reading color wheel

[wkinchen]

Good Morning,

Does any one know how to read the color wheel?

Does any one know how to combine colors to create an afghan.

 

[greyhoundgrandma]

There's lots of good info available:

https://www.google.com/search?q=using+a+color+wheel&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

[redrosesdz]

You've asked a few times about color.  It's really hard to answer for a few reasons.  First, color is often a personal choice.  Second, it's all about imagery and what you're trying to convey.  Third, the number of colors and whether they are solids or variegated are a factor.  (I remember that you listed all solids in your previous posts.)

 

Colors fall into categories, such soft pastels, bright jewel tones, bright pure tones, monochromatic shades of white/gray/black, hot summery shades, rich fall shades (warm), cool wintry shades and pretty spring shades.  Those are just examples.  Then within each color there are tints.  For example, purples have red or blue tints.  Blue comes in more tints than I can count.  Don't let any of that scare you.

 

1. Get a color wheel or color cards.  Don't use the online color wheels, because the colors aren't accurate.  They come with directions.

2. Decide how many colors you want to use.  Decide if you want shades of the same color, complementary colors or colors that are close to each other (analogous.)  Also, decide what type of category you want. 

3. Pick a primary color and match it to your color wheel/card.

4. Based on the decisions you made in 2., pick a secondary color.

5. Add in other colors based on 2-4.

6. Go to the store with your color wheel/card and your selections.  Have fun!  You can always ask other customers and staff what they think of your choice.  (I do that a lot!  I've met some wonderful people that way.)

7. Hold your choices together and look at them or set them down together to look at them.  Do they make you go "Oh!  That's pretty/perfect" or "eh, I don't know."  If it's the "eh" reaction, keep looking.

 

Here's an example...

I wanted a rose garden, but I didn't want a rose pattern.  So, I chose dusty rose as my primary color and wine as my secondary color.  I then complimented them with sage and cream.  Here's the result...

http://www.crochetville.com/community/topic/153730-popcorn-rose-garden-afghan/

 

Another Example...

For February Mary Jo wanted to convey purple for the birthstone and for violets.  So, she chose purple as the primary color and sage as the secondary color.  She complimented it with white.  Here's the result...
February Crochetville Tote

 

As you can see, nature is the best at picking colors that go together!

[magiccrochetfan]

the thing i find really hard about choosing yarn colors is that often the colors are actually a bit muddy and no matter how i combine them I'm not happy with the result.   since you are asking about Caron and Red Heart colors, I can't help you with any specifics because those brands' colors usually don't really work for me to begin with.  

 

But I can suggest a tool for choosing color combinations.  I have to disagree that online color wheels don't work because on my screen they seem fine.  the one i like the best is paletton http://paletton.com/#uid=3350u0kllll8o4CeScZrOtHBRNb    You can choose the color and the value, then have it show you various combinations.   If you play around with this a bit, you can get a good feel for the various types of combinations. 

 

However it is hard to use this or any color wheel for colors like olive green, and I imagine the Soft Sage may be similar.  Also any color wheel approach is going to suggest ideal color combinations, which may not correspond to your yarns.  

 

Have you looked around at patterns on the yarn company sites to see what they combined?  That might give you some great ideas.  

[magiccrochetfan]

here are a couple of recent threads about choosing colors that may be helpful

http://www.crochetville.com/community/topic/147177-choosing-colors/#entry2577790

http://www.crochetville.com/community/topic/155073-color-arrangements/#entry2678036

 

Trash your Color Wheel here is helpful i think http://www.prismyarn.com/tvcoverage.htm

[Granny Square]

All good stuff above.  

 

Redrosesdz touched on 'warm' and 'cool' colors, this is a factor I think is really important.  You can have a warm pink or a cool pink, a warm blue and a cool blue for example, but usually you'd think of both as cool colors.  (warm pink would be at the edge of peach peach, warm blue closer to teal).  A neutral brown could go either way, a yellowish brown versus a pinkish, taupish brown.  And so on.

 

Intensity is also important, a pale baby pink will look jarring with a glow in the dark green for example.

 

Back in the dark ages when it was popular, I 'had my colors done' (a co-worker did this on the side, was sort of like a tupperware party), and it was really an eye opener.  Here's a site to look at; of course here they want to sell you a color wheel (swatch fan) for $$$ but you can see the colors on your screen.  The link is to Spring, but you can click on swatch fans for other seasons from the menu at the left.

http://www.colormebeautiful.com/seasons/spring/swatchpacket-spring.html

 

Warm/yellow undertones:  Spring is lighter/muted, Autumn is darker/more intense

Cool/blue undertones:  Summer is lighter/muted, Winter is darker/more intense

 

If all of your colors are in the same season's swatch, they should be more harmonious together than if you mix colors for different seasons--especially if you mix warm and cool.