CAPTIVATING COLOUR
What yarn shades would designers create if they were given a free rein? We asked the stars behind The Yarn Collective
diverse as Irish woodlands, minerals, and city pavements have inspired the hand-dyed colour palettes of The Yarn Collective. This new range of artisan merino yarns has been developed in partnership with independent designers from around the world. The range was launched with Portland Lace, a stunning kettle-dyed yarn with colours curated by renowned lace designer Melanie Berg. “Putting my favourite colourways together was very much like painting with my watercolours,” says Melanie. Kettle-dyeing was used to create ten shades, with beautiful tonal variations throughout.
The tantalising shade names give hints to the inspiration behind them. ‘The Magician’, for example, is a rich, deep purple – “it’s mysterious and promising, just like a game of Tarot cards,” says Melanie. Her gorgeous greys include ‘Morning Rain’ and ‘Peruvian Skies’, while the dark petrol ‘In The Woods’ was created after a day of inline skating through Melanie’s local forest.
The rippling colour and soft drape of Portland Lace make it ideal for knitting stunning shawls, and Melanie has designed a special lace shawl to showcase the yarn. “The hand-dye effect adds a certain depth to the pattern, which is just lovely! The pattern is called Secretkeeper, for sometimes knitting can feel like weaving little secrets into the fabric as you go.”
Carol Feller, meanwhile, is the creative mind behind the palette of Bloomsbury DK. She approached the task by developing three distinct ‘colour stories’, the first being a range of blues inspired by “both the peace and the ferocity of the ocean,” Carol says.
Autumn was another big influence: “As the leaves change from green to gold they turn the most magnificent shades of orange and copper. This collection of yarn attempts to capture that range, moving from darker copper brown to a mustard orange, and ending with a cool neutral beige brown.” The Bloomsbury DK range is completed with a selection of violet, bright pink and smoky grey, inspired by fuchsia flowers found near Carol’s Irish home.
Careful kettle dyeing is used to create Carol’s subtle blended shades of close tones. To show how the colours were designed to mesh together, she has created a range of textured patterns that combine different shades, including an elegant shawl and a modern, A-line tunic with flowing lace.
Last but not least is Pembroke Worsted, with a colour palette chosen by Bristol Ivy and inspired by the rich, pure tones of gems and minerals. “I’ve always loved these colours and their depth, complexity, and saturation,” says Bristol. To create her semi-solid shades, close tonal colours were chosen and hand-painted on the individual skeins to create warm, complex hues.
As well as selecting shades for the range, Bristol has been busy designing patterns to showcase the yarn. These include ‘Larkin’, a contemporary sideways-knit pullover with a cowl neckline, and ‘Donne’, a beautifully cabled hat. “The saturated colours and slight variegation in the colourways made me immediately think of texture, and the blending and highlighting of colours that that can create,” says Bristol. “In addition, I wanted to explore how to carry soft swoops and curves across the texture of my designs, letting the fabric shift and turn by manipulating stitch patterns, increasing, and decreasing. These special hand-dyed yarns are available from
www.loveknitting.com, costing £16.90 per 100g skein (860m for Portland Lace, 240m for Bloomsbury DK, and 200m for Pembroke Worsted). Currently, downloadable patterns cost £4 for accessory projects and £5 for garments.