Color Seasons
What’s Happening?
Do you know your colors?
I’m hearing a lot of buzz about knowing your personal colors lately. It’s all over the internet, and I’m even getting ads on my phone for apps that will tell me what colors are best for my skin, eye and hair tones and combinations thereof.
It’s certainly not the first time this has come around. I have no idea when the very first might have been, but I can imagine Betty Rubble and Wilma Flintstone chatting over their Cactus Coolers about whether Betty’s blue dress was too pastel for her winter coloring.
Color Seasons
I remember my mother showing me the concept of color seasons in a book she was reading and agreeing with her that of the four options offered, I was a Winter. They were my favorite colors anyway.
Today, however, we have progressed WAY beyond the simple four seasons. Nobody’s just a Winter anymore. You’re either a Cool Winter, a Clear Winter, or a Deep Winter, and the differences in the suggested palettes are noticeable.
It turns out, according to one very helpful free site with a groovy flow chart, I’m not a Winter at all!
Does any of this matter? Especially to someone like me, who doesn’t pay a whole lot of attention to fashion and makeup?
Well, as most of you know, we invest quite a bit into the things we make for ourselves and others. Time is precious, and it’s probably the resource we spend most on the items we make. The yarn is rarely cheap, either. When we think of what we invest in these projects, we want to make sure we’re not wasting those resources by making something that will end up looking bad.
We already take this into account by being careful when we choose colors to pick ones we like, or that we know gift recipients like. We look at color wheels and we take black and white pictures to check value when we do colorwork so we make wise choices that will enhance the effects we want with the techniques we choose to use.
If I make you a tea cozy, I might care more about the color of your teapot than your skin tone, but I’d probably try to find out about that teapot, or the rest of your kitchen so I don’t make something that would clash. Similarly, it’s wise to give to some thought to the colors we choose for the projects we wear, especially those near our head and face.
We will choose to wear and use the things that make us feel good, and those are often the things that we’re told make us look good.
This is a challenge for me because when I knit or design, I enjoy the process more than having the product. (I want to talk about process vs. product knitting another time!) Because of that, when I choose colors, I am usually focused on how colors play together within the garment or item, and not at all on how they look on me.
Practically speaking, this results in a lot of finished knits that end up being gifts for friends with different coloring than me. I love bright colors, neutrals, and pastels in designs. I do not happen to look good in them. Similarly, while bold yellows and oranges are wonderful in colorwork, they do nasty things to my complexion.
I’m learning to balance the desire to use colors that appeal to me with the desire to make things I can enjoy using. It’s another avenue to explore with creative problem solving. I’d love to hear how my fellow knitters have managed this balance!
You can see above the pairing of yarns I chose that are within the color season palette that is more flattering to my coloring than the pairing I chose for the scarf I finished in the last journal entry. If I want to get better about wearing the things I knit (and I do!), making smarter choices with colors seems like a wise step.
What am I learning?
Aside from all this fascinating color seasons theory, I am learning about the importance of acceptance of seasons in life. You may have noticed a small hiatus in the regular writing schedule.
I’ve been experiencing one of those inevitable life seasons where even important things must be put aside for a time for the most important things to get the attention they merit. Sometimes we can arrange those times and make schedules that take them into account, and sometimes they simply come upon us, ready or not.
This one has been both expected and unpredictable. It’s reminded me of how very little control we have over the course of our days, and the preciousness of each day we’re given. It’s been a time for reflection and for being fully present.
It is in these times like that I am especially thankful for the blessings of family and good friends, technology that keeps us close at heart even over long distance, and the things that soothe and comfort. For me, that includes the beauty of the natural world and the glories of creation as well as a cozy corner with warmth and wool.
I hope your coming week has room for the things that bring you comfort, as well as special people to share them with.
What are you working on today?
Happy knitting!
Kiersten J
