3KCBWDAY1 Colour Lovers

Day 1 of Knit & Crochet Blog Week 2012! We're here! Thank you Eskimi Makes for making it all possible, and welcome fellow knitters, crocheters, and those just curious about what the heck this is.

When I first set up my craftroom, I envisioned a wall of yarn--glass bookcases filled with colorful yarn. I decided against the bookcases, opting instead for an open unit from Ikea, but I still got my wall of yarn. 

 Not an entire wall, but I'm working on that. You can't see it, but there is yarn in those green boxes, too. Well, I can't just throw those leftover yarns away, now can I? Who knows, one of these days I may make that sock yarn blanket (read about it here), the one with matchbox size squares sewn together. Or not.

When I look at the yarn, I realize I'm matted. I mean, "matte" in terms of a lack of visual brightness. That's not a bad thing; I just gravitate towards earthy, non-shiny colors. I do try to break out of that, then I go to the yarn shop and go straight to the greens, neutrals, dark colors, and every shade of gray that comes into view.

You may notice there's a small contradiction color on the second shelf. Yep. Purple! A lavender-y,  lilac-y color of Cascade 220 that I ordered from Webs years ago to make the Cashmere Crossing poncho by Kathy Zimmerman (Ravelry page here). It was lighter than I thought it would be, and although I could've sent it back and exchanged it, I decided to keep it and use it to break out of my color rut. You can see how well that turned out. It wasn't until last month that I actually wound a skein into a cake and started knitting a lacy shawl by Mari Lynn Patrick that was in KnitSimple magazine (Ravalry page here). Here's a picture of my progress so far.

 I'm still not really wild about the color. It's just not me, but the pattern is pretty and I think it will make a pretty wrap to wear on the chilly Nebraska mornings. Or, it'll make a nice gift for someone and I'll just make another one in a different color. I've been drawn to blues, lately. I finally made a Damson shawl by Ysolda Teague for myself out of a blue Malabrigo sock yarn. 

This post is starting to ramble on, but one more thought on color. When I started knitting, I really enjoyed the variegated colored yarn, and I still really enjoy variegated yarns. However, I'm knitting more and more with tonal and solid colors. I think that's because I'm knitting more lace and cable patterns, and those patterns show up better in solid or not-so-variegated colors. But being a sock knitter, I love me some multicolored, hand-dyed sock yarn. It's wonderful to be able to buy a skein of a wild color and make a pair of socks with it. Or a shawlette or a cowl or fingerless mitts ...

Lorna's Laces Jungle Stripe, anyone?

Have a wonderful, colorful day everyone! See you tomorrow.