Episode 4: Planning a Colorful Knitting Project

The self-striping barberpole patterns that make color-shifting yarns so irresistible can also make them challenging in a knitting project. Will the colors pop, dance, and sing, or will they blend into a muddy blur? Will the pattern you work hard to follow complement the yarn, or will it be be lost in the background?

Falling in love with a skein of self-striping and marled yarn is just the first step in knitting the project of your dreams. In this video, Jenny Monteleone teaches you how to create a swatch to understand the special characteristics of barberpole yarn. She demonstrates the importance of contrast and shows easy ways to see whether your yarns have enough of it.

At the end of this episode, you’ll know how to choose a self-striping yarn and a solid color that will make an effective colorwork design.

“The only way to get to be a better color chooser is to jump out of your box.”

Additional Resources for Episode 4:

• Put your color skills into practice! Knit Jenny’s original Clover Ridge Cowl, which she designed to make the most of color-shifting yarns.
  
• For a different perspective on knitting a gauge swatch, read “What’s Gauge Got to Do with It?” by Katrina King.
  
• To learn more about value and contrast, see the video course Color Magic: Color Families by Deb Menz.
  

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