Crochet blankets are beautiful, unique, and very versatile, similar to all other blankets they are supposed to provide warmth for the body whenever used. However, most often wonder if they provide warmth at all due to the number of holes in them.
Since it’s known that when one feels cold, you put on warm clothes, jackets, and coats to retain the body warmth but can crochet blankets keep the body warm with all the holes in them?
Are Crochet Blankets Warm?
Crochet blankets are warm, comforting, and cozy providing you with everything you need to survive a chilly night. Crochet blankets are warmer despite the holes in them than even some of the blankets that don’t have holes in them.
These holes in crochet blankets help make the blanket warm. Cocooning yourself in a crochet blanket helps to trap air in the space between you and the cover due to the nature of crochet blankets, this air is warmed up and the crochet blanket and the warm air keep your body warm.
Furthermore, the blankets can even be placed under the bedspreads for optimal warmth because of their air trapping ability.
Why Are Crochet Blankets Warm?
The major reason why crochet blankets are warm is due to heat loss by convection. You might be wondering how losing heat by convection keeps me warm with a crochet blanket, be rest assured we will clear things up. Convection is the transfer of heat energy due to the mass movements of molecules in fluids(gasses and liquids).
Humans are warm-blooded naturally which means our body always maintains a constant temperature regardless of the outside weather conditions so during the cold the body will still be releasing heat.
The body loses heat when air blows past you and takes heat away from your body and leaves you feeling cold. All this is because air is a known insulator that has poor heat conductivity and has to be kept in place to make it function as a good insulator, this is what crochet blankets take advantage of to make you warm.
Pockets of air are trapped by the holes in the blanket and this air carries heat from your body instead of the air taking it away from you, the crochet blanket will keep the now warm air around your body, holding it in place around you and preventing it from taking away your body heat thus keeping you warm.
Another is the yarn crochet blankets are made from. The choice of your yarn for the crochet blanket will affect the warmth of the blanket. Crochet blankets made from wool yarn are generally warmer than others. Blankets made from Merino warm are found to be very warm, the same as the blankets alpaca, fleece, cashmere, and numerous other insulative yarns.
In addition, the more stitches a crochet blanket has, the more dense and warm the blanket will be as it will require more yarn, and the more holes will be made for warm air to be trapped around the body so you can enjoy your cozy blanket.
Why Are Some Crochet Blankets Warmer Than The Other?
If you’re also wondering why some crochet blankets are warmer than others, then you should know that this is due to their differences in thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity of the material is the ability of the material to transfer heat, in the case of blankets, they should be of poor thermal conductivity such that it traps the heat around you to keep your body warm instead of heating up itself.
And it’s been discovered that wool is with very low thermal conductivity making it a good yarn choice for a warm crochet blanket. So wool crochet blankets are noticeably warmer than some other blankets.
In addition, the fluffiness of blankets will determine how warm they will be. The fluffier a crochet blanket is the more space that will be available for air trapping thus increasing body warmth. So holes in the blanket too will help increase its warmth as they have spaces for warm air to surround you.
Are Some Yarns Warmer Than Others?
Yes, crochet yarns are warmer than each other. The degree of warmth of yarn will depend on the source of the yarn and the processing steps involved in the making of yarns from fibers. The warmest yarn you can use for your crotchets includes merino, qiviut, lambswool, angora, cashmere, and alpaca. Wool is the warmest yarn as wool fibers are bad conductors and don’t absorb heat from the body. It also helps that wools naturally have kinks and bends that trap air to keep the body warm.
Furthermore, merino wool is obtained from merino sheep and is known for providing good warmth with its incredible insulative characteristic. It’s also lightweight and itch-free. Qiviut is obtained from the undercoat of Muskox and it’s even about 8 times warmer than merino wool it’s lightweight and extremely durable but it’s quite expensive. Cashmere is obtained from the hairs of goats and is even warmer than merino wool but it’s prone to pilling. Cashmere is soft and gentle on the skin and can last for a lifetime.
Lambswool is from the shearing of young sheep and provides good warmth and breathability. It’s the softest wool to ever come from sheep and it’s perfect to make crochet blankets even for people with allergies. Alpaca wool is obtained from the hair of alpacas and is known to be warm, soft, and durable. This wool is insulating, elastic, and allergy free.
How To Make A Crochet Blanket Even Warmer Than Usual
Typically, crochet blankets are warm but you can even make it warmer by crocheting a blanket with more insulative yarn. There are different types of yarns and some are more insulative than others. The more insulative yarns include merino wool, cashmere yarn, alpaca yarn, and many others. You could use any of these yarns to make an incredibly warm blanket.
You should customize a crochet blanket to suit your needs after going for the warmest yarn, consider the gauge of the blanket. With this, you will be able to determine the number of stitches in your work because this will determine its denseness and warmth and the type of stitch you go for while working on your crochet blanket will impact its warmth.
In addition, you can increase the warmth of a crochet blanket by placing a blanket over the pockets. Another is to sew a sheet or layer of fleece on a side of the air to trap air.
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Conclusion
Crochet blankets provide the needed body warmth despite the holes in them making them nice to make and enjoyable to use. The holes in the blankets even help in the blanket’s function of keeping the body warm.
The types of yarn and stitches used while crocheting a blanket will also determine how warm the crochet blanket will be. So you can enjoy your chilly night with a crochet blanket and something hot to drink.