You want to learn more about color. You go to the library to learn more and all you find are books about mixing paint to get colors. If you are like me these books are not helpful, not one little bit.
There is an important difference in the two media and understanding it will help you find the color books that will work for you.
With paint you can mix different amounts of two (or more) colors to get just about any color you like. But with thread we’re stuck. Our material comes in specific colors. Even if you take a single strand it is still a particular color.
The best books on color for needlepointers fall into two groups. The best are books that deal with color in thread such as Mary Shipp’s Color for Needlework. A close second would be books about color in quilts because fabric, like thread, is specific colors.
There aren’t lots of these, but in them, you’ll find plenty of information & inspiration.
The other type of book deals with color as color, not tied to any specific medium. These books tend to be for graphic designers and often show specific color schemes. Match the scheme to thread and you have the start of some needlepoint.
These kind of books have become more popular and creating harmonious color schemes is also the subject of several blogs. All of them have combinations that are springboards to your imagination. I find so many good ideas for color that I not only have a folder of them on my computer, I have notebooks of them, and a color board on my Pinterest account.
I never know where my next color combo will come from, but I know it will be fun to find.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
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