Choosing Colours – Where to find inspiration

Deciding what colours to choose for your crochet projects can be difficult. What colours go together, complement each other or contrast. What colour are your favourites and what colours match your surroundings? What colours will highlight the stitches you have chosen, or perhaps the colours you choose help you decide which stitches and design to use.

Subtle shade combinations of the same colour create a sophisticated look and are an easy option. Repeating colours through a design brings harmony, it works in gardening and it works in crochet design. For example if you have five colours, repeat two or three times through your design as a repeating pattern.

Looking for something original or to fit with your home decor? I use a variety of sources for inspiration and here are some of my favourite sources of inspiration.

I often use the colour wheel that clothes stylists use. This works really well and can throw up some unusual combinations. Generally stylists use the colours of the four seasons, for example, summer colours are bright pinks, blues and lavenders. Winter includes colours such as forest green, dark grey and indigo blue. Autumns are copper, teal, bronze and deep oranges. Spring colours are subtle pinks pale greys and pale blue. The key to using the colour wheels is to choose colour combinations from the same season. Using autumn colours for example very deep orange, teal and bronze make a wonderful combination.

I also use kitchen, fire and bathroom tile designs for colours and patterns getting ideas from brochures, online and from home style magazines.Nature always produces the best colour combinatio
ns including different shades of green so check out gardening catalogues.

Interior design magazines always provide the latest trending colours and pattern inspiration
Paint catalogues are one of my favourite sources for colour combination inspiration. They not only provide inspiration but their colour ideas and combinations are bang up to date with new combinations coming out every year.

Finally check out the pantone web site for the latest colour trends for this season.