Once there was a wonderful magazine called INKnitters, published by Diane Piwko. I contributed long, in-depth articles about all kinds of things related to knitting. Color was a focus. I was particularly interested in yellow, as you’ll read below. The article was finished and photos taken, when Diane decided to discontinue publishing INKnitters in 2006. It was the end of an era.
Sunshine, cowardly, lemon, journalism: yellow is many things. I was surprised learn that yellow is also “difficult.”
A friend took a creative color workshop with a well-known knitting instructor. Each student chose one color to study for the day. “But don’t pick yellow,” said the instructor. “It’s difficult.”
I scoffed at this, but to my amazement, someone made the same pronouncement at an international quilt show.
Well, I say if a color is allegedly difficult, working with it is the only way to learn to use it well.
So let’s take a look at yellow together, then you can use these methods to study any color you may find difficult. The best part is, no color wheel is necessary.
Basic Steps
Decide which specific variety of your chosen color you want to study.
Yellow ranges from pale creams (yellow + white) to rich olive shades (yellow + black). Yellow school-buses are really orange-yellow, while fluorescent yellows have greenish overtones. Given the large variety of yellow, I concentrated specifically on brilliant yellows.
Step 1: Observe Your Color in Different Surroundings
Look for your color in nature, in human environments, in magazines, quilts, your own home, photos, museums, and books. At this stage, the goal is to gather lots of information about the color, and avoid judging the color combinations you see.
Step 2: Answer these questions about the color and its surroundings.
- What other colors are near the study color?
- Are the nearby colors lighter, darker, or similar in tone to your color?
- Do you see shadows or highlights that enhance the study color?
- What are the proportions of the various colors?
Tip: Answer the questions in words, spoken or written, rather than just taking a visual impression in your brain. Writing answers on paper may help you focus on what you actually see, rather than what you remember from a mental snapshot. I’m always forgetting details about my mental snapshots.
Step 3: Make Sample Swatches
Knit or crochet samples with the color combinations you observed. This is your chance to try out some interesting stitch patterns. I still use Barbara G. Walker’s treasuries of knitting patterns. For crochet, my favorite is Harmony Guide to Crocheting Techniques and Stitches, by Debra Mountford, editor (1992).
Yellow in Nature
We have lots of yellow out here in rural Texas, so I took some photos for this study. Here’s a picture of a county roadside near our house.
I wrote answers to the questions listed above:
The lemon and orange-yellow flowers are surrounded by deep yellow-green and paler dusty-green leaves; also light brownish-gray dried leaves. The caliche road and the earth are light beige with pink undertones, but very bright. Flower centers and shadows are dark. Shadows aren’t exactly black. The amount of yellow is small in comparison to the greens and browns.
Just so you know, you may not like how your samples turn out. I didn’t like this one.
Going back to the original photo and my own words, I realized the deep shadows that added contrast to the scene were missing. Here’s the next sample with the deep shadow color added.
I wasn’t overly fond of this one either, but I have learned not to let this put me off. Making these samples time well spent. I learned something about these colors together. They may be perfect for a wall hanging someday. They may look better in different proportions. They may look a lot better to me in a few years.
It was time to move on.
Like this picture of nightshade berries and a grasshopper, yellow in nature is often seen with black, gray, and various shades of brown. Some tan or grayish birds have a patch of yellow feathers.
Here are knitted samples of yellow with grays and tan.
They’re alright. Interesting.
Next time: Yellow Around the House.