The Beauty of Color -- 3KCBWDAY1

Today marks the beginning of the Third Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, and I'm very much excited to participate this year! I'm looking forward to the challenge of blogging each day about a different yarn/knitting related topic, and today's topic is a great way to get my feet wet in this challenge:

{Color Lover}

Growing up, having a favorite color was a huge deal for me. Mine was red. Then it was green. Next was purple. Then hot pink and green together. Now, I'm back to green... or am I? As I think about my color preferences though, I find that as a whole, I always gravitate toward warm colors... you remember the color wheel from elementary art classes, right? Reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, purples.... ironically, my favorite color is still green. But I think I like green so much because it's such a natural base for all the other colors. Think about it, what color doesn't look good with green in some shade? I like green so much, and how it makes other colors pop that I even picked it for my bridesmaids' dresses last summer when D and I got married. See how pretty they look? (Please, ignore the fact that they're trying to beat each other up!)

Thinking back to our wedding, color was huge for me. Every bride has her colors and sticks to them ("My colors are blush and bashful!" "Your colors are pink and pink."), and I was certainly no exception. Hot pink, orange, and yellow-- lovely bright colors, and I was so pleased with the results. Bright colors make me happy. :) And now that we're in our own place, I find that colors are still a huge deal. I've got the same hot pink, orange, and yellow in our apartment, which really pops against the white walls, and I love it. Wouldn't have it any other way.

For all my love of the same few colors, I find that my color preferences change with the seasons. (So I suppose I could be considered a seasonal color lover?) Warmer tones in the fall, deep reds and greens in the winter, and bright, cheery ones in the spring and summer. Color, to me, is one of the biggest things that makes life beautiful. I was having a browse through my stash the other day, as I bought a new basket to contain some of it, and realized that one of the reasons I enjoy decorating with baskets of yarn is because of the color it brings to the room. I can combine different colors and textures, all in one place and create this beautiful-looking and functional piece of art. As I look at my stash, I realized that the seasons affect not only what type of yarn I purchase, but also the colors I select. Many of my darker browns, greens, and greys I purchased in the winter months; vibrant colors in the warmer months.

When picking colors for a project, often I'll browse through others' project pages on Rav and see what colors they came up with. Sometimes I'll stick with the original... others I pick because I associate that person with a color. Take the baby blanket I knit earlier this year. The pattern picture is pink. Mine was purple because I always associate purple with the recipient. The same is definitely true for other gift knits as well. And I'm more than ok with that (unless they request any specific colors -- I'm more than happy to oblige). For me, color makes or breaks the project. I find that I pick simpler, less complex colors for knits where I want the pattern to show through. I'll pick attention-grabbing colors for patterns that are more basic when I really want to focus on color. Does this mean I'm an all-color-opportunity knitter? I'm ok with that.... because I love color, and the beauty it brings to both my knitting, and my life.