Pattern: Casu Cowl
Yarn: Darn Good Yarn Worsted Weight Merino in ‘Samabyon’
Needles: 5mm (US 8)
It’s so easy to believe a limiting idea – “I’m not good with numbers”, or “I can’t wear that colour”. But when was the last time you actually checked to see if that was true? For example, after my last post about this cowl in progress, I heard a fair number of comments that this was a colour that some felt they couldn’t wear. Which got me thinking, what if I can’t wear peach either?!
I spent a fair bit of time thinking about that. I’ve long thought that I can’t wear yellow, but I knit this cowl years ago and I still wear it. What crazy rules are these, that we can’t wear colours that we find attractive?! I’m not buying it. I believe that there is a way to wear any colour, for anyone, but it depends on some different factors.
Keep Cools with Cool, Keep Warm with Warm
I’ve figured out the trick, and it was with this yarn and this cowl that I finally figured out what makes any colour work for your skin tone – if your skin tone is cool, choose a cool shade colour you like. And if your skin tone is warm, then choose a colour with warm undertones.
Go With a Tonal or Variegated
If it’s a colour that you think you can’t wear, don’t go for a flat version of it- go for a tonal, or some subtle variegation. The other shades and tones that are in the skein will help you feel more confident about the colour, and also makes for more fun knitting!
Wear Lipstick
I know it sounds a little silly, but wearing a lipstick that is similar to the colour (and undertones!) you are wearing can make a big difference. Here I’m wearing a peachy pink lipstick, and I think it works with the cowl. If the colour you want to wear is not in the realm of typical lipstick colour, then stick with undertones only – if the colour you are wearing is green, purple, or blue, wearing a pink lipstick that has the same undertones as your skin, it will look good.
Everything Goes with Black
Really. Whatever you colour you think you can’t wear, just pair it with black. It works.
Knit Socks!
If you love a certain yarn colour, but really think that it won’t work no matter how much lipstick or black you are wearing, then knit socks. It never matters if your socks work with your skin tone. Socks are for your own personal enjoyment, you knit them in whatever colour strikes your fancy – cool or warm undertones be damned.
This is the first time I’ve knit with a peachy yarn, and I love it- this is a fantastic single ply that doesn’t pill easily, and the colour has SO much depth. It isn’t a flat peach shade at all, but has gorgeous, subtle variegation with peaches, pinks, pale lavender, and even delicate buttercup (I love sneaking in a bit of yellow!). Remember what the yarn looks like? Let me jog your memory:
Darn Good Yarn works with local women in Nepal and India to pay a living wage to help support their families while working from home. The ability to work from home means that many of these women can work while caring for their children, and there are few opportunities for women to work from home in many of those areas. Darn Good Yarn’s products help families eat better, have proper medical care, and send their children to school. There is something incredibly wonderful about supporting craft businesses that are working to make the world a better place. And on top of all that, they have the most affordable yarn of the month club I’ve ever seen.
So the next time you are squishing a beautiful skein of yarn but thinking that it’s a colour you can’t wear, think again. I bet you CAN wear it. And if you love it, you should wear it!
This is part two of a two part sponsored post series by Darn Good Yarn. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
