket. By the time I'd completed each project, I'd worked through the feelings and was in a much better head space. Both times I took the completed blanket and added it to a clothing donations collection. Finishing was good; disposing was even better.

Learning to crochet gave me something physical to do when i sat down and watched tv or did something not considered "useful" which both helped me feel busy but also made me examine why i need to be useful 24/7. a mental health blanket is such a beautiful idea

The sentiment about choosing nice colors for lower days is very beautiful! Makes you appreciate those days since it all adds up and brings life to the piece

I've been working on one of these!! It's not strictly to 2022, since I didn't start it until April and intend to do a full 52 weeks, but it does cover a full year! I do starburst granny squares - they look like little flowers 🥰 so I split them up into a system of 1-10, where roses are 1-3, sunflowers are 4-7, and dandelions are 8-10. I like thinking of it as my garden!! ❤️

I am also autistic and struggle with alexithymia. I love that you added in the neutral highs a lows ! and I really think doing this project in 2023 will help me to identify how I am feeling, name those feelings and process them ( as well as working with my therapist ). thank you for sharing this amazing video

I don't know if this idea would work for me since I am so bad at tracking anything, but I love the idea of a mental health blanket! And the neutral-low and neutral-high categories are genius, I'd never thought of that. I often have days where is just feel slightly different nuances of ~eehhhh~ and I've never really been able to put those days into a good word. But the different neutrals clicked!

this is so good for awareness of emotions & also for accepting emotions as they are, especially in a ‘good vibes only’ society… its so valuable to allow yourself to make space for a full spectrum of emotion 💕

i am watching this and i feel like crying knitting is my only physical comfort, i feel grounded when i knit dare i say even safe, i'm so thankful this popped up to me, been having very difficult two years of unemployment duo to my mental health struggle but now i'm trying to power through, i'm totally planning on starting the blanket in 2023, i'm actually brain storming colors right now, i'm so happy i found your channel nikki so looking forward for your videos , damn i'm actually way too emotional now >:( happy early new year and have a lovely gentle day

This has really gotten me thinking, and honestly my only hesitation is that I don't particularly like things with a lot of busy colors or patterns. The way that temperature/mental health/mood blankets seem to require so many colors (even if they all pair well) means it wouldn't really fit in with my style. But I've had an idea, and I think I might try this: I'm going to do it in only one color; or I'll pick a design with pre-determined colors and act on that. instead of tracking using colors, I'll track using different stitch patterns. I think that for knitting, the easiest way to do this would be to do a scale going from all knits, which is the best, to all purls, which is the worst. Then I create a scale going through the number of different emotions I need to track, but from this general 'good to bad' scale that these mostly seem to follow. Like from 'purl every 5th stich', 'purl every 4th stitch' etc. And I can look at the piece, and depending on how much texture it has, i'll be able to tell the patterns by seeing how many of those bumpy purls are showing up. Also, for me, I think I might make a mental health scarf, to also lower the bar for myself in being able to knit a row for each day and having a smaller project than a blanket in front of me. And I'll decide on some sort of lacework or unique border to be a divider between months. For anyone else who is feeling the same way that I do, I hope this idea helps. I"d love to hear more ideas for knitting/fiber ideas for these that use segments other than rows as well.

Thank you for this idea! I have PTSD and struggle with anxiety on a daily basis which affects me in so many ways. I’ve crocheted for. 30 years, and love the craft. This is such a unique way to study myself almost objectively to figure out my head and heart. I can’t wait to make one.

I think I might try to make a blanket like this but instead of my mental health it would probably be related how tired I am(I have a sleep disorder so it affects my life alot) it would be cool for me to see how it changes throughout the year and then also eventually be able to sleep with that blanket on my bad day.

I love this idea! I jotted down something you said “one bad day does not ruin your month/year”. I appreciate this because when we are in the worst of whatever, it is so easy to focus on the bad and forget to see all the good around us (or days before). I have depression, and I am going to use your blanket idea to help me maneuver through my days. Thank you for sharing this idea!!!

Im autistic as well and I really struggle with alexithymia, as well as just regulating myself in general. Crochet is one of my comfort crafts/hobbies right now so I think that this would be an amazing idea for me to do in the next year! I've been meaning to try and track my meltdowns specifically in a way that makes them a little easier to deal with and look back on, and I think this is the perfect way to do so :)

"looking back at all of the days i made it through" made me tear up. Your blanket is beautiful!!!

I think I found my project for 2023! I have autism and a panic and anxiety disorder and since september 2021 struggle with PTSD and on top of it I have long COVID. 2023 will become a difficult year in terms of therapy (A lot!) So this souds as a great project to help dealing with it. My PTSD therapist asked me numerous times of crocheting will help me getting through a session to help me staying more relaxed and for stimming. So I'm definitely going to give it a try! Thank you very much! And I love it is in big granny squares 😍. Love from The Netherlands ❤

I love this idea! I don't know if I could actually keep it up - I struggle with routines - but the project is great! If you have to reach for the lowest color again, please remember that you have survived 100% of your worst days!

3:30 is honestly a mood. I don't think I have ever heard a sentence that summed my life up so well 😂😭

Thank you for sharing this! I started crocheting again to help with my anxiety, so this is perfect. I turn 39 this year and plan to do this from my 39th to 40th birthday.

I swear I get so excited when I see creators making videos I like and i find out they're autistic like me! I'm starting my blanket tomorrow, thanks for the great idea

I thought you were gonna talk about hugging a blanket because you were sad, but I find this video very wholesome!

I am an avid mental health awareness advocate and spoken word performer, and I love this so much. I travel the country trying to bring that awareness on stages, in classrooms, hospitals, and on my KZfaq channel, so I get excited when I see other advocates. 💚💚

I’ve been thinking about doing a mood blanket for the past two months and this video is the final push I needed to accept doing this for 2023. I downloaded an app that came recommended from a friend that does mood tracking and I’m going to use that to record everything. I struggle a lot with placing how I feel and I hope that after a year of working on this project I’ll be in a better place with that. Thank you for sharing 😊

I feel like using my favorite colors as the happiest colors would encourage me to invest more energy into my own happiness so I could use those colors more often.

Your neutral score changes the way I think about my mental health completely! I have BPD so pinning down an emotion for a day is so hard for me but having a neutral high and low score is amazing! I'm new to crocheting (so a bit scared by this big project) but I love this idea!

The blanket (and all the suggestions other commenters have made!) is absolutely something I'm now going to start planning for next year. I already use crafts of various sorts to help settle my mood and clear my mind, so this will tie that *and* prompt me to keep up with the mood tracking I started in September. Thank you all for the ideas!

Thanks so much for this video! I'm 10 days in and have managed to surprise myself by tracking everyday and keeping up with crocheting. I used bulky (Bernina blanket) yarn and am now realizing that each month is going to be 3 ft. wide, so it may end up only being a 6 month project 😆 Regardless, I look forward to working on it each day and am already starting to see patterns (like that lower days tend to be when I'm alone all day and higher days tend to be when I'm with friends. I'm an introvert, so I always thought I was happiest alone, but it seems I need to incorporate a bit more social time into my life.) I'm grateful for this insight and look forward to seeing how it all comes together!

I usually don’t comment on videos, but thank you! I was just thinking about making something like this for myself (to track anxiety and depression, and maybe how often I do certain self-care habits) and it was amazing to find a reference for exactly what I’d like to do. This video really touched me, much thanks, and I wish you the best!! ❤❤

I'm bipolar and I love your idea for a mental health blanket. I think I'm going to start one for 2023. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. ❤️

I love this idea! Thank you so much for sharing. I am also autistic and have been working with my therapist on expressing how I'm feeling. She showed me the feelings wheel, and that has helped me a ton! I'm thinking of using that wheel to journal how I'm feeling and then using a color according to which broader category it falls into. It is already color coordinated if anyone is reading this and wants to do it but has a difficult time choosing colors!

I love this idea so much! Crocheting is a stim for me too, especially with a relaxing pattern and comfy yarn. I love everything you said about mental health too, very spot on, thank you for sharing! 💜✨ It's so hard to remind yourself that a bad day doesn't mean a bad life when you're in the middle of it, but the blanket is such a nice reminder of that~

I'm only seeing this video at the start of 2024, but I love it! I've also had a really hard time tapping into how I feel (for a lot of reasons) and I started keeping a bullet journal where I track my mood throughout the day. It's so helpful to have a physical/external thing that reflects your mood back to you and, similarly, it helped me realize that my days are actually usually better than not. Thank you so much for sharing this idea and your own journey with emotions and mental health

I clicked thinking this was gonna be something about cozy=happy. But this is way smarter than I anticipated.

Took notes , gonna give it a try. Depression is ruling my life right now .This may be a way to acknowledge it and put it away

what a lovely way to practice mindfulness and selfcare and healing...I loved the description of how the bad day blends in with al the rest, it is so profound and really helpful...I am a bit ambivalent about doing this because of the long term commitment and because I just forget to track things but also because my mood shifts so much in one day...plus I have been struggling for so long with chronic depression that I wonder about the colors, I actually love the neutrals because that is truly helpful...will give this some thought, thank you so much for sharing and wishing you much healing, serenity and joy 🧶💚

Bless the KZfaq algorithm today, I’m so happy I found your channel!! I just was diagnosed with autism and recently started crocheting so I’m excited to binge watch your stuff 🥲

This video is so beautiful. I've been seeing connections between accepting my art, and accepting myself. The idea of being worried about something, but realizing the bigger picture, and seeing that it's all okay. Nothing ever has to be perfect, the unexpected things are prettier than being perfect

I love your idea. I’m making an English Paper Piecing version! Thanks for sharing the inspiration and and organization ideas! I love your awareness and it’s helping me a lot already! Thank you! Best wishes!

alright, you’ve convinced me! this is such a good idea. i love the idea of having a year-long project, but nothing has really stuck with me until now. thank you so much for sharing! it’s hobby lobby time :))

this is such a wonderful idea!!! the only thing i'm worried about is having a lot of emotions throughout the day, and trying to determine what the *whole* day was like seems a bit difficult since it could be a range of things. BUT i think this is a wonderful thing that i can physically do in order to work on tracking my mental health. thanks for the idea! i will probably do this!

I love this idea. I was planning a temperature blanket for this year but I have a mood disorder so I track my moods on a daily basis anyways. This would give me something useful and cozy

Such a lovely idea - a visual representation and reminder of how things may have changed, hopefully for the better. I start group therapy soon, so I'm not quite at the 'identifying my mood' stage, but I have decided to make a temperature blanket starting January 1st. I've only been learning Tunisian and traditional crochet for a few months, but in-keeping with my usual all or nothing approach to life, I figured why not 😆 Good luck to everyone starting their projects in the New Year! 🥰

This I’m all for it I’ve seen temperature blankets but I’d love to see how my mental health goes throughout the year ✌️🫶

I’m going to have a very turbulent year. I had a hell of a lot of a things happen last year and it has been a year since a very significant change in my life. I have a lot changes coming my way: moving out, graduating, starting testosterone, getting my first full time job, and more. I really wanna be able to have this to track and keep myself grounded within my emotions. Thank you so much! I still have to finish my extravagant temperature blanket from 2022, but it’s good I started tracking now! I also really like your scale with that neutral zone, cause it really helps me describe the fluctuations between that zone that I’m within a lot of the time.

oh my therapist is going to LOVE this idea!!! this is a fantastic mindful activity and i’m so excited to start my blanket next year :) thank you for the idea!!

What a fantastic idea! I love this both as a therapist and an avid crocheter who loves to share the craft with others as a way to relax. You have such wonderful insights and I am thankful you shared them with us. Will definitely do this and perhaps share with some of the people I work with! BTW it is a beautiful blanket!

I don’t think I could realistically commit to this but instead I would do the equivalent of a mental health blanket but with little crocheted ?magic circles? squares? and put them in a jar just to cut down on the time it would take. Also as someone who’s neurodivergent I very much relate to the alexithymia thing and I love that you put multiple neutrals.

I made a temp blanket a few years ago and have thought about making another, but kept feeling it wasn't exactly what I wanted. This idea is really interesting to me. I'm definitely putting this on the future projects list!

This is such a great idea! Just what I needed. I recently started crochet several months back, but after finishing a few small pieces, the crochet fever just came to a stop. I couldn't finish the projects I started. :( This one is less pressure and seems more manageable. Thank you for sharing!

i really like this idea! it allows you to reflect and be more in touch with your own emotions. i also struggle to put into words what I feel I can more relate to a colour. Thank you for sharing I might try to make this! it's only day 2 of 2023 so it's not too late XD

i did a mood blanket for 2022 but i also have alexithymia & struggle w identifying emotions - i'm going to try this out next year for sure!!

definitely going to be making one for 2023. my #1 resolution is for 2023 to be present and keep memories by journaling, pictures, etc, and this is an awesome project i think will help!

Not cheesy at all ☺️ you said everything beautifully and clearly. Thank you so much for this idea 🥹🫶🏽

11:40 Just something i thought of. What if you combined a mental health and mood blanket? Bare with me. You could start with your base scale for mental health, but note what the strongest mood present was that day. Anxiety, Joy, Excitement, Anger, Fear, etc, Whatever emotion really stuck out for the day. Next, you can pick out an accent yarn. A fingerling metallic, even a piece of thin lace ribbon, whatever you want to associate that mood with, then crochet it in with the base color from the mental health scale.

I tried to do a mood blanket last year to get in touch more with my feelings, but narrowing it down to happy or sad or whatever was so hard that I gave up. I too find myself feeling neutral mostly, so this scale seems more doable to me. I think I will give it a try!

so helpful to hear you talk about working on this in chunks! I also work in big chunks and I always thought these year long projects would be impossible for me but this procedure sounds great and so doable!

this is a beautiful idea. I was thinking about doing a temp blanket for 2023 but I think I’ll do this instead. thank you!

I love this idea and everything that you shared about what it's meant to you! I also have alexithymia and it sounds like I went through a similar journey to yours a few years ago, where I started logging moods in my journal and really trying to get to understand my emotions better. I've been trying to do some kind of routine mood tracking ever since. So, when I found out about temperature blankets today, I immediately thought "cool idea, but I don't care about logging the weather, I'd rather use it to track something that actually matters to me... like a mood log blanket!" So I searched to see if anyone had done that and wound up here, fantastic inspiration! And I think I'm gonna try to do it!! Thanks for linking to the pattern you used too; I like the idea of working in squares instead of just long lines. Btw, this is the first video I've seen from you but I followed immediately! I love your vibes haha

i absolutely love the way ur thumbnails look. they give off the perfect comfy vibe ^_^

I've been using an app for over a year that I think would be super helpful for this project! It's called Moodflow (it's free), and one of its features is that it essentially takes your average mental health of the day from the number of entries you put in. You can also set notifications to track how you're feeling, along with a lot of other customizable features. I genuinely feel like it's been super helpful in trying to become more conscious of my mental health, especially when it comes to learning how to better name the emotions I'm feeling (which is something I struggle with a lot). Not to sound like a spokesperson for the app, but I really recommend Moodflow even if you don't want to make a blanket and just want to track and be more aware of your mental health. I hope this helps :)

I love this so much. I've wanted to do a project like this for a long time, but have never actually committed to it. Maybe 2023 will be the year I actually do it

i just found this but i think i’m gonna do my best to backtrack these past few days and make a blanket for 2023 :^) this is a wonderful idea

love this idea. i’m also autistic and in therapy to help navigate and process my emotions. i love that it shows even if you had a bad day and during those days it may seem you cant get out of that feeling, you still got something out of it, which is a beautiful comfort blanket. thank you for sharing, your blanket it really beautiful!! and you gave me a new 2023 project :)

I think this is a really cool idea and am doing it this year! One thing I’m also adding is based on the way some people will add a silver thread if it rained/snowed in temperature blankets. There was one fic I read where a character collected a rock whenever something made them super happy and then be able to look at their rock collection and think about those moments. For multiple reasons doing actual rocks is impractical for me, but I really liked the idea, so I’m combining these two and doing that with my blanket instead.

thank you for such a thoughtful and inspiring video! i've already bought my yarn for my 2023 mental health blanket haha, this was such a great idea and i'm so grateful to you for sharing your experience with us.

my sister taught me the very basics of crochet a decade or so ago and i’ve been very inconsistent with working on it since but i’ve been getting back into it recently and i’m so happy i found this video! i am definitely doing this for 2023 thank you so much for sharing

Wow this is such a great video! I just got home from buying my yarn for my temperature blanket and put this video on and now I’m going to make a mental health blanket

this is such a good idea!! i’ve decided to do this (as of Jan.10th, so i’m a little behind already 😅) mainly because i already know i have some big life events coming up that’ll change the flow of my blanket which’ll be interesting to document :)

I’m doing it! I saw this video on the 30th and bought my yarn the next day! Im a fellow autistic person and I’m already noticing how I’m checking in with myself throughout the day. Thank you for this idea ❤

I think I'm going to do it! I've really fallen off of the habit of doing my daily journaling in Daylio, but when I was doing it consistently it was very helpful and I love crochet, so I think this would be a lot of fun and a cool goal. I think I'll try to work on it every Sunday for the week before. Now to hunt down a pattern I like. Kind of tempted to do rice stitch squares or something like that. I will probably be using I Love This Yarn from HobLob since I bought a ton for my cardigan.

this appeared on my timeline randomly and I’m so glad it did. I want to make this my mission this year. thank you for sharing❤️

I love this idea, if I were to try it, I would want to add a second colour set and crochet 2 yarns at a time. The second colour set would be highlighting specific struggles of the day: dysphoria, food, loneliness, motivation, etc. Or specific strengths of the day, like, exercise, wonder, triumph, etc.

Your video showed up in my recommended and I assumed it was from a big creator due to the quality of it! This is a great video and you're very enjoyable to listen to/watch. I love this idea and have been wanting to try crochet for a while so this is a great start. Thankyou! 😁

I LOVE this ! I attempted a mood blanket last year but stopped after about a month and a half. I love this being about my mental health instead of labeling it as a "mood". Just like you said, i feel a lot of things at once so it was really hard to bundle that into one mood!! What a great idea too to use the not as noticeable colors for lower moods, it really does just add to the beauty of the blanket and overall, life. Bad days do not ruin anything, they're just bad days and don't make you any less of a beautiful person 💕 also love doing color blocks instead of hundreds of small granny squares to join together!!

your voice is so soothing. I really needed something like this for the new year. Thank you for making this video!!

Great idea thank yes keep my mind busy helps with depression and anxiety.

Thank you, Nikki, for sharing this wonderful concept with us 💖 Jennifer @ Cinnamon Stitches shared your concept with us on one of her videos and linked it there, so I followed it to find out more. I love this concept and really wish I could afford the yarn to make one for myself. It's definitely going on my bucket list because it's a fabulous idea. Lots of love and yarny hugs 💗

Thank you for posting this! I struggled so much with my mental health and now I’m trying to be more conscious of my mental health. I think I’m gonna do this project for 2023!

My goodness! I love this so much! ❤ive been thinking about doing a half year temperature blanket from June coz of watching @tlyarncrafts all the time and then this video popped up! Perfect combination for a neurodivergent yarn fiend like me ❤ Thank you so much!

I started knitting and crocheting last year to help stim and to deal with stress. This will be a perfect project for me since I too have an issue trying to relay and process my feelings. I never thought about having 'neutral, neutral low, and neutral high' before and find that refreshing because I'm so used to people going, 'what do you mean you don't know how you feel?'. Now I feel frustrated, Martha! I'll track my emotions until I get the yarn needed. Thank you for this idea and I can't wait to see how it will turn out. 🥰

Thank you so much for this idea. I just realized that I probably have c-ptsd, and im currently seeking treatment. I think this will be a great way to track my mental health journey. Thank you so much once again and Happy new year!

This sounds a really great idea! I'll have to see if there's a knitting pattern out there that would work for me and then figure out all the subsequent items. Thanks for sharing this neat idea and also sharing your blanket with us!

I’m doing this! I’m using the same pattern, and I started my first square today, I’m really excited about it!

i'm so delighted that this came up in my recommended videos :'--) this is a really sweet idea , i'm so interested in doing something like this ! i'm kind of new to crochet/long projects in general , and it's been a while since i consistently checked in with my feelings , but those are both things i'm sure would not hurt to try to make habits of . i hope i can make time+space for it ! i'll try !! thank u for sharing this !!!

Hi. This is really awesome! I learned something today about what it might be like to be Autistic. I have several mental health issues/ disorders. I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to feeling emotions. I feel them deeply and I'm also an empathy which can be confusing and extremely exhausting. Like you I don't leave home very often, usually only when it's necessary. Thank you so much for sharing your blanket and especially your story! You're very inspiring. Happy New Year!

I think this is a wonderful idea! Something about seeing the soft hues of my favorite colors even for a day that I wasn't in a great place, it helps us accept those days more than if we just remember what that day was like. The color fitting more into the scheme of the blanket really puts all of the days in perspective!

I saw the tittle and I was like... yes, why should I??? so I watched the video and I want to do something like this so baaad, I love the idea so much, I like the idea of learning from that about me and my mental health. Thanks for sharing this for us, I love your energy

This is such a lovely idea! Sounds like a great way to reframe your perspective on bad days especially. I’m definitely going to save this for later and share it with my fellow anxious crafty friends. Thanks for sharing with us!

you seem like such a sincere n lovely hooman thanks for the video what a great idea and your input on it was really insightful and inspiring :)) Its really nice to see how many ppl that struggle with mental health in the comments were inspired and now have a potential new healthy coping mechanism/ long term project that could help with their mental health in emotional awareness and self reflection and other ways . you did that dude u rlly made a positive impact n it just restored my faith in humanity a bit

This is such a cool idea. I've thought about making a temperature blanket, but there didn't seem to be enough motivation for me there...but THIS would be so helpful, I think. Thank you for sharing your project!

When I first saw this video, ngl it made me cry. The idea of having something to look back at and snuggle with to show all the days you made it through really hit home for me. It's already almost been a month now and I couldn't be happier with the outcome so far! Thank you so much for sharing this, and I can't wait to share the finished product at the end of the year! 💖

I'm not much of a knitter, but I love the idea of making something to label your mood over the year. I have trouble sometimes figuring out what I'm feeling, and plus I'm trying to journal more. I love drawing and painting so maybe I'll make a piece based off this idea. Thanks for the inspiration!

The zelda music made the video even cozier I love your vibe too. ✨️

Really good idea. Appreciate the video. Nice colors. Yes, it's agood way to tap into your feelings.

i’ve struggled a lot this year with my mental health. i think i’m convinced now that i want to make a mental health blanket in 2023. i think it will keep me reaching for the end of the year to not give up so that I can finish it :)

this is such an amazing idea!! it reminds me of the app "Daily Bean" or "EMMO: mood calendar" but a lot more fun and easier to stick with. im going to buy me some pretty yarn for this project asap! so glad i found this on January 1st haha

I watched this, subbed, and immediately went out and bought my yarn for this. Thank you for making this video!!!

absolutely love this pattern and the whole idea of it!! i've been keeping track of my moods and haven't decided what yarn to use yet, but i'll definitely be making this! thanks for all the info and advice :)

This video popped up in my feed and I'm so grateful it did! I love this idea, but I am horrible at keeping track and the prep (figuring out feeling scale + colors) feels very overwhelming. Yet at the same this project is speaking to me and offering a sense of peace, it makes sense, but feels very strange all at thesametime. I struggle vith depression and it would be very interesting to see a years worth of ups and downs and see how it evolves. Thank you for being vulnerable in sharing this project and the things you learned along the way!