So there you are staring at your yarn stash… again… trying to pick the PERFECT color for that awesome new pattern you want to crochet. Maybe you take a few out to see how they look together, maybe you even go as far as starting the pattern. But ultimately you just can’t commit. Sound familiar?
Sometimes picking the colors can be the hardest part of starting a new project.
I want to tell you what I do when I am having color commitment issues.
1. Organize your yarn stash and craft area.
It is so hard for me to get my creative juices flowing if my space is a mess…. This inevitably happens because creating is messy lol. Sometimes all I need to cure my color commitment blues is to clean up and organize my yarn stash and my space in the living room where I do most of my crocheting.
2. Head to your favorite yarn store!
Now this one could get a little dangerous for your budget (don’t forget your coupons!). Sometimes a trip down the yarn aisle or a browse through the crochet book section is all you need to find that perfect color scheme.
Another great tip; if your favorite yarn store has a fabric section, take a little detour over there and see what draws your attention.
3.Pinterest
Pinterest is a great place to find Color Inspiration, in fact, I have a board titled just that! So, when I am scrolling through my feed or browsing a topic if I find something that sparks my creativity, I just pin it to that board so I can refer to it later.
4. Design Seeds
Design Seeds is a website that generates color palettes based on photos people submit. You can browse by color or by the collections they put together. Pin them to your Pinterest board!!
5. Your local Hardware Store
Yes, you read that correctly… I have two words for you: Paint Chips. Not only are there tons of paint chips but usually there are “look books” you can browse through. These usually have great color schemes in them.
6. Color inspiration from your (or your kid’s) clothes.
My daughter has a really cute pink shirt with a t-rex having tea on it (captioned: Tea-rex!) I was folding it one day and all of a sudden I had a little light bulb! How awesome is this color scheme! Pink, light pink, mint, and silvery grey. I haven’t found the perfect project for this yet but I still love these colors.
Get in your closet and see what YOU can come up with.
7. Get out of the house!
Color inspiration can be found anywhere if you’re looking for it! Go for a walk, head to the mall (see #6). When I am out and about if I find myself feeling inspired, I usually write myself a little memo or snap a picture.
8. When in doubt choose your favorite color.
We all have a favorite color (mine is purple by the way). I made a blanket for a friend of mine and I used all the purples I had in my stash plus the white and grey because I didn’t have enough purple.
Sometimes you don’t need multiple colors, just multiple shades of the same color!
9. Let the yarn makers do the work for you!
Self Striping, variegated, yarn cakes…. The possibilities are endless here. You don’t have to worry about picking coordinating colors when yarn manufacturers make it so easy.
Have you ordered yarn from We Crochet? They have samplers you can purchase! All the color picking is done for you. you can find them HERE. Easy-peasy, plus by buying the sampler you save a little money too (BONUS!!).
You can also find samplers at Lovecrafts!
10. Browse project galleries on Ravelry.
If you’ve found your patterns on Ravelry, a lot of the time there are projects people have added in the project tab on the pattern page. Browse through those and see what colors other people are choosing.
11. (Bonus Tip) Browse Instagram for color inspiration.
If you use Instagram on a regular basis, you probably know there is no shortage of inspiration there! When I see a photo that inspires me, I tap the little save banner so I can refer to it later.
Keeping your Color Inspiration organized!
So now you’ve pinned, jotted down, and/or typed notes to yourself and taken pictures of your color inspiration and you’re probably wondering what the heck are you supposed to do with it all.
I have a notebook specifically for my crochet ideas and in there I have a running list of color combos I want to try out and where I found my inspiration for them. I highly recommend making your own!
You could also use my crochet journal printables for this!
I don’t know about you but I have a zillion pictures on my phone… maybe 2 zillions. I like to organize the pictures I took specifically as color inspiration into their own album in my image gallery.
There are also apps you could use to organize your ideas, like Evernote or Trello.
What do you do when you just can’t settle on a color palette? Do you have any other tips to add? Leave a comment with your idea!
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Thank You! Thank you, especially for #4. I checked it out and I’m tingling with inspiration.
You’re the best for sharing such great info.
Warm regards,
Carol B
I have just bought sweet roll yarn in Ghana pop, and want to make an Afghan. Would the basket stitch or the stitch you used for the berry baby blanket work?
Thank you.