Staying Neutral
Like many knitters who aim to create wearable pieces, I often find myself conflicted between choosing colours that I like to look at vs colours I will actually wear.
I first wrote about this on my old website, over 5 years ago, declaring my intent to knit nothing but grey sweaters for my personal wardrobe. But alas the resolve did not last. I tried to cheat by substituting colours which I told myself were ‘almost’ grey, such as mauve, muted indigo, and sage green. As a result: I still felt as if I had ‘no sweaters to wear’ despite a wardrobe overflowing with sweaters in every colour of the rainbow.
Then finally came the day when I hit rock bottom: It was the day I almost bought a grey acrylic pullover in H&M. Because I desperately wanted a grey sweater and had lost all confidence that I was actually capable of knitting one, without being once again seduced by a different colour.
Luckily, a friend talked me down from committing such an unthinkable act. But the fact I’d even considered it, was exactly the wake-up call I needed.
That afternoon I came home, grabbed an armload of the greyest yarn I could find, and knitted myself a sweater - which I then wore non-stop for the next 5 months, until the weather grew too warm for it.
Once the dam broke, the grey sweaters flowed with abandon. Aside from being motivated by knowing I would get lots of wear out of anything I knitted in this colour, I began to see interest in the many variations of grey - as well in the fact that a neutral colour allowed me to focus on the qualities of the yarn itself.
Of course grey is not everyone’s go-to neutral. Some might find this scenario more relatable with cream, beige, brown, or navy. Whatever the preference may be, it is not always easy to stick to a neutral palette considering the myriad of colours at our disposal. And ultimately I think the desire/ ability to choose a neutral over a colour that is more ‘fun’ cannot be forced.
It was years before the yearning for wearability finally tipped the scales for me. Whether it will stick long-term, there is no way of telling. But at the moment I am gratefully enjoying it - the ability to stay neutral.
