K&C Week Day 1: Colour Lovers

You don't have to look in my stash for long to see that I love colour. That much is to be expected, since I come from a long line of artists. One thing I did learn while writing this post was that my Great, Great, Great Granddad had paintings in the Royal Academy of the Arts.

Now, you would think with all that artistic blood running through me I would know a thing or two about colour, but I don't. I really don't. If I do want to knit something for myself, I always manage to pick the wrong colours. I don't think I do too badly when it comes to knitting for other people, though. Whether that is because I'm any good at it or. it's the fact that I tend to ask people what colours they like before I knit for them (a.k.a plain cheating) I'm not sure. We'll probably never know.

After a look through my stash, you can really tell I like bright colours. From Double Knit in bright turquoise to rainbow 4ply, I love it all.

When I find a pattern I want to knit, I totally ignore the colours they've knitted it in. Instead, I look at the projects of others and try to get ideas from them or, sometimes I love the colours they've chosen so much I copy them. For example, I loved Shewalk's yarn and colour choices for her Branching Out scarf so much that I literally ran to the yarn shop to use the same for my Branching Out scarf.

Occasionally I love a colour so much that I buy it regardless of whether I can knit with the yarn or not. This is what happened when my lovely friend Myriah and I were partnered in a swap together. As she was really after some acrylic yarn that is widely available in the UK she let me choose any yarn I wanted from her local yarn shop. She took photos of all the yarn in the shop (so jealous of her LYS!), and the moment I saw this photograph I knew I needed to get Rauma Finullgarn in bright orange.

The end of this tale is a sad one. Myriah lovingly bought me the yarn and sent it along with other Norwegian goodies (including a sheep!). Since that wonderful day in October I haven't even blinked at the yarn. I just can't seem to find a pattern that will do it justice. Which is a real shame as I love the yarn to pieces.

I might save it for when I can knit socks, or when I feel I can attempt a pair of Norwegian mittens.

Other yarns that have got me in a tizzy are:

1. Morocco by Patons UK in Jade/Smaragd
2. Toison by Bergere de France in Blason and Hermine
3. Panache by Spectrum in Mandarin

So if you wonderful knitters have any ideas for what I could knit with them, then I would be so very grateful.

I do however know how to match my nails with my knitting!