Choosing Colors for Projects

Hi everyone,

what are your thoughts on choosing colors for a project?

Do you start by looking at the colors in your yarn stash?

Or do you first think about what you want to make and in what color?

Or do you pick a color and then just get started to see how it turns out?

Best regards,

Birgit

First, I look through my yarn stash to pick out colors for a project, but I often change my mind halfway through and suddenly don’t like the colors as much anymore. So it can happen that I suddenly end up with 5 different shades of blue because I can’t make up my mind.

It’s always a challenge for me to find the right yarn and the right color, whether from my stash or in the store.

Best regards, Petra

Most of the time, it’s the latter.

I see a yarn cake with a color gradient that I really like, and then I think about what I’ll make with it.
Sometimes it takes several tries before the color(s) and the project feel like a good fit for me. 

For me, I usually have the yarn first and only then do I come up with an idea for what to make with it. I generally like all colors, so I don’t put any pressure on myself. Instead, I go by how the yarn feels and decide what to make based on that.

It really varies for me.
Sometimes I see a yarn cake and think, “Wow, I have to have that!” without even thinking about what I’ll make with it. Some never turn into anything because they just don’t look half as nice once they’re worked up. That’s often the case with many skeins from Wollmeise. Those are the typical “display skeins” that you just have because they’re pretty. ;-)

Sometimes I also think very specifically about what I want to make next, what’s still missing from my store, and what’s trending right now. Then I dive into my yarn stash, usually don’t find the right thing, and end up with a great excuse to buy new yarn. ;-)

Sometimes, though, I also go with yarn trends. Scheepjes Whirl is really taking off right now, so I recently ordered three yarn cakes and have already used one—the result is fantastic! ☺

Up until now, I’ve usually developed my project first and only then thought about color selection. BUT then I’d find I was missing the right colors and had to buy more. Now that I have so much yarn, I’m doing it the other way around. I go through my yarn stash and then decide what lovely thing I can make with it. Okay, sometimes that’s a bit more time-consuming and also more difficult, but I’ve made it my mission to reduce my yarn stash a bit.

I usually check my yarn stash to see what colors I still have, and then I experiment. I pull out anything that catches my eye and lay it all out side by side. Then it usually just comes to me spontaneously what I want to knit with it. Sometimes, though, I have a very specific project in mind, and then I go yarn shopping. But so far, no one’s had to force me to do that :-))))

It varies for me. Since I (fortunately) don’t have a yarn shop nearby, I usually start with an idea for something that I or my granddaughter might need right now. Then I think about the right colors and the right type of yarn. And then… I go online shopping. Most of the time, I end up getting lots of other ideas for different colors, and that’s how my yarn stash grows.

I’ve now decided to dive into my yarn stash and see if I can come up with ideas for what to make with it.

But when I did happen to visit a yarn shop—Traudelina—it went the other way around. I saw the yarn, and right away an idea popped into my head about what it could become. Well, I just had to take that yarn home with me. And here it is, waiting to be used. ;-)

I think I’d need several lifetimes to work through everything I’ve accumulated by now. In any case, it’s a totally great feeling to have a big enough yarn stash. :-)