Going Green

The Pantone Color Institute has declared Greenery (15-0343) the color of the year. It's a lovely, fresh shade that looks a bit like this:

I'm not much of a trend-watcher, but the current focus on green prompted me to wonder why I don't use it more often. The truth, of course, is it appears on a regular basis, but because I tend to favor clear, deep or blue-green shades that better suit my coloring and home decor, it's not always obvious.

That said, once I started hunting for examples, I was amazed at just how often varied shades of green surface in projects. Here's a quick roundup:

ACCESSORIES

These super-simple gradient mitts represent a knitting trifecta: They're fast and easy, designed to use up small balls of leftover yarn, and serve as an example for a new make-your-own ombres and gradients post.

I'm still experimenting, but one way or another the lovely teal and lake yarn below will find a home in a stole, shawl or wrap. In this photo, the colors appear a bit bluer than they are in real life.

AFGHANS

This version of Valere has flashes of mint green and deep teal ...

while this one incorporates shades of jade and mint.

Angletyn Rainbow features a soft shade of teal.

Breidan Baby incorporates a light, minty green.

Color Check Meadow features six shades of green ranging from soft sage to rich teal.

In Drumlin Gemtones, the color appears aqua here, but in reality the strip at the upper right is a rich, saturated teal.

In Drumlin Bright, two shades of green were worked in two-row stripes, which made both colors pop.

In Lucben Tidepool, a mix of purpose-bought yarn was combined with leftovers to create a simple custom gradient.

In this shot of Tikkyn Rainbow, you can see a few of the teal color blocks that stairstep across the front.

HOLIDAY

When I'm making Christmas Trees for the holidays, yarns in shades of pine, balsam and spruce climb out of the cupboards, scamper around the studio, clamber onto the needles, and eventually turn into WIP piles like this:

SWEATERS

In Moore Colors, the mint green stripes peeking out at the right lead into various shades of green, teal and blue that occupy the back.

Last but not least, 20 years ago, I made a lovely teal sweater-jacket in soft, tweedy wool. It's held up beautifully, so I still wear it fall through early spring. Unfortunately, I don't have photos, but I'll try to get some soon.

Meanwhile, daylight savings time has arrived, St. Patrick's Day is a few days away, and snow may be on the ground, but spring with its fresh young shoots and leaves is on the horizon. If you're choosing yarn for a new project, try going green. Not only is it right on trend, it's the ideal way to celebrate the bright promise of this lovely season.

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