Colour Knitting The Easy Way
Melissa Leapman
In A Nutshell: Fascinating colourwheel theory and colour combination advice but lack lustre patterns.
I borrowed this book from the library, hoping to find some advice on intarsia knitting. Instead I discovered “The Easy Way” means using only one colour in each knitted row. My disappointment at not learning more about changing colours turned out to be short-lived. Instead I found fascinating explanations of creating colour combinations using colour wheel theory. There are great tips for creating patterns using two, three or four different colours. I tend to prefer easy-on-the-eye monochromatic colour schemes of the same hue, but I may now be encouraged to create more dramatic combinations.
Melissa also gives very good advice on creating harmonious stripes. Maths phobics may be alarmed when they find this means using the “Fibonacci Sequence” and the “Golden Mean”. Rest assured, in practice this is very simple and produces aesthetically pleasing stripes.
I will also be using her suggestion to gather together pictures of colour combinations I like, and transfer some of the ideas to knitting projects.
This book excels in its explanation of colour theory and knitting techniques. I feel it is let down by the ten knitting patterns. This was a fantastic opportunity to showcase some stunning colour combinations but they are distinctly underwhelming. Not one of the patterns inspired me to pick up my needles.
