Have you ever seen a Fair Isle pattern that you just
love…but don’t care for the colors it is photographed in? Do you feel paralyzed
when trying to pick your own color combo? Here are a few tips to help you
select colors.
·
The first thing you will want to think about is
the feeling that you want from your sweater. Do you want something bright and
bold? Or do you want something soft and pretty? Looking for a traditional feel?
Or something more contemporary?
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We knit the Faith sweater from Cathedral in Wynter and Blackthorn for different looks. |
·
Consider picking your main or predominant color
first. Especially if you are knitting something like the Faith sweater above.
That, along with the choice(s) you made above, will determine the rest of the
colors in your knitting.
·
Refer back to your basic color wheel and the
lessons you learned as a child about complementary and
harmonious colors. Complementary colors are across the color wheel from one
another. Whereas, harmonious colors are next to each other.
Complementary colors will make each other pop more (perfect for a contemporary feeling), whereas harmonious colors are more likely to flow into one another (for a softer look).
·
Look at the value of the color. One of my
favorite color combos is blue and green. Since they are right next to each
other on the color wheel, sometimes they bleed together too much in Fair Isle.
But if you choose colors that are of different values, they can still work
beautifully together in Fair Isle.
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Inca Alpaca - True Blue (11157) & Fern (1141) |
One good way to tell value is by taking a photo of the yarns you want to use together and use a filter in Photoshop or Instagram to make the photo black and white. If you can see a difference in the greys after the color is removed, there is a good chance that these colors will work well together in your knitting.
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Same picture as above, but without color |
·
If the yarns you want to use are in hanks,
untwist them and re-twist together (you may want to ask the LYS owner/employee
if this is ok first). This will give you an idea of how the colors will work up
together in smaller bits. You can do something similar with yarns that are in
premade balls by twisting a few strands together.
·
Don’t be afraid of putting a color in your
knitting that you would normally never wear/pick. Sometimes it makes your main
color pop even more.
·
Do a sample swatch! I know it’s a dirty word and
no one wants to swatch. But this is a
great chance to experiment with your colors. And if there is something you want
to change, you haven’t invested too much time.
Different color variations of the Apostle bag from Cathedral |
·
Ask others for their opinions. The person working at your LYS probably has
helped lots of other customers with their color sections – take advantage of
that experience. Also ask the other knitters in the store. Most people aren’t
shy about giving their opinion, and someone may suggest something that you
would have NEVER thought of, but end up loving. Sometimes it is good to step
outside our own color boxes!
Are you still feeling overwhelmed? I understand.
Kristin Nicholas has a great class on Creative Bug about choosing colors for your color knitting. It’s worth checking out if you are starting tohyperventilate
feel daunted.
Kristin Nicholas has a great class on Creative Bug about choosing colors for your color knitting. It’s worth checking out if you are starting to
But here is the most important tip I am going to give you
today – have fun! This is a great way to flex your creative muscle, but if you
aren’t enjoying it…change it! Make it something you will love knitting AND using or giving.
Knit on!
thanks for sharing this....I usually purchase my yarns from online stores...do you have any tips to choose the colors from webpages
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