Yarn Color Ideas for Knit and Crochet Projects

When starting a knit or crochet project, it's often difficult to come up with new color combinations. How do you decide what colors of yarn to buy to complete the latest pattern?

Walking the aisles of the local yarn store, many of us pick up skeins of yarn in various colors to hold them next to each other to see the effect. That method may work for basic colors that we know go together, but you probably don't try color combinations that are out of the ordinary. Step out of your comfort zone and be bold with your color choices; you may be surprised at what color schemes you can come up with.

I'm inspired by other things in my home - clothing, artwork - even a shower curtain can help me decide what colors to choose. Go to your closet and pull out your favorite sweater that has more than one color, maybe a striped one (go ahead, I'll wait).

Look at the garment with new eyes, focusing on the specific colors. Are they color choices you would normally put together? Probably not, but since it's your favorite sweater I'm sure the colors look good together, else it wouldn't be a favorite. Try picking similar colors for your next knit or crochet pattern. If the sweater is striped you can expect your afghan or blanket to look similar if the pattern is worked in stripes.

Don't limit yourself to working the same number of rows in each color; try alternating the width of the stripes in your ripple afghan, like you'll often see in a piece of clothing. Knit or crochet wider rows of the bolder colors, with more narrow strips of black, white or another base color in between.

If you do a granny square in those colors you'll get a different effect since the colors will be encircling each other on all sides, and not just one next to the other in a row. A granny square will look much different than a striped pattern in the same colors, but will be striking nonetheless.

When crocheting or knitting a blanket for a new baby, most tend to gravitate to pink, blue, green and yellow. There's nothing wrong with those colors, but you don't have to go with tradition to make an heirloom piece. Look to designer baby clothes for inspiration for baby blankets and layettes.

Throw some light gray yarn into the pink and white granny square blanket you're making for that sweet baby girl. Beyond that, don't limit yourself to traditional light pink; try a shade of dusty rose paired with sage green and an off-white or beige.

Blankets for baby boys in light blue and mint green coupled with pale yellow are abundant. Break out a more muted country or cornflower blue with a sage green in the same tone, and throw in sandy beige for a base color, or perhaps a golden, sunflower yellow. If working a granny square, pick one color to be the first round/center of the square, then alternate two different colors for the subsequent rounds. Finish the square with the border and joining rounds the same as the center yarn color to tie it all together.

You don't need to be a designer to come up with fabulous color choices for your knit and crochet projects. Look around you - your own clothes closet and furniture, browse through the linen and fashion departments of your favorite store - then hit the yarn aisle. You'll never lack for color inspiration.

Source: Personal experience