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Colour Lovers
Colour is one of our greatest expressions of ourselves when we choose to knit or crochet, so how do you choose what colours you buy and crochet or knit with. Have a look through your stash and see if there is a predominance of one colour. Do the same with your finished projects - do they match? Do you love a rainbow of bright hues, or more subdued tones. How much attention do you pay to the original colour that a garment is knit in when you see a pattern? Tell readers about your love or confusion over colour.

When I see yarn, color is what attracts me first.  I have to be drawn to it: bright colors that pop, to rich deep colors that feel homey.  I love it when yarn makers play with colors.   Usually the yarns I choose are variegated or heathered.  I do not normally buy a solid colored yarn, unless I have a pattern that I think needs a solid color, or unless I am really drawn to the richness of the color.   If I am not happy with the color of a yarn, I make up my own colors, by combining yarns.  

The Stash:

My stash is, I'm embarrassed to admit, HUGE.  Early on in my knitting career, only a couple years after I learned how to knit, I formed a color wheel of yarn around me, just to see what my preferences were.  I am also embarrassed to say that my stash often does not reflect what I want to immediately knit.  So, some yarn has sat in my stash for years.

The Projects:

My color preferences tend to change over time.  When I first started knitting, I was attracted to dark purples, blues and greens.  However, I've learned that that color isn't necessarily what I want to knit right away.  Some of my blue yarns have been in my stash since I started knitting.  A couple years ago, I was really into bright orange and light pinks.  More recently, I've switched to greens.  The color that almost never gets "stashed" is blue-green or green.  

The Inspiration:

I love knitting and crochet books that are beautiful to look at, meaning that the photographs have to be appealing, and the color choice is important in buying a pattern.  However, I have noticed that I don't normally knit the color in which a garment is originally knit.  More often, I will play with color, and choose a color that I like more.  

The Favorite Colors:

In 2007, my friend asked me what I believe she thought was an easy question, "what are your top two favorite colors," and this was my reply:

Charlene's favorite colors break down:

Color I think I look good in:  red (any shade of red, but not mixed with orange)

Colors I actually wear the most:
1. black
2. browns
3. blues (although I don't think I look great in light blues)
4. green (mostly a brownish green)
5. pink as an accent (I like normal pink, not obnoxious pink, and
usually I like it more as an accent for something or which a different
color.  Like, a pink design on a white shirt, or brown cords with a

a photo from the archives
when my stash was still "small"

pink sweater with a different color underneath, or a pink tank top with a white sweater or a scarf that is pink and green.)

Color I general like: purple, (usually a dark purple) but I never wear
it or use it much.

Color that was a childhood favorite: yellow-orange, but I never wear
yellow and rarely wear orange.

So as you can see you've asked a complicated question!!!  I never wear
rainbows though, but I do like color in my wardrobe, and I like
knitting with all sorts of colors.  (If you look at my stash, I
definitely can make a color wheel with it. . .haha!  I've done it
before!)