Jun 03 2009
In Praise of Grellow
When we started to put together this year’s Project Spectrum sequences, I was hoping to keep the elements as one of the themes. I truly enjoyed this aspect last year, and I especially like the integration this year with the other aspects of season and materials along with the cardinal direction. Project Spectrum is truly multi-dimensional this year!
The ~AIR~ element, the element that we are focusing on now as a part of Project Spectrum EAST, seemed like the perfect time to explore a new color combination. For a few months, I have really been enjoying the subtlety and juxtaposition of the colors gray and yellow.
For me, gray evokes visions of clouds or shadows. In contrast, yellow is about brightness and luminescence. It seems like such a deep concept to 
use these two colors when creating something – or you can simply just enjoy the way the colors look together: whatever level you chose to take it to!
Gray + Yellow = Grellow!
I knit this hat, the fabulously fitting free Felicity pattern (thanks Nettie!) exclusively while watching my team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, make their way to the Stanley Cup Finals. You could even say the “grellow” is a little homage to them – a lighter, more feminine version – of the standard black and gold. The series is still on, and they rallied for a nice win last night. The hat was part of the Stanley Stashbusting knitalong that I organized on Ravelry’s Puck This group again this year. We just knit knit knit down the stash during the playoffs till the Cup is lifted over the heads of the players. This hat pretty much has hockey knit into every stitch; for it was cast on and started the night that I received *the kiss* at the Penguins/Capitals game . (Funny aside: I am still getting comments and 
messages about this night on Flickr and through email and through some of the various hockey forums! It truly was a memorable night!)
The hat used The Fibre Company Knightsbridge, an alpaca wool blend with beautiful color flecks. It is a light worsted yarn, so I adjusted the needle size in the pattern down to size US 5s for a tighter fabric. The yellow buttons are from my grandmother’s button tin – vintage, mismatched, and beautiful yellow. I pretty much just dropped them on the hat and just sewed them on where they landed! Such a simple embellishment, but it gives the hat a really hip feel.
My Project Spectrum projects thus far (with the exception of the natural baby blanket) have focused primarily on photography and gardening – with the beautiful flowers blooming outside, I felt that it was a perfect way to celebrate the *Spring* and the -Wood- aspect of PS East, and to take copious amounts of outdoor photos both in my garden, my parent’s flower garden, and on some of the trails we have taken recently…
Many many thanks for your responses to my last post regarding Lyme disease. Thank you for sending your thoughts and well-wishes, and thank you for relating your stories as well. It is encouraging to know that more people are aware of this disease than in the past, of course, there is so much more that can be done.
Dude, you are constantly inspiring me. I just finished knitting myself a Felicity hat and was contemplating needle felting something onto it, but I adore the button idea. I’ll have to sort through my button stash and see what I have. Thanks!
What a great idea with the buttons – and the grey-yellow combo; I’ve never thought of that one before! Thanks for the inspiration
Great hat – the buttons are such a nice touch!
I love that hat. And fantastic photos!
Cool hat and the flowers are so beautiful.
Thank you for your article on Lyme disease. A lot of things sound very familiar, although we don’t have those ticks in Iceland – but the disease is like lupus in many respects.
grellow is genius. i love gray and yellow together
Yay for grellow! I thought about the contrast purely in terms of color, but you’re right that the mix of moods they create is really unique. Did you get the Knightsbridge at S&W last year?
Go Pens!
Love the photos, keep them coming!
Such a great hat! I did similar embellishment on the Toasties I made this winter. Somehow I just can’t help but think that hat would look FAR better in RED & WHITE…Ha!
Gosh, I couldn’t possibly be in your Stanley Cup Knit the stash group since I really screw up my knitting each time I try to knit when watching a game…maybe it’s just the lace on my needles lately.. too much counting. Gotta find some mindless knitting for game time…there again…probably only two games left, eh?
Keep up the great knitting and beautiful photos, Lolly!
oh…and Go Wings!
Hugs,
Lori …metro Detroit.
P.S. Did I mention I drank from the CUP with the two Championships with Yzerman?
*WEG*
Pretty hat! The buttons truly make a difference!
Love the hat! Really clever idea to add the buttons. I may steal, er borrow, that from you someday.
I love the buttons on your hat!
I love grey and yellow. At school we had to choose our uniform and we chose that combination!
What beautiful photos, and I love the hat. When I see grey and yellow together, it always makes me think of the sun peeking through clouds!
Thank you for those beautiful pictures!!!
Thanks for the love, Lolly!
You look marvelous, as always!
Love that hat!! The colors are fantastic..
I love your hat! The buttons are the perfect touch. I really enjoy the grey/yellow combination, although I’ve never knit anything in that combo myself.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos!
gorgeous pictures – i love the last one – it remind me of sweetness!
Tonight I was rhyming with knitting terms, and came up with Pearl Gray {Earl Gray tea}.
Anyway after googling it, I found this definition: pearl gray
n.
A light gray, from yellowish to light bluish gray.
Neeto!