“How do I choose colors that work well together?” “What colors will coordinate nicely with leftover yarn from my stash?” “But isn’t multicolor knitting difficult?” After hearing these questions over and over from students in her workshops, bestselling author Melissa Leapman realized that knitters needed a comprehensive guide to color, from color theory (does red go with purple?) to key techniques and stitch patterns.

The result is her new book, Color Knitting the Easy Way: Essential Techniques, Perfect Palettes, and Fresh Designs Using Just One Color at a Time. As a treat for CrafterNews readers, Melissa is sharing her top tips for knitting with color.

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Technical information about color theory looks great on paper and might even be fascinating, but as knitters, we’re most interested in how the subject relates to yarn and our knitted projects. As a three-dimensional object, yarn presents colors differently than flat artist canvases. As you play with color, be sure to knit swatches to see your ideas come to life! Here are six things to keep in mind as you choose and combine your colors:

1) Everyday Inspirations
Even if you never study the physics or psychology of color theory, you can create beautiful color combinations simply by looking at the world around you. Perhaps you are inspired by the blues and greens of the ocean and clear summer sky, complemented by bright reds and yellows of the sun, for example. Or you might want to use the colors of sunset: dark midnight blue with red-violet, both mixed with orange.

2) A Delicate Balance
A successful color palette requires the right balance between colors. Extremely bright colors, for example, can overwhelm other colors within a design. Keep in mind, too, that any yarn with metallic qualities will dominate a colorway. Be sure to use strong colors and special yarns as accents to highlight particular areas in a design.

3) Consider Contrast
Color contrast can make or break a pattern’s readability, especially when knitting a pictorial motif. Always knit a swatch of your pattern to be sure there’s enough contrast between the background and pattern colors to provide definition. Similarly, if you’re adding a variegated or hand-painted yarn into a colorway, be sure to contrast it properly against other yarns; otherwise, the variegated yarn will disappear into the pattern.

4) The Yarn Type Counts
Heather and tweed yarns possess unique color qualities that are best used singly or with other yarns of the same category. If knitted along with solid colors, these beautiful yarns could become lost. On the other hand, hairy or fuzzy yarns such as mohair or angora will blur the spots where color changes occur, creating a subtler effect.

5) Positioning Color
Brighter and lighter colors tend to come forward visually in a design, so place these colors where you want to draw attention. Darker colors often seem to recede. If you place any color adjacent to a lighter color, it will appear darker. Position colors carefully to make sure that each one “pops” within your design. Be careful when working with whites, as they can make other colors look gray or dirty.

6) Bleed No More
Take the time to launder your knitted swatch to be sure that the colors don’t bleed onto each other. Commercial products that prevent excess dye from one section of a project from running into others—such as Retayne color fixative, Carbona Dye Grabber, and Shout Color Catcher dryer sheets—are available and could save the day. Don’t ask me how I know . . .

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• Learn more about Melissa Leapman’s books

Categories: Knitting & Crochet |

Tags: Color Knitting the Easy Way, color theory, knitting, Melissa Leapman, potter craft

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