6 Fool-Proof Crochet Color Palette Shortcuts

Do you struggle to start or finish your crochet projects because you can’t commit to a color palette? I will level with you – building a cohesive color palette can be difficult. But I’m here to share my pro-level hacks and tips to help you fall in love with color.

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Why You’re Struggling With Color

Let’s be real here — picking colors for a new crochet project can be a major headache. All these beautiful yarns are staring us in the face, but we have no idea how to group the colors we love. Without taking (and understanding!) a color theory class, nuances like tone and contrast go right over our heads.

Many of us fall into the trap of picking the same colors repeatedly or just mimicking what we see our favorite makers do. Here’s the tea on why building a cohesive color palette is so challenging:

• Too. Many. Choices! (decision paralysis, anyone?)
• Difficulty translating color inspiration into actual yarn palettes
• Fear of making a mistake and hating the project in the end
• Overwhelmed by color theory and understanding how colors relate to one another
• Unaware of personal style and what colors you’re most attracted to

If you’ve experienced any of these pain points, you’re not alone. One of the main topics inside crochet Facebook groups and Reddit threads is building color palettes. If you want to get past your color woes, here are 6 Crochet Color Palette Shortcuts to try!

6 Crochet Color Palette Shortcuts

1 // Keep It In the Family

The easiest way to make cohesive color palettes is to use a monochromatic palette. This involves picking one color and adding colors of different values (lighter or darker shades) to the palette. I used Lion Brand’s Skein Tones yarn in this example to make a monochromatic Mocha Ripple Afghan. Using color this way lets the simple pattern shine while highlighting the gentle variations in color. Make the Mocha Ripple Afghan with this FREE pattern!

2 // Crafting with Contrast

Color contrast is all about how one color stands out from another. The combination of pigment, saturation, and brightness of one color compared to another can add a lot of personality to your color palette. Look to add contrast to your project if you want it to be more striking and eye-catching.

My favorite hack for finding the contrast in a palette is right inside your phone. Go to the camera app and adjust the filter to black and white. As you can see in the photo above, our palette has mid and deep tones. The depth of the purple and teal compared to the mid-toned yellow and orange make this a lovely mid-to-high contrast palette. To round this out, I would add a brighter shade, like a cream or gray. Find this hand-dyer on Instagram.

3 // Home is Where the Inspo Is

Inspiration exists everywhere, and we don’t have to leave our homes to find it. Look at your own decor, food, and closet to discover the colors you’re naturally drawn to. The first step to understanding your favorite colors is finding your personal style. Is there a particular color that comes up a lot in your home or work space? Make that your hero color and begin building color palettes around it!

The images above are from my personal color board. My style is quite funky, maximalist, and overwhelmingly warm-toned. I love pinks and oranges, and you’ll likely find those colors in nearly every project I make. Find some of my most colorful makes in my shop.

4 // Take the Party to Pinterest

Pinterest is a search engine for creatives. But it’s not all wedding dresses and recipes. There are hundreds of thousands of yarn color palettes and project ideas on Pinterest. Use the website and app to spark creativity to start or finish your color palette.

To make the most of your time on Pinterest, get creative with your keywords. Don’t just search “pink yarn color palette”. Try something like “funky retro pink color palette” or “playful 4 color palette with pink” to tailor your search results. Long tail keywords (search terms of 3 or more words) help filter through the millions of options to get you only the best bits of inspiration. Pro Tip: Start a Pinterest board of color palette inspiration and load it up with images to reference for your future projects.

5 // Color Pick Like a Pro

I’ll let you in on a little secret – your favorite yarn dyers and designers love color-picker websites! These sites can generate color palettes for you based on photos. My personal favorite sites are Coolors and Adobe Color. Both sites have a free version, but the paid versions have many more features. For example, the paid version of Coolors removes ads from the site, allows you to create and save color palettes, and offers over 10 million custom color palettes to browse through. Check out Coolers and sign up for a pro account here.

6 // When in Doubt, Get the Kit

Designers and yarn brands often offer a kit option for newly released designs. These kits take the guesswork out of building a color palette—the pros have done the hard work for you! I’m grateful to see more sites offering multiple kits for projects or allowing the option to customize your kit. Try to pinpoint what you love about a particular kit to start developing your natural color sense. My guess is there are patterns in the color palettes you are most attracted to – find those patterns and start experimenting with color! Check out my customizable kits from Lion Brand.

The Best Yarns for your Color Palette

I recently taught a class on color palette building, and one issue that came up repeatedly was how to translate our inspiration palette into yarns for our projects. There are dozens of yarn brands out there, each with a unique selection of yarns. If you’re looking for a few brands with wide color ranges, here are some suggestions:

• TOP ROW: Lion Brand Hue + Me (bulky wool/acrylic blend); Paintbox Cotton DK (DK weight cotton); WeCrochet’s Palette (fingering weight wool); Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice (worsted acrylic)
• BOTTOM ROW: Hobbii Friends Wool (worsted weight wool); Cascade 220 (worsted weight wool); Stylecraft Special DK (DK weight acrylic); Hobbii Happy Place Solid (DK weight wool/cotton blend)

Don’t Be Afraid of Color

Color is nothing to fear. On the contrary, color helps us express our personal style and make a statement. Whether you’re crocheting for your home, wardrobe, or a friend, look for ways to infuse color in your projects. Experiment with different colors by using mini skeins or making granny squares. Add a bold accent to a muted project, or go all the way and make a zany rainbow that you can’t get enough of.

Have a color palette tip to share? Drop it in the comments!

Try one of these colorful crochet projects: