knitting stripes

It is fun to knit something that has stripes in it- why is that? I think because it breaks the knitting down into chunks, so one has more the feeling of making progress on the item. Plus, there is the motivation to see how the next stripe will look.

Designing with stripes is very interesting, because there are so many possibilities. One that I like is taking three colors, one a neutral (or neutral-ish), one a bold accent, and then one inbetween, a nice pretty color. The colors can be worked in a pattern such as: neutral 6 rows, pretty 4 rows, bold 2 rows, pretty 4 rows, repeat from beginning.

Something else that is interesting is to take two light colored balls of yarn (of the same color) and overdye patches of one for a coordinating look. For example, a ball of light green yarn can be overdyed in patches of blue and yellow, with undyed patches inbetween. Worked with the undyed ball of green, this produces a very subtle stripe.

Sometimes an accent can really change the effect of a stripe. I made a backpack with variegated red and kettle dyed green, and realized after starting that it might end up looking less summery (what I intended) and more wintry (Christmas colors). After finishing the bag, I found two little ladybug buttons, and attached them to the bag. Then I made the shoulder straps in the shape of strawberries. Those two elements together made all the difference.