Móinéar Sample Colours
One of the questions I’m asked quite a lot as a designer, is whether I can correctly predict how popular a pattern will be. The answer to that is definitely No… for which I am frankly grateful, because I would not want my creative flow to be swayed by thinking in this direction.
Most of my favourite patterns are in fact not especially popular. Which is what I sort of assumed would always be the fate of the recently re-released Móinéar. And which is why, consequently I felt liberated to make the new sample in a dramatic, borderline ‘costumey’ colour palette. I assumed that interest in the pattern would be quite modest, so I felt free to experiment and go over the top. To be honest, I also expected that those knitters interested in the pattern would enjoy the photos, but ultimately choose a different colour palette!
Imagine then my surprise, to receive what must now be over a dozen messages asking how to match the exact colours of this jumper. I am therefore writing this post so that I can link to it, instead of writing the same reply over and over.
And so, I offer for your consideration the following options -
……………………………………………………………
HONER OCH EIR NUTIDEN
If you are reading this on or before the 30th of September, you are in luck, because you can literally buy the exact yarn and colours of the sample from Höner och Eir here during their next update.
There seem to be many misconceptions about this yarn manufacturer and some knitters mistakenly believe their online shop is private. This is not correct. The shop is open to the public - but only on specific dates, after which the small-batch production yarn tends to sell out and the shop then closes till the next update.
The Nutiden shop will next open on the 30th of September, 3pm Swedish time. Click here to visit them when this time arrives. The Móinéar sample colours are called Amanita and Pling Pling.
……………………………………………………………
ISTEX LETTLOPI
If you missed the Nutiden update, and/ or prefer to use a commercially available yarn - the closest substitute in terms of texture and ‘general vibe’ is Lettlopi (and yes I mean Lettlopi, not Plottulopi; the latter is too thick and will not work). The colours I suggest are 9421 (Celery Green Heather) and 1409 (Garnet).
……………………………………………………………
DROPS AIR
An alternative, if you want to achieve the same fuzzy effect but are partial to much softer yarn, is Drops Air. The colours I suggest are 12 (Moss Green) and 44 (Crimson Red).
……………………………………………………………
If you live in a region where neither of these alternatives are available, you can simulate the colours as follows:
The background colour should be a fairly light and muted khaki green, somewhere between straw and sage. Be careful not to get a colour that is too dark or too vibrant, to ensure that the contrast colour stands out.
The contrast colour should be a vibrant cherry red, leaning slightly darker than a pure red.
And to simulate the fuzzy texture… I think your best bet might be to combine fingering weight yarns with lace weight mohair. The yarns do not need to be from the same brands/ dyers, or exactly the same shade. In fact, if you combine fingering + mohair in two slightly different shades of light green, and then do the same in two slightly different shades of red, the blended results will look all the more similar to the original.
I hope this post has been helpful!
If you have your own yarn suggestions specific to your region of the world, or have any questions about colour selection for this pattern, please feel free to share/ ask in the comments.
