The color of our knitting and your clothing more in general serves as a signal to others. It tells them who we are.
Colors are a powerful tool for communication, one of the ways we self-identify.
You may don’t know that when we get dressed each morning, we’re telling ourselves who we aim to be and how we hope to feel.
Thereโs no doubt that color can play a significant role in our wardrobes and our lives. The question then is, how can we choose the right color of our knitting to impact our mood?
Each individual’s feelings about color will ultimately be informed by their experiences, making it difficult to stand by blanket statements about colorsโ uses. Still, there are many common themes within color psychology.
Hereโs a cheat sheet to help you choose the color of your knitting
Red: anger, love, passion, and power
Red is often a contradictory color, and it tends to bring out strong emotions on either end of the spectrum.
Wear red when you want to feel bold. It can help you stand out in a crowd or on a Zoom call, and it makes a powerful impression on a first date.
Orange: enthusiasm, attention, happiness, and energy
Orange is a vibrant and attention-grabbing color. We associate it with energy and enthusiasm, and it can bring about happiness, especially if you have fond feelings about changing leaves and the fall season. Wear orange when you want to feel extroverted.
Yellow: brightness, energy, warmth, and attention
Weโre used to seeing yellow signs and markings as a means to get our attention and communicate helpful information. At the same time, we associate the color with the sun, brightening our lives, warming our skin, and giving us energy through the all-important vitamin D.
Wear yellow when you want to embrace joy; itโs the perfect color when you need a little pick-me-up!
Green: luck, envy, nature, and safety
Green can provide a sense of calm and safety. The color has also long symbolized fertility and luck.
Wear green when youโre hoping to feel grounded, or you want to start a project, or embarking on a new chapter in life.
Blue: sadness, stability, productivity, and calmness
Blue communicates loyalty and stability. It can help us and those around us feel calm because it can ease anxieties.
Wear blue for confidence or in stressful situations.
Purple: wealth, royalty, mystery, and imagination
Purple has a long history with royalty and wealth because it was costly to procure. Today, the color is also associated with mystery and the fantastical.
Wear purple when you want to feel unique or special. Like red, this color will make you stand out.
Pink: romance, kindness, calmness, and nurturing
This color is a mix of red and white; pink can connect with masculine and feminine energies.
Wear pink when youโre looking to connect. This color offers a fresh and playful feeling but can also bring softness and compassion.
Brown: nature, isolation, security, and strength
Brown is associated with nature, so it brings a sense of security. The warm tone feels solid but can feel depressing in large quantities.
Wear brown when you need stillness or a moment to slow down. You can also use brown as a base for making bolder colors pop.
Black: mystery, boldness, power, and unhappiness
Black absorbs all light on the color spectrum, so it isnโt considered a color but rather the absence of color. It can invoke boldness or trigger sorrow.
Wear black when you want to feel subtly strong or when you want to be taken seriously.
White: peacefulness, cleanliness, innocence, and emptiness
White can be associated with innocence or purity in many western cultures, while it often symbolizes death in some eastern traditions.
Wear white to feel uplifted. White conveys a feeling of newness, so itโs a nice color to wear if you want to feel like you have a fresh start.
How do you know what color of your knitting work for you?
Start with the basic knowledge of โwarmโ versus โcoolโ and โmutedโ versus โvibrantโ tones. Then, start experimenting! The specific meanings accepted by color therapy and psychology may not be true for everyone, but they are a great launching point.
Take a look in your wardrobe or yarn stash and see what emotions come up with each color. Try muted tones with pops of colorโdoes this raise or lower your confidence level?