Pink, Orange, and Color Theory

I've been thinking a lot about colors and color theory lately because a few weeks ago, there was a great article in the Washington Post's Local Living section (here) about the pink-orange combo, which you know I just love.  And I've been seeing a lot of pink in stores lately (actually scored a lovely dusty pink jacket for the spring/summer). Having just received the shipment of Petunia's wool, this year I'm really toying with the idea of dying some of it (even though its natural color is so beautiful).

I also came across a wonderful blog post about color theory by Tanis Gray on TanisKnits.  I really appreciated her first bit of advice to BE BRAVE in your color combinations while knitting (or crocheting of course).  It's frustrating, though, when you find colors you like and, when you go to buy more, you discover that they are discontinued because they are not "in."

For example, Pantone has decreed that Marsala is the color for 2015.  While I think it's a beautiful color, I lean more toward the "cool" colors, like a burgundy that has a bluish undertone (rather than the warmer colors with yellowish undertones).  Remember when discovering "your colors" was all the rage and whether you were a "winter" or a "summer" resulted in banishing certain colors from your wardrobe and makeup palette forever?!  I guess there's a part of me that still clings on to the concept :-)

I've also discovered that Dragonfly Fibers is actually just up the road from me!  Great article about the owner in a recent Washington Post article:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/inside-the-workshop-with-yarn-dyer-kate-chiocchio/2015/05/01/9a3aaf44-ed09-11e4-a55f-38924fca94f9_story.html

And you know how much I love the colors and yarns offered by Wandering Wool.  Mmmm, I think an internship in dying is in my future!

Baby Hat Obsession

A number of my friends are having babies!  And boys, so I've been trying to find out-of-the ordinary ways to make some boy baby gifts.  I came across these two knit baby hat patterns that I just love:  Tegan by Julie Taylor and a scalloped hat from Marie Carlander's blog (don't worry, keep scrolling down her site for the English version).  I loved them so much, I really became obsessed with knitting them.  Plus, as beautiful as a crocheted baby hat is, it just won't have the same stretchiness that a knit one does. 

Now, mind you, I can do simple knitting, but using DPNs (double point needles) and a circular needle are quite new to me.  Joelle from Wandering Wool helped me pick out the right needles from Chia Goo (affiliate link below), and I like them a lot.  I've been using Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash because it's machine washable and can be tumble dried and it's just soft and great to work with. 

But, really, whether it's crochet or knitting, it's all about repetition and practicing.  Now that I'm on my fourth hat, it's feeling quite good. 

I think the skull pattern turned out pretty good too since it was my first try at using two colors and making an image in the knitting.  The dad-to-be is the sweetest guy but has lots of tattoos, etc., so I knew I had to come up with an edgy baby hat :-).  More pix to come!