Choosing colors

updated February 14, 2021

There are lots of ways to choose colors and all that variety can be daunting.  Here are a couple methods I use when I’m just not sure.

Browse Canva’s Color Wheel

They have an awesome way to explore colors by starting with one and seeing a lot of coordinating colors. It’s a fun way to experiment and you might just got a different idea too!

They also have a fun article giving more details on what different colors mean.

Browse Design Seeds

If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, start with By Collection.  You can choose by season or browse by Flora, Fauna Nature or fun ones like Market Hues and Rustic.

Of course, if you do have a color in mind – say you MUST use that one skein of yarn in your stash – then use the By Color and click your favorite shade of pink or green.  You might be surprised when she pairs a navy with that pink or a purple with that green.

Just be careful – you can lose almost as much time on Design Seeds as you do on Ravelry.  You’ve been warned.

With an Image

There are tons of sites out there that let you upload an image and get colors from it.  Here are just a few:

1. Color Code Picker – Upload an image or point to a URL and get the main colors from it.
2. Adobe Color Theme – Get a 5-color palette after you upload an image, and even see where the colors are coming from. Choose from 5 different color moods!
3. CSSDrive – Upload an image or point to one with a URL. In return, you get three palettes – light, medium and dark.

I uploaded a pic of the Nontiscordardime Beret and got these palettes from CSSDrive:

Do a Google Image Search

I searched for Pink and got the images below.  You can also search for things like sunsets, skies, or thunderstorms.  A great option if you’re not quite sure what you might want.  And once you do find an image you like, upload it to one of the palette pickers above and see what they give you.

Selecting colors can be fun.  Choose a variety that matches your wardrobe and you’re sure to coordinate with lots of what you already own.  Or go outside of your color-comfort zone and add that pop of color to your outfit.

If you liked this post you may be interested in the all-garter stitch Andrea shawl in the Late Fall/Early Spring 2016 issue.  Pick 4 colors and have a blast.  And now with all these options for choosing colors, the hardest part will be casting on.

Oh! You might also be interested in our tutorial on how to easily carry yarn up the side (yes – fewer ends to weave in).  Go check it out!