Working With Colors - My Favorite Thing To Do

I wish I could gather all the left over yarns from people and just play with color mixing, matching and creating the most interesting combos like an artist does on a canvas.

A customer came into the knit shop and she needed help with a crochet pattern using several color changes. The first thing to do is see how many colors the pattern calls for and the sequence of those colors. Usually they will be in an A, B, C sequence. But with her pattern the colors started with E then C so the sequence was different and then it would mix up again to make the design.

You then have the choice of playing it safe and going with the colors they suggest in the pattern or coming up with your own color choices. If you go by new colors, which the customer had her own color choices, then comes the sequence of the new colors to match the patterns design. I suggested that we use technology at our fingertips - mainly her smart phone to take pictures each time the colors were switched around to form a new sequence. Because once you move them around you can easily forget how you had the previous sequence. So she went with the idea and played with the sequence until one worked. Then it was time to start the project.

To keep track of the colors she was using for each letter I suggested to mark the letters on each yarn label for each color for a quick glance. I suggested to find a place on the pattern to mark it down also. This is called setting yourself up before you begin your project so everything is clear.

As for me, I am working on a project using colors but in a different way. This scarf is called Stripes & Short Rows from the Knit and Crochet Now! show. The yarn I am using is the Ella Rae Seasons. I love the construction of the scarf because of the increasing and short row technique. But also it uses two different long strand color way yarns. I chose the blue tones and the other a mixture of colors with one of the colors being blue. I hardly use the yarn or the colors that the pattern suggest unless I love the colors and want it to look exactly the same. So I am loving how the colors stream through the scarf. You work two rows of one skein and two rows of the second skein of yarn. You don't need to worry about yarn ends because the yarns are carried up the side as the rows are done - Yah! Because you know how I love yarn ends. Need I say more. I will show the finished work through Flickr.