Knitting is about fiber, yarn, texture, and color. Working with colorful yarns can be exciting and yield a personalized garment, accessory or something for your home. How do you choose colors to be sure your end product is successful? It can be a gut decision (I love that color), it can be inspired by other knitters projects (I never thought about putting those two colors together), it can be decided by others (Can you knit me a blue and purple sweater) or it can be done with a little knowledge of color theory.

Colorwork in knitting can be simple stripes or complicated patterns with two or more colors. When planning for your colorwork project, deciding on the appropriate yarn is the first step. Next you need to choose what colors you want to use. You head to your LYS, on-line shop or your ever-growing stash to find just the right yarn.

When planning a multi color project, how the colors look together is important. First, consider the project and your personal style:

  • Do you need two colors, or more?
  • Does the project have stranded knitting or a mosaic pattern where the colors lie next to each other?
  • Does the project have broad stripes, blocks of colors or individual motifs created with intarsia?
  • Do the colors gradually shift from light to dark throughout the project? Second, consider your own style.
  • Do you like colors combinations that are bold and eye catching, have a more harmonious appearance or are you looking for a cohesive, unified look?

Color Theory

Color theory is the study of how colors work together and how they affect our emotions and perceptions.  There are whole books written on color theory for artists, including fiber artists, designers, and others who use color in their work. Color theory is based on the color wheel which is a circular diagram that illustrates the relationships between different colors.

A fun fact, the color wheel was developed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1704.

You can find color wheels in craft stores or on-line. Here is an example:

 

Color Relationships

The color wheel will help you understand color relationships and can be used when planning your next project.

The basic categories of the color wheel are:

  • Primary Colors – pure colors that cannot be made by mixing colors together but are the basis for all other colors. The primary colors are red, blue and yellow.

 

Three small balls of yarn: red, blue and yellow

  • Secondary Colors – the result of mixing two primary colors. The secondary colors are orange (red & yellow), purple (red & blue), and green (yellow & blue).

 

  • Tertiary Colors – a combination of primary and secondary colors. Examples of tertiary colors include blue/green and yellow/orange.

 

 

Color Harmony

Color Harmony refers to pleasing color combinations bases on their position on the color wheel:

  • Complementary Colors are opposite each other on the color wheel. Red & green and blue & orange are examples of complementary colors. Using these colors will create high contrast and vibrancy with placed together.

  • Analogous Colors sit next to each other on the color wheel. For example, blue & blue green & green. Using these colors are often found in nature and are soothing and naturally pleasing. They create a palette that is subtle and harmonious.

  • Triad Colors are colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel. They have a balanced and rich contrast and are less stark than using complementary colors. Primary colors are included here. Other triad colors include orange-purple-green and magenta-teal-amber. Using these colors in your project create a lively, dynamic look.

  • Monochromatic Colors are varying shades of a single color and create a cohesive, unified look when used together

                                               

 

 

Color Value

Once you have picked out your colors, now consider the value of each color. Value is the relative degree of lightness and darkness. Value can be seen on a grey scale spectrum which goes from pure white to pure black.

Here is a grey scale chart:

Grey scale chart from white to black

Why is the value important? Color value helps our eyes discern colors by way of their contrast. The greater the difference between the value of two colors the more contrast our eyes see. Value is important when colors appear next to each other in the design. You may want some of the colors to pop, or you are looking for a more subtle difference between the colors.

An easy way to see if the colors you have chosen will work the way you envision them is to take a photo and convert it to black and white. A black and white image removes all color and leaves only the value. Low contrast color combinations create a softer effect where individual colors are less distinct. High contrast combinations create more crisp graphics where each stitch, stripe or motif is emphasized. The higher the contrast, the more clearly and crisply the pattern itself will be seen. Your pattern and your individual style will determine if you want high or low contrast color combinations.

Low contrast                                                                                                                                           High contrast

 

The Role of Neutrals

Neutral colors are not found on the color wheel but compliment primary and secondary colors. Neutral colors include beige, taupe, gray, cream, brown, black and white.

They help balance vibrant colors and prevent your palatte from becoming too overwhelming. Using a neutral color as the main back ground gives you the freedom of using the brighter and more personal colors in your project and allows them to stand out. Neutrals can also play a more dominent role in the entire garment.  In the first photo, the designer used brown as the neutral and bright, contrasting colors for the yoke and cuffs. The designer of the second sweater used a dark brown in the body and a variety of neutrals (of different values) in the yoke.

                                                                                                                    

Talkeetna by Caitlin Hunter                                                                                                                                   Renaissance Sweater by Elenor Mortensen

Swatching

Colors look different in the skeins then they do knitted up. Knitting a swatch allows you to see how the colors interact with each other, how they blend or contrast.

Choosing your next pattern to knit and the colors you will use is an exciting process. Using some of these concepts can make it easier but, let your personal style and taste guide you to your final decision.

 

Everyone is different, and beautifully unique. If we value our uniqueness, we value everything about us.

Janet Jackson

Singer, Songwriter