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Crochet Color Of The Year – What Do You Think??

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cro orchid color 0314

 

It is said (I suppose by experts) that Pantone or Radiant Orchid is the color of the year for 2014.  I mention this only because recently, in my local newspaper, there was an article about home decor that featured a piece on the 2014 Color of the Year.  This color is certainly ‘radiant’.  In fact, it’s so radiant as to be glaring!  And, when featured as the wall paint for an entire dining room, it is , well, just too much.  I love color – fully saturated, strong colors.  But, strong color needs to be used sparingly in most applications.  I’m not decorating expert, but I do know what I like and can live with.

Since we all have different computer monitors, I’ll add the description of this color – purple just to the side of fuchsia.

cro orchid patterns 0314

I love fuchsia.  I love pink.  I love purple.  But, wait a minute.  Does everything in a room need to be updated to Radiant Orchid? Does it even need to be the focal point of a room?  What am I to do with all the other beautiful furniture I own, the doilies I’ve crocheted, the quilts I’ve inherited that might clash with this color.  And, how many pieces do I want to crochet in this (or any) color?  Maybe this pattern book I discovered online would help.  Hmmm.  I don’t know.

So, I ask you – what are we to do with the Color Of The Year?

NOTE**********************

Smart reader, Barbaranne emailed me with the following information.  Please take note of it so you won’t go anywhere asking for a color called Pantone!  Here’s what she wrote:
I get the daily Craft Gossip email and saw your article today on the color of the year. In the beginning of the article you said that the new color is called Pantone, but Pantone is not a color, rather, it is a numbering system to identify colors. The Pantone number for the Radiant Orchid color is 18-3224. https://www.pantone.com/pages/index.aspx?pg=21129

You can read more about it online. Here is one source. http://www.colorguides.net/pantone.html

 

Comments

  1. I like fuschia but it must be used sparingly. I am not going to redecorate my house with it.

  2. I am loving the color. I just made a hat with dark purple and blue mixed. Purple is one of my favorite colors 🙂

  5. Be a minion and let others choose for you or you can step outside the collective and choose the colors that give you joy. Love your articles, they are inspirational think tanks for me!

  6. I like the color, but not for my house. Maybe a little touch of it would be alright. I would wear at it as a sweater or scarf, but not an entire outfit in that color.

  7. I choose purples over almost any other color in the spectrum. I’ve even painted rooms in parsonages lilac, to the chagrin of men on the Trustees. IMHO you need to choose cool or warm, and like every other color what’s the undertone? (Try putting together black separates and you’ll understand THAT one).

    Having lived in rentals and manses, I get tired of plain old “magnolia white”. Any color beats that!

  8. So what’s a little Goof? I’ll rem’ber to be sure to give the No# to the neighbors when they want to paint their house this color! Smile!

Have you read?

Crochet Christmas Dove Ornaments With a Printable Gift Poem

There is something especially lovely about a handmade gift that comes with a few thoughtful words. These crochet Christmas birds pair a folded yarn ornament with a decorative poem card, turning a little crochet project into a keepsake.

The design has a rounded head, a tiny embroidered eye and beak, and a forked tail. A broad overlapping section forms the wing, giving the bird that folded, origami-inspired appearance. It is a simple-looking shape with plenty of handmade charm.

A Crochet Bird That Doubles as a Gift Topper

What appeals to me most is the idea of using the bird twice. Tie it onto a wrapped present as a gift topper, then let the recipient hang it on their Christmas tree afterwards. The wrapping gets recycled, the ribbon goes into somebody’s “far too useful to throw away” drawer, and the bird becomes part of next year’s decorations.

Cream would be a lovely choice for a Christmas dove, while cranberry red, sage green and dusty blue offer a different seasonal look. Keeping the wing plain lets the crochet texture and folded layers stand out.

For a personalised crochet gift tag, an embroidered initial is a sweet addition. One small letter gives the ornament a purpose without needing to squeeze an entire name onto the wing.

The Printable Christmas Dove Card

The accompanying printable brings the gift together. Watercolour-style holly, evergreen branches, berries and gold accents frame the card, with space above the poem for attaching the crocheted bird.

The original Christmas poem shares wishes for peace, joy and love, then invites the recipient to hang the dove on their tree. There is also a “With love from” line, so the finished card feels like a complete little present.

I would print it on firm cardstock and attach the bird with a removable thread or ribbon loop. That way, the recipient can lift it off the card easily when it is time to decorate the tree.

It is a thoughtful Christmas gift concept, especially for crafters who enjoy making small decorations with a personal touch. The bird and poem card belong together: a little handmade ornament, a Christmas wish, and something to bring out again next December.