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For the Love of Color An Essay by Catherine J. Hall |
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When it comes to color, Stephen is the
LusciousGraciousStudios resident expert.
He can group yarns in a shop (or from the baskets at home) better, and
faster, than anyone I have ever seen. He
can also read people, and responds quite naturally to their own sense of
color. No matter what, he always looks
nice. On the other hand, I think I may
be the only woman that I know who has never had her colors
"done". When in doubt, I wear
black. Otherwise, I tend to dress as
though I am a "Halloween" with "Mardi Gras" undertones.
So, if you need help choosing
a color of yarn (or paint, or car, or hair, whatever), ask Mr.
LusciousGracious. But if you want a
little advice about what to do with color, I may be able to help you. I grew up surrounded by color, texture,
nature, and other artists. I always knew
what I liked. But when I started playing
with stacks of beautiful fabrics I learned more about color than I thought was
possible. There are great books,
classes, and articles about color theory available online, at the library, at
art centers, and at the bookstore. One
of my own favorites is the essay in "Last Minute Knitted Gifts" by
Joelle Hoverson. She gives great basic
information, and tells you how to learn more in her recommended reading
section.
You can learn so much about
color by studying theory, and knowing how and why value, hue, and tint change
in relation to color combinations is important.
Knowing about light, about purity of tone, and about complimentary and
contrasting shades can help you when you are ready to plan, design, or create
something. Structured learning is vital
to a complete understanding, but I dare say that you can only get to know color
(or anything else, really) from the inside out by experimenting. Here are a few ideas to get you started, and
a word of advice: It's just yarn. Use it.
Don't be afraid of waste. Any
time and material spent on learning something is never a waste.
First, try saving snippets of
yarn. Collect those snippets from
weaving in ends in a plastic bag or clear jar, and look at them every time you
sit down in your favorite knitting corner.
Arrange small leftover balls of yarn in bowls on the coffee table or on
your dresser. Take small strings and
staple them to a white card. Now try a
black card, or an orange one. You can
just wrap the yarn around different cards instead, or braid several strands of
yarn and observe how the colors look together.
See what you come up with on your own.
Getting ideas yet?
Next, make a little random
project. This is a good way to try out
color combinations that you may have never considered otherwise. This project doesn't have to be large or take
much time at all. Put those leftover
bits, along with small amounts of whatever stash yarn you have on hand, into a
large paper bag. Reach in and grab one
without looking. Knit a row (or
two). When that yarn is gone, select
another, again without looking. Even if
you would never put those two particular yarns together, keep knitting. See how each color changes the other. Keep going.
Make a child's hat, or knit a Fair Isle design into an entire sweater
(that's how I made this beauty. I had
nothing to do with it. It is a very
simple design, and the colors did all of the work). Some colors will clash. You will cringe, and possibly grit your
teeth. It's good for you. Persevere, and wait to see what happens with
the finished project. Take some notes,
and use them when choosing yarn online or at the store, or when you are ready
to dye your own at home.
When you are working with
several colors, you may want to consider the following:
1. Try charcoal and cream instead of black and
white, which don't really blend in with a multi-colored project. But that contrast can be great when it is
what you are trying to achieve.
2. Yellow is usually the first color to draw the
eye. You may want to use it sparingly
and distribute it equally throughout a big project. Or, if attracting attention is what you want,
go all out and make yellow a predominant theme (think traffic signs, police
tape, Ali G., and bumblebees).
3. Don't be afraid to mix pastels with
brights. Throw in some neutrals. If you have twenty colors, and it is just not
working, add ten or twenty more.
Additional shades can help the eye bridge the gap between clashing
colors. As boring as it may sound, bring
in some shades of brown. Browns make
other colors appear richer. Also
consider greys, which can really tone down something that has become too
boisterous.
Overwhelmed with
"busy" colorwork? Even working
in all the same color can be rewarding and surprising. I learned this while making an all-red quilt. Someone told me that "all reds
match", but I could not believe it.
After all, would you put the garish red of Raggedy Ann's hair next to
the deep burgundy of your favorite dinner wine?
But I started to study monochromatic pieces of art done in paint,
stitches and paper. I also began to
collect a stack of red fabrics. Again,
the solution came in variety. You may
not like Cherry Kool-Aid next to that Merlot, but when you fill out the palette
with cranberry, bittersweet, crimson, pinkish strawberry, and rust, you will
stop seeing orange-reds and blue-reds and begin to see just RED!! Whew!!
I found out that all reds DO match (or at least they can survive side by
side). Now, you try it, this time with
green.
I hope that this little essay
is helpful, at least to someone. At
LusciousGraciousStudios, we may be able to put yarns together, but don't ask us
to pick out your clothes in the morning.
We are still waiting for someone to create Garanimals for
adults....Who's with me?
