Pantone’s Colors of the Year: Pink and Blue

The Pantone Color Institute makes a lot of press for itself around this time every year by announcing what it predicts will be the “color of the year” in the coming year. Based on its trend research and what’s going on in design and in the wider world, they make a choice of what they think we’ll be seeing more of on the runways, in home decor and elsewhere.

Or two choices, as is the case for 2016.

The first-ever colors of the year are Rose Quartz and Serenity, or, put less poetically, pastel pink and blue.

You can guess that the mood of the world played a part in a color named “Serenity” sharing top honors:

As consumers seek mindfulness and well-being as an antidote to modern day stresses, welcoming colors that psychologically fulfill our yearning for reassurance and security are becoming more prominent. Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.

Pantone calls Rose Quartz “persuasive yet gentle,” while Serenity is “weightless and airy…bringing feelings of respite and relaxation even in turbulent times.”

As you might guess, its suggested color pairings rely heavily on other pastels, as well as light and medium grays and browns. And I do love pink and brown, I have to say.

What do you think about this color combo? Is it calm and collected, or too babyish for your tastes? Will you knit anything using these colors in the coming year? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo via Pantone.]

Next Pattern:

Many times when I write these posts I will say something like “you can use any yarn you want” or “this would be a great stash-busting project.” That’s just how my mind works. And my stash, too, since I probably have sweater quantity of two or three yarns at most, but tons of singles and odd balls and leftovers.

Blankets are generally a really good way to use up those bits, but in this case, I think you’re going to want to plan it out a bit better.

Looking at photos of the Color Study Blanket from Purl Soho, it looks like it’s made with two yarns held together, and that block in the center is worked with one of each color from the adjoining sides to make a mixed up color.

But that’s not actually how it’s done. This is three separate colors (four, really, with the neutrals in the corners) chosen form a yarn with an expansive palette so they play off each other. The project calls for a worsted weight superwash wool, which is a great choice for a blanket that’s both warm and washable.

This pattern was originally designed by Laura Ferguson and was updated by Hiromi Glover. It is worked in one piece in garter stitch intarsia, which is a great way to learn the intarsia technique if you don’t already know it. It comes in crib or throw sizes.

Despite the introduction to this post, I am going to go ahead and say that, yes, of course you could do this blanket with scraps or odd balls or even just choose five colors that don’t blend together so easily. But I really do love the look of the color play, and I think it would be worth your time to find colors that play well together to get a similar effect.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

Next Pattern:

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