Untangling Knots

Yarn Colors

The stripey sweater isn’t happening. I took the measurements for it in a rush while I was essay writing because I wanted something to knit ASAP. I guess I was pretty sloppy with the measuring tape. My neckline was too high in the back and sides. It was just strange looking with the lower neckline in the front.

strto2

I reclaimed the needles, but I haven’t frogged it and started over. I don’t think I’m going to. Why? These are not my colors. I love these colors especially as balls of yarn. They remind me of Lord of the Rings and libraries and that weird musty book smell. They’re cozy and homey with a bit of sophistication and timelessness. I truly love them, but I don’t love wearing them. I wouldn’t buy myself a sweater in these colors. Theses are the colors I love wearing:

mycolors

They might be eyeball melting and they might look like a box of crayons, but they make me feel so cheerful. I’m going to try to stop knitting with colors that I love as yarn and start knitting with colors that I love as clothes. It just makes more sense. I like almost every saturated color, but I feel happiest wearing the little palette above. The only downside is that these colors are really intimidating as balls of yarn and most of them are kind of hard to find, but I’m going to make an effort.

Does anyone else have the problem? How do you pick out colors to knit with? Does your yarn typically coordinate with your wardrobe?

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Comments

12 responses to “Yarn Colors”

  1. Vanessa

    I tend to stick to three colors in my wardrobe and in my knitting. I tend to wear lots of red, blue and green but my yarn tends to favor blue more than anything else. I’m trying hard to expand my taste in colors but I feel like I look best in bright, primary colors more than anything else.

    Reply
  2. Katie

    I do the same thing! The last two sweaters I knit were in “autumn” colors – whereas when I go shopping I tend to pick out bright teals, greens and reds. Maybe my next sweater should be a bright color?

    Reply
  3. Jacey

    Not to be an enabler, but I favorited this sweater on etsy a few weeks ago, and your post just reminded me of it.
    http://www.etsy.com/listing/70205891/vintage-rainbow-bright-v-neck-sweater
    I also saw a knitting pattern for a similar sweater(I think it was Lana Grossa, or something similar) from several years ago. Now I’ve got stripes on the brain. I do try to pick yarns that I’ll actually wear, but there are a few items in my stash that I wouldn’t.

    Reply
  4. Erin Kate

    I’m right there with you! I love bright colors, but I’m just a soft, neutral, girly dresser!

    Reply
  5. Genki

    I do the opposite, I tend to buy yarns in really bright colours but I usually wear more subdued colours!

    Reply
  6. Cory Ellen

    Luckily, I love both wearing colors and knitting with them! I actually have a problem where I don’t buy enough neutral colors, because I’m always drawn to the eye-popping ones in the yarn store, and forget that other people I might knit for probably don’t want flaming pink socks.

    Reply
  7. Erin

    I have been training my eye to look for colors that I can’t live without, which is dangerous because if I follow through, I get a sweaters worth of yarn. I have a gorgeous shade of lipstick red Cascade cotton, GORGEOUS!!!! Madelinetosh in a rich deep peacock hue and turtleneck sweater in Brown Sheep/Lamb’s Pride Oregano and a nearly finished Derry from New England knits in a beautiful variegated yellow/green Manos Maxima. I am totally searching for colors that I want to wear and so far it’s working. I need to get up to Portland’s Knitwit to buy more Quince and Co. yarn-such great colors and made in USA!

    Reply
    1. meredith

      I’m jealous that you live close enough to visit Quince yarns in person! I agree that their colors are gorgeous — plenty of saturated colors and neutrals! I could mix & match forever and not get bored.

      Reply
  8. erin

    I buy the same colors that I would wear regardless of who the recipient is. I suppose I’m a greedy yarn buyer when it comes to colors!

    Reply
  9. Jules

    I wear more neutrals (read: black mostly, dark greens, purples and blues if I’m feeling festive) and most of my stash is greens, purples and blues. I do have a small stash of bright orange, hot pink and tomato red so bright colors must exist somewhere in my subconscious.

    Reply
  10. Mags

    I do love all those colours in the sweater, but I wouldn’t think of putting them together. Too much for me. Then again, I’m not NEARLY as adventurous as you are!

    Reply
  11. Eskimimi

    I like similar colours to the palette you have put together above, all apart from the two rightmost rectangles. Blues and purples just don’t work for me for some reason. I mostly love greens, oranges and yellows, teals and raspberries. I’m definitely a ‘brights’ person.

    Reply

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