Monday, April 2, 2007

"Shocking" contrast....


Karen, forgive me if I misquote you, but I believe that is what you suggested to me in our phone conversation this morning...that there needed to be "shocking" contrast between the solid and the multi yarn. I am struggling, and wondered if I could get opinions.

I am a brown/beige person. My original plan was to combine one of these browns with a multi, one of many that I have, that have oranges, beiges, but also some browns in them. Just is not going to work. So: What do you think about these combos: Honesty is requested! I am leaning most toward the middle one, but it is the least shocking of them all. Karen thought that the "Easter" colors (Petticoat in the middle) might look good with the dark green (grass). I have paired the dark green with the purple/green/yellow combo. The brown above the blue is a very dark brown, although it looks somewhat burgandy in the photo - it is not.

Good thing I have a few days to wait on the pattern. My head is spinning.

Karen - it was very nice visiting with you this morning. Thanks for your opinions and guidance. And, to everyone else - thanks if you can help me out with this!! If I need to go to the LYS - tell me - I can do that too!!

Kathy in Iowa
http://nuttinbutknittin.blogspot.com/

4 comments:

Prayerful Knitter - Shelly said...

Kathy, I'm in the same boat here in OK. I'm winding yarn now to see if it looks different in a cake than in the hank. Maybe that will help me.

I may also be trekking to the LYS soon. : )

Tracy Hudson said...

Kathy,
I'd vote for the far right combo, of those you've shown.
It's important that the darkest color in the multi isn't as dark as the solid - then you'll probably have enough value contrast.
Your multi look good & light. You could even do a swatch with stranded colorwork, while you wait for the pattern......

Karen said...

Hi Kathy,

All of these combinations seem to have a nice amount of contrast. Now you need to choose the colors you love to work with. In that case, I think the middle group will please you. Using "Pettioat" as your background, take a strand of the solid (it looks "eggplant purple" on my monitor) and wrap it around the multi color a few times. Can you visualize a pattern of purple eggplant framed by your pastel multi? Do you like the effect? I also like the green and purple combination on the right. Try the same stranding experiment.

If you'd like to swatch, Cast on 40 sts on your dpns, work a K2 MC, K2 CC for a few rows and take a peek. This swatch can also get you comfortable with stranding, and serve as a gauge swatch if you knit at least 4 inches.

Peaceful Knitting,
Karen

A. M. Warnke said...

Kathy,

I like the middle one best considering what you said. Or I secondly like the one on the left. No, I am not trying to be opposite of every one else, I just bend over backward to aviod green.

Then again as one said it is your choice.