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Colorways
21 Plays7 days ago
Fiber artists and their opinion on colors? It's rare for them to fall in the gray area! Andrew (Caliri Creations) and Kelly (Cocky Crocheter) dive into the hues that snag their attention and how to pick your next project's palette.
Music Credit: Break by Moavii | https://www.youtube.com/@MoaviiMusic Free To Use | https://freetouse.com/music Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
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Transcript
Introduction to Episode 10
00:00:00
Speaker
Thank you.
00:00:14
Speaker
Hi everyone and welcome to episode 10 of 2CC's of Fiber Arts. I am your co-host Kelly and I'm here of course with other co-host
The Significance of Colorways in Fiber Arts
00:00:22
Speaker
Andrew. And today in our episode we are going to be talking all about colorways. Oh my gosh, so we are very excited about talking about this because as I'm sure Any fiber artists that we know, colors, colorways, colorwork, anything to do with color in fiber arts is such a big topic. It's a personal topic. is
00:00:46
Speaker
Very few people um are in the gray when it comes to their love for certain colors and then their hatred for certain colors. So I'm pretty sure you're going to be getting both sides of that in the conversation today. So with Andrew, um one of the things that I'm very curious about is just like kind of the types of colorways that he's really drawn to, like, you know, maybe some similarities we might have, but even maybe some like differences in like why he likes certain colors. Yeah.
00:01:18
Speaker
Yeah, and I think like you know we can just kind of kick it off from there. So Andrew, like if you were to kind of pick like your general color aesthetic, what would you kind of like say, how would you describe it?
00:01:30
Speaker
Yeah, ah that's a great question. I think my color aesthetic has kind of changed. And that's been basically because... When shopping for yarn, I am really drawn to like big bright colors. Like i love yellow and orange and like those really bright eye-catching colors.
00:01:52
Speaker
But then when it comes to making, I only have big, bright colors. And so then I have big, bright items.
Personal Color Preferences and Challenges
00:02:01
Speaker
And then, ah you know, it's like, what am I going to wear this with? You know, and I ran into that a lot of times where my final piece ended up being like big and bold. But I was, you know, hoping to wear something more subdued.
00:02:16
Speaker
So I'm trying to edit myself a little bit in my like color selection where I can have maybe like one color that is like big and bold and then the rest are like more neutral.
00:02:29
Speaker
And so I'm like in an era right now where I'm discovering the magic of neutrals. Yeah. Because for a while I was like, man, neutrals are so boring. Like they're literally called neutral. Like that's like zero, nothing, you know?
00:02:46
Speaker
But now I can see like the benefit, like neutrals can really help bring out another color. And it kind of makes it more usable as like a finished item.
00:02:57
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. I, okay. That makes a lot of sense. um Cause like I get kind of like that eye catching news, but then yeah, you think like, but what will this look good with kind of thing? love that you're like, you know, neutrals, blah, boring and everything like that. Yeah. Which is funny because all my life, like neutrals have always been like my favorite colors.
00:03:21
Speaker
enough Favorite? Like not even just for fiber arts? Yeah. No, not even just for fiber arts. Like I've always really been drawn to like neutral shades of things. And I mean, if i we did like a deep dive into like why I might have liked that, I'm sure we could figure that out. But just overall, I was just always drawn to, you know, like just gray, gray. Gray.
00:03:43
Speaker
charcoal which is just gray but dark um yeah and like you know whites and off whites and creams and browns and warm and like things like that like just neutral colors just always for some reason were some of my favorite ones and maybe that it's like because they were safe colors like they weren't bold they weren't out loud they weren't attention grabbing um And I think that's like like, even now, like I think one thing, if I think about it, I'm still really drawn to neutrals because they're not so attention grabbing.
00:04:15
Speaker
And it's because i don't need help enhancing my attention grabbing personality. Yeah. So I'm already a very loud, bold person. So imagine if I also wore loud, bold colors. It's like, I'm like, everybody look at me.
00:04:35
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I mean, there are definitely people who do that. They wear like big, bold things. They have big, bold personality. Like, you know, you could do that. um But it's interesting. You bring it up as like, ah you know, your color choices kind of are...
00:04:53
Speaker
in a way to kind of like balance out your personality. Yeah. And I, and I don't think that I knew that for a long time. Like, I think I was just like, I just happened to like these colors.
00:05:06
Speaker
Like my favorite colors growing up were blue, green, and gray. Like if I were to be like, have to pick them, blue would be like the number one gray would be number two green. Well, actually gray and green kind of switched back and forth between being number two.
00:05:21
Speaker
I oftentimes would say like blue is my favorite. Green was a comforting color. Like it's very relaxing. And then gray was like a power color for me because gray to me like represented storms, metal, steel, okay like powerful men in gray suits. Like it's like, you know, um slate. Everything that was strong was gray. um Yeah.
00:05:43
Speaker
So I was like, that's my power color. And then blue was like my just like go to that like magic color. Like it was like my favorite. I just enjoy blue. um And then green was just like, it's very organic and natural. And to me, it was like green was basically just blue with a different
Emotional Impact of Colors
00:06:02
Speaker
shade thrown into it. It was just cool. Yeah. um I mean, that is what green is, right? That's literally what green is. Yeah. Yeah, that's not even i feel like it. It's like, no, that is legit the definition of green. Yes. all Right, right. Yeah, that's interesting. You know, when I was growing up, my favorite color was blue. And then in high school, weirdly, it did change to like gray and black.
00:06:26
Speaker
And I was living in my parents' house and my bedroom, we had two bedrooms that had bathrooms attached. So of course, my parents took one, like the big one.
00:06:38
Speaker
ah But then I got the other one. And so they were asking me how I wanted to decorate the bathroom. And um i was like, i want like black and gray. And they were like, black and gray? Like in the bathroom? Like that sounds so depressing. And why would you want that? and I was like, don't Those are my favorite colors.
00:06:57
Speaker
And to this day, that bathroom is still gray. yeah With all the original black and gray accents and everything. Yeah. That is so funny. And you know what i also find funny? It sounds like we had similar. I'm just noticing.
00:07:11
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Well, okay. So you and I are both literally wearing black and gray right now. I know. That's not even planned. did not plan for that. And have on a hat. Yeah, it was not. I know, I know. we literally are just wearing those. Yes. um And we're like, yeah oh, these used to be our favorite colors.
00:07:29
Speaker
As if we're not still wearing them. No. Yes, exactly. Exactly. Well, and I think like, that's the thing though, is that like, I know that for me, I'm drawn to different colors for different reasons, as I'm sure all of us are. So like what I said about like, you know, gray being more of like a power color to me, I wouldn't necessarily say gray is my favorite color because like to say it's my favorite is like, that's not true. But it's definitely like one of those colors that when I see it, it just, it draws something out of me. And also I love what you can do with gray. Like, um you can, like, pair it with so many different things. And yeah there are shades of gray. And I don't mean, like, you know, like, 50 shades of I'm not saying, like, no copyright infringement.
00:08:15
Speaker
Legitimately, I'm just like, gray ear is, for like, not all grays are the same. It's like, so... There's there's there's just more than 50 if you look at hex codes. There's all kinds of gray shades. But there's different... like There's bluish gray.
00:08:30
Speaker
There's like yellowish gray. There's like true gray. There's more of a pinky gray. like You've got grays that can have different like shades. And depending on what you pair it with, it can bring out and enhance certain aspects of it. So like you can have like a warm gray.
00:08:44
Speaker
um So yeah. um That's what I would kind of like say about that. um There's also... like To me, I, you know, like I said that I would pick it out for like to balance my personality, but for you, I know you're really drawn to those like really big, bold colors.
00:09:01
Speaker
Yeah. But I wouldn't necessarily say you're a very big, bold person. Like you don't seem to be like really like everyone pay attention to
Tips on Yarn Color Selection
00:09:09
Speaker
me kind of person. Like, you know, you're not like, you're not like me where you're just like everyone. I just, I just, I'm wanting to talk to everybody. Yeah. Yeah.
00:09:17
Speaker
Yeah, it's true. i mean, like, I feel like I keep to myself, like, most of the time. And then like, I can come out of my shell and, like, you know, go back and forth. And, I mean, like, you and I, like, have great conversations back and forth. So, like, I can definitely, like, enter that, like, ah personality.
00:09:37
Speaker
But, yeah, for the most part, I'm not, like, so extroverted or anything. But, yeah, the colors I'm drawn to is just, like, I don't know, something about... Like, I've noticed the past, like, year or two years, I am just, like, completely obsessed with yellow.
00:09:51
Speaker
I don't know why, but I think it's just, like, yellow invokes such a bright, like, positivity, like... I don't know. It just makes me feel good when I see yellow. I'm like, especially yellow yarn. I'm just like, you know, big heart eyes, like popping out of my head, like a cartoon.
00:10:12
Speaker
It's like my favorite thing ever. oh And I can't shake it. So I just, I'm like leaning into the yellow stuff. But like that being said, when it comes to wearing something, I don't think I want to wear something that's like all yellow.
00:10:27
Speaker
You know, like all yellow, like a whole yellow sweater. I don't know, that's a bit much. So I like to kind of um like in the sweater that I'm making now, there's like a big yellow portion of it, but the rest of it is all neutral.
00:10:41
Speaker
And so it's like really nice actually to pair my favorite color with these other colors that are like, you know, it's more like building a background. And then you have the cherry on top, which is like the color that will stand out.
00:10:55
Speaker
But if you have cherries all over the place, then you just have a bowl of cherries. And it's not like a perfect Sunday. Like you would if you like kind of stack the neutrals and then add the color at the end. you know what i mean?
00:11:09
Speaker
i love that you compared it to like making a Sunday, like ice cream. And yet when you said like a stack of cherries and I'm like, I love having things like the extra hot fudge and the extra cherries. I'm like, pile it on there. Yeah.
00:11:22
Speaker
Yeah, but if you just have cherries and there's nothing else. Like, if you just have that's true cherries, that's true like you can't have a million cherries on top. It defeats the purpose of a cherry on top.
00:11:38
Speaker
You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. It does mean that it loses the specialness. like it no longer has the center It's not center stage. If everybody a cherry, then no nothing is special on that Sunday.
00:11:52
Speaker
Yeah, Something like that. there It's something there. Yeah, there's an analogy there somewhere. Okay, so... yes Okay, so one thing that I will say with all of that too is that yes, I will say I do like gray and it's really, really a great color. But sometimes I'm like, I need something else. Like I need it to not just all be gray. There needs to be some other color in here.
00:12:17
Speaker
So pairing a gray with some other accent color that's like a little bit more bold feels like, okay, this gets a little bit more attention, but it's still not like out there. So even if I paired gray with something like a really bright, obnoxious purple or a red or something like that, it would be still like in my wheelhouse. Like it would be like, i would still enjoy that. But I think that's the thing is I'm like, I'm not really good at picking colors like that. I'm not really good at matching or coordinating colors too well. So sometimes I think that's why I fall back on a lot of those neutrals is I'm like, well, I know a neutral is going to be safe. And if I just put a little bit of the other colors in there, it won't look too bad.
00:13:01
Speaker
That's true. Yeah. I mean, picking colors. Yeah. Yeah, i agree. I mean, picking colors is a true skill. You know, I think it just takes like practice. And it really helps when you go to like a one of those conventions, like a a Fiber Fest or something, because you can like start with one color and then go from booth to booth and kind of like look around and like hold the yarn up. And i mean, you could even do it at a yarn shop.
00:13:27
Speaker
And ah just like hold up different skeins next to each other and be like, okay, do they look good next to each other? If yes, then move on to the next and then try and find a third or fourth, like depending on how many colors you need.
00:13:40
Speaker
And I found that that has been a very helpful method of like coming up with like a color story. um So maybe you could try that too. Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
00:13:52
Speaker
I mean, that's a great idea, but I mean, i can sit there and hold colors next to each other and have no clue how they're going to look in a finished product. Like, because I don't, like,
00:14:06
Speaker
Yes, I am not super great with being able to coordinate colors like that, which is why i have to rely either on other people's eyes or color theory. So like I will turn to like the science of color to be like, what are things that go well together?
00:14:20
Speaker
And then I might be like, okay, so there we go. Those are the colors that I would need to pick. Which then in turn means a lot of times I'm like, well, that's a little, I don't know, are those really gonna go well together? i still don't even trust color theory. I'm like, it will they'll tell me two colors are supposed to look good together. And then I'll be like, do they? i can't really tell if they do. So then I'm like, you know what? I'm just gonna pick one color and that's all I'm gonna use.
00:14:45
Speaker
like Yeah, I noticed that you use a lot of solids, um but since this is an episode about colorways, what do you think about variegated yarn or like speckled yarn? Do you ever use that kind of stuff?
00:14:59
Speaker
Okay, actually, that's a great question because... Variegated yarns, I'm a little iffy on. like Speckled yarns are fine because to me they're still basically solid. They just have like a little bit of yeah sprinkle, like pizzazz a little to them. But with variegated yarns, I'm just never quite sure how the colors are going to necessarily pool or what kind pattern they might come out with. Sometimes that the variegation is just like really stark. Like there are ones where there might be like it's orange and red and blue and green and it's like all these bright colors all mixed in. Yeah. I'm like, no, I don't really like those. But if it's kind of like more monochromatic or it's like mostly so monochromatic, but like maybe one splash of something bright. um
00:15:49
Speaker
then I might be like more willing to go with that. But that's actually one way I've been able to get around doing color work is because if i don't want something that's a solid color, but I don't want to do like actual color work where I'm changing colors, changing yarns or anything like that, I will opt for a variegated or a speckled or something like that to get yeah some splashes of color. And then let that play the the foreground.
00:16:14
Speaker
So then that way I'm not having to control the color, but it's still one smooth
Variegated vs. Tonal Yarns
00:16:19
Speaker
piece of yarn. And then it just like plays out on its own. So yeah. And a lot of times if I'm doing solids, I'll even like really enjoy a good tonal. Cause to me, a tonal is still like, Oh, love. I love a tonal. Like I love bonalard a tonal yarn.
00:16:36
Speaker
Yeah. Yes. Because then I get to be like, I get the best of like, you know, a solid, but it's not just a solid. Like, it's like, it's got some character to it. It's like, I get to have my gray with a little bit of charcoal. Yeah.
00:16:50
Speaker
Yeah. I actually have a great example of tonal yarn right now with my current project. Show it off for you ah any of you who are watching. um This is what we mean by tonal yarn. So hopefully you can kind of see. But you see how that brown, like it's all one color, but it's got like some lighter tones, some darker tones, ah but it's all still like the same color in this brown section.
00:17:18
Speaker
And ah I mean, that's what I love about yeah tonal yarn as well, because you're right, it adds variety. Like if that brown was all just the same tone of brown all the way through, be like way more boring to knit.
00:17:32
Speaker
ah You know, the tonal yarn, you never know what color the next stitch is going to be because it'll be the same color, but like a different tone. ah so it kind of adds like a fun element to the making process.
00:17:46
Speaker
So yeah, i totally agree. That's true. And I think like what I like about things like tonal yarn, like what you said, tonal alarmn total yarn, like you said, is like, it's, it's not quote unquote boring, but i think there's also something to be said about like, if you do want something that is a controlled solid color,
00:18:06
Speaker
then tonals are like a nightmare to work with. Cause you're just like, well now it's just like all over the place. But I think that's like tonals give a very good, like vintage handmade look where like a solid color gives it a very polished look, like a very clean, like so,
00:18:23
Speaker
I've got, oh my God, it's gray. I've got a gray um yarn right here. Yes. But it's because I'm making like these gloves still. um But like I'm making these gloves and for me, I'm like, I needed the gloves to be just like classic, classic glove, gray, neutral can go with a coat, go with any color I might wear. So I'm like, I needed it to be pure, solid gray. Yeah.
00:18:48
Speaker
yeah As opposed to something like I'm making a hat using, This variegated, I'd say there it's it's kind of, actually I would say on the border of a variegated and a tonal, technically variegated because they're not the same color because of this little kind of almost splash of pink, but it's mostly like just tones of purpley indigo blue.
00:19:12
Speaker
with those little splashes of pink. So it's kind of like, this is a way of getting some, a little bit of excitement. Like there's no texture really to this. It's just a solid stitch. So the color adds that like fun element to it.
00:19:26
Speaker
Yeah. Well, it's so it's really interesting you say that because you're right. When you have like one solid stitch pattern, the color is like the star.
00:19:36
Speaker
And so like you can really pick like a yarn like that, variegated yarn. ah Like in knitting, an example would be like a stockinette. Like if I'm doing something in stockinette stitch, like let's say a sweater, for example, and I'm using a variegated yarn,
00:19:50
Speaker
Well, it's going to shine in the sweater because the stitches are all the same and the yarn will really shine. yeah But as a great example of the, like the yarn can also take away from the stitch pattern. And I'm going to use the hat I'm wearing as an example. So I have the remainder the yarn here. I love this.
00:20:10
Speaker
Yeah. So you can see it's got like these ah like long stretches of blue and like ah kind of tonal navy. And then it has this like empty patch of like yellow.
00:20:22
Speaker
And so when you're knitting it, the color will pool in different areas. um And I was really excited to use it for this hat because I love this pattern. It's a really easy make and ah the yarn feels amazing.
00:20:37
Speaker
But anyway, this is a cabled hat. which you might not be able to tell by looking at it, but this hat is like a very complicated cabling hat, but you cannot see the stitch definition because of the intense variegation. If I come a little bit closer, can you see the cables?
00:20:58
Speaker
Like it's like still really hard tell. At least do you see texture? Yeah. right like center You can see i think there's cable, like all these. It just gets too muddy.
00:21:10
Speaker
So I kind of learned the hard way after making this hat, like, okay, variegated yarn and cables. They don't go together. Yeah, that's and that's what makes sense. And I think that that's another thing is that sometimes when we're picking colors as fiber artists, we might be drawn to certain ones and be like, oh, that's really pretty in the skein or something like that. yeah And it would look good in certain projects because of the type of texture or the stitch, but then in other projects, it won't look as good. um Be precisely for that same reason. You're like, what is going to play the the star? Like, who's the star in this pattern? um
00:21:47
Speaker
and So that's a great example where like the cables were supposed to be the star and then the yarn ended up taking
Yarn Color Impact on Projects
00:21:56
Speaker
over. So then you're like, well, this might as well have just been a plain beanie for the yarn that used. I should have used something a little bit more solid or a tonal um or even still, if you wanted to use a variegated yarn,
00:22:08
Speaker
a more subtle variegation so like the contrast in the colors shouldn't be as much so something like if it wasn't the navy and the yellow if it had been like navies and greens it still would have been like not as pro like your cable still probably wouldn't be as prominent but it wouldn't have been as hidden either so i think those types of choices matter but then also The variegation with a cable pattern i think would work if you either chose to make all the cables variegated and then the background stitches solid or vice versa.
00:22:45
Speaker
And I think like wow that would create, I'm i'm interested see what kind of effect that would be if like you did a variegated background with solid cables versus solid background and variegated cables.
00:22:57
Speaker
Well, I think if you were going to do something like that, you would have to do stranded color work ah where like you're, you remember that hat that I made for Brian, my husband, um with the interlocking, like it was like the brown and gray one that like they, don't it's hard to explain, but like the different colors cross over each other I remember it though.
00:23:22
Speaker
So you could probably make something like that where like one of them is variegated and then the cabling one is not or something. Or you would have to like just do it in like a plain white yarn and then like paint dye the background and like leave the cables white or something.
00:23:40
Speaker
Have you ever heard of that where you like you color the yarn after you make it? No, I mean, I've heard of people like they'll make something and then dye the project, like the whole project, but I've never heard of like yeah somebody doing like paint, like hand painting the dye. Yes, like well you can. I've heard of like that that technique when people have like hand painted yarn not the project after. That is really interesting because then you're able to get away with like, you don't have to do the color work. You don't have to stranded color work, but then still get color work.
Exploring Yarn Dyeing Techniques
00:24:12
Speaker
i think That is really cool.
00:24:15
Speaker
I've never done it. There was this, ah so there's a women's group that meets up at the same cafe that we meet up at. And one of the women there, she brought a project one time that was all white.
00:24:26
Speaker
And she was saying that she was teaching a class on that, how you can like, um you know, just make like a tapestry or something with a bunch of different stitch types. And then you go in later with the dye and you say like, okay, well, all of the,
00:24:40
Speaker
half double crochets, I'm going to paint this color. and Well, obviously with like yarn dyes, that's like what you're painting with. Right. um but it's like I'm guessing it's kind of like a paint by numbers, but like for your actual yarn. So then you're really making the colorway after you've already made the piece, which I think is pretty interesting.
00:25:03
Speaker
That is really interesting. God, that would be... i would It would upset me so much if I was doing that and I accidentally got dye on one of the wrong parts and be like, I can't get that out.
00:25:17
Speaker
yeah So I'm almost like, okay, no, no, I'm too afraid. I can't do that. I cannot do that. Especially if they were like, the stitches were really close. Like if it was cables and like, I'm trying to get the background like right under a cable or something. I'm like, yeah i would find out at it I would have rather just done the stranded color work.
00:25:34
Speaker
For real. Yeah.
Audience Interaction and Community Engagement
00:25:38
Speaker
All right, well, it sounds like we have exhausted the color talk here. if you're a dyer, you'll understand why that's a funny joke. We've talked about you know favorite colors, what draws us to them and everything like that. And of course, as per the usual, we want to know what you think, what are your favorite colors?
00:25:57
Speaker
yeah Do you like tonal yarn, solid yarns, variegated? It's like what kinds of projects do you like to do with those? Definitely like, you know, let us know in the comments, keep the conversation going. We would love to hear everything you have to say about your favorite colors fiber arts.
00:26:12
Speaker
Yes, definitely. i love seeing comments on here. i love building a community with all of you. So ah we really appreciate the comments. We also really appreciate any kind of engagement on this video. So if you liked our video, definitely give us a like, give us a subscribe or follow, and we would be very appreciative of that. We want to keep making these. episodes for y'all and it's really fun for us to see the community engagement so thank you all for all of that support and we really hope that you will come back for our next episode coming out in two weeks and until then take care