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.]

One of my favorite things to make on a circular knitting machine is scarves, because they’re a great way to use leftover yarn and certainly faster than knitting by hand.

But if you pay attention to the colors you’re using and how you are using them, you can make fun knitting machine scarves that look like something different when you roll them up.

One of the first versions of this I saw was the sushi scarf, are there are a lot of variations on this one. For example this one from Flower and Anchor that uses five colors of yarn, or this one from Three Threads NE that uses four. These generally are made to look like California rolls, but you could change up the colors to make them different things if you like. Just make sure the outside of the “roll” is black or green to indicate the nori. I found another version on Pinterest if you’re looking for a free pattern, but there’s no image of it rolled up.

Another popular variation is making a scarf that rolls up to look like a mug with coffee, tea or another fun beverage inside. This collection of three mug scarf circular knitting machine patterns from Idaho Cottage Creation includes green tea, a pumpkin spice latte with whipped cream and a candy cane colored confection (which honestly reminds me of the Grinch since it has a green mug!). Again you can change the colors of the mug part and the drink part. The little handle looks like it’s crocheted on these, and it doubles as a loop you can thread the scarf end through when you wear it.

Again there’s a version of the green tea scarf on Pinterest with crocheted elements. I also found a latte done with a striped yarn and a red mug that’s pretty cute and gives you an idea what a different beverage would look like.

I also love this pumpkin pie scarf designed by Jodi Favish Saunier. It has a bit of crocheted edging to give it a fancy crust but you can omit that if you don’t crochet. These are all on Facebook but she also has a watermelon and lemonade pattern that are super cute.

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