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Hands Occupied

Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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Color Value for Makers

February 5, 2021 Leave a Comment

Sponsored by Knit Picks. Post contains affiliate links.

Four skeins of primary colored yarn in color as well as black and white, used to help explain the concept of color value.
Pictured: Wool of the Andes Bulky from Knit Picks

How is it that I’m always yammering on about my love of primary colors and dropping ❤️ 💛 💙 on things, but I haven’t written a proper blog post on color theory before? Last week, I published a cute TikTok on using your phone to help select yarn color, and it definitely got my (color) wheels turning. Let’s talk a bit about color theory for yarn crafters, starting with the concept of color value.

What is Color Value?

@handsoccupied

Color value 101 & how to use your phone to figure it out 🧶 ##handsoccupied ##learnontiktok ##knitting ##crochet ##whatilearned

♬ Rasputin (7″ Version) – Boney M.

In the video, I explain that black and white photos help makers see the contrast between colors, and that color value can be described as how close to black or white, or how light or dark a color is. But since we’re working with a blog post and not a 30 second video here, let’s dig a little deeper.

Four skeins of primary colored yarn in color as well as black and white, used to help explain the concept of color value.

Useful colors to picture for color value

A graphic featuring eggplant, lavender, navy and light blue squares designed to illustrate a point about color value.
Anyone else seeing Candyland cards in this graphic? 😆

Eggplant/lavender & navy/sky blue are commonly-identifiable colors, easy to picture. They’re also good for explaining the phenomenon that two DIFFERENT colors can have the same/similar value. In this example, eggplant & navy have a more similar color value than lavender & sky blue.

I used my iPhone to convert the above graphic to black and white using one of my phone’s built-in black and white filters. (Here’s how to do that. I recommend the Mono filter.) Here’s the result.

A graphic featuring eggplant, lavender, navy and light blue squares designed to illustrate a point about color value.

As you can see, when converted to black & white, the eggplant and navy colors have nearly the same color value. And while the lavender and sky blue aren’t quite as close in value, they are closer to each other in value than their darker, same-color counterparts.

Another way to think of these examples: sky blue is another name for LIGHT blue. Navy is another name for DARK blue. Light colors are described as having “higher” value than dark colors. Light colors reflect more light than dark colors, which absorb more light. Light is how the eye perceives color, so that is why you have to care about color value in your making, particularly if you’re combining colors in an effort to make a design discernible to the eye.

Four skeins of primary colored yarn used to help explain the concept of color value.
Pictured: Wool of the Andes Bulky from Knit Picks

Related Reading

I former librarian, I firmly believe in the value of reading about the same concepts, but explained and illustrated in new ways. No two makers have the same context and reference points, so if my explanation on color value isn’t totally clicking with you, or if you want to delve further into reading about color theory before I get around to writing another post, give these links a look:

Color Theory Basics I – Tricksy Knitter

The Value of a Color is in the Gray – Roving Crafters

How to Choose Colors for Fair Isle or Stranded Colorwork Knitting – Berroco Blog

Value in Color Theory – Round Table Yarns

9 Hints for Selecting a Colorwork Palette for Stranded Knitting – Interweave

Colour Theory for Knitters – Tin Can Knits

Color Theory for Stranded Colorwork – Brooklyn Tweed

Color Value for Makers: A a bit about color theory for yarn crafters, starting with the concept of color value.

Sponsored by Knit Picks. Post contains affiliate links.

Filed Under: Crochet, Knitting, Latch Hook, Macramé Tagged With: color theory, color value, colorwork, picking yarn for projects

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

Previous Post: « 5 Types of Yarn Ball & How to Work with Them
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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer helping makers untangle various techniques with a blog & YouTube channel
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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts
Stitching around the Christmas tree 🧶 . Working Stitching around the Christmas tree 🧶
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Working on a new sample of an old sweater today, and I can confirm: a tree makes a pretty decent yarn holder. 
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Yarn: @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Orange Peel
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Meet Yarn Citizen, a new line of sustainably sourc Meet Yarn Citizen, a new line of sustainably sourced and affordably priced yarn from Jimmy Beans Wool. Enter to win a kit featuring this yarn in the November yarn review & giveaway on the bl0g!
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Yarn: @jimmybeanswool Yarn Citizen Harmony Worsted
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Review & entry form 🔗 are where you’d think. 😉 
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Happy with how the mini Nightmare Before Christmas Happy with how the mini Nightmare Before Christmas sweater vest turned out! Now my dog and I can go on walks in matching seasonal fits 😂
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1. I knit this bottom up with scraps and ran out of black yarn. If the vest consistently drifts down her chest upon wear, I might extend the collar or redo the chest panel at a smaller size. If you’ve read this far, what do you think? As a designer, I so rarely get to improvise a knitting project, and I’m having fun working with fewer rules than usual. 🧶
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2. June has a grooming appointment this weekend. She’s currently the mayor of scruff town, I know. 🫡
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Pattern: Chart is from the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest pattern by yours truly in the official Nightmare Before Christmas knitting book 
Yarn: @brooklyntweed Imbue Worsted
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#spiralhillsweatervest #spiralhillsweatervestkal #handsoccupied #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #nightmarebeforechristmasknittingbook #dogknit #knitsfordogs #handmade #brooklyntweed
I finished June’s doggie version of the Spiral H I finished June’s doggie version of the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest & it’s so cute! 🥰
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Do you think June appreciates the fact that she now has a sweater made with @brooklyntweed yarn? 😂 
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Squeezing in some stitching on a selfish sweater t Squeezing in some stitching on a selfish sweater this Saturday morning 😋
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Pattern: Fruit Stripe Pullover with some intarsia mods on the front panel 
Designed by Rachel Brockman for @universal_yarn 
Yarn: Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Dragon’s Breath & Antarctica 🧶
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