A Yarnie's Take on Pantone Colour of the Year 2016

In a first, Pantone has picked not one but two colours as Pantone Colour of the Year for 2016: Rose Quartz and Serenity.

If you've been keeping track of my designs you'll know I'm not really a pastels sort of girl. I don't dislike them - I just think their subtlety is a bit lost on me! As with all the colours Pantone picks, however, obviousness is not part of the game. What matters is your own interpretation and it's fascinating to see what designers, stylists and artists across the world come up with (you can keep track of all that on Pantone's dedicated Pinterest board). 

To figure out how to make Rose Quartz and Serenity work for me, I decided to just have a play. A hint of yellow, my favourite notebooks... 

The yarns pictured are by Vinnis Colours (blue) and MoYa (Pink), both kindly sent to me by Scaapi, and Sirdar (yellow). Although I don't think of these colours as "me", I do really like the softness of the picture and I think the palette would be beautiful for a crochet blanket or a delicate shawl. 

Still, more colour faffery was needed (I know, my job is really hard). As I rearranged my cups and yarns it suddenly clicked:

pastels + neutrals + bolder colours = Ombre! Ole! 

I really, really like this palette. I'm still thinking about what to make with it - any suggestions? - but whatever it is, it'll be fun. The pink yarn is by MoYa, as above, and the coral yarn is by Nurturing Fibres. The jute rope is one of many rolls I picked up at a gardening store!

How are you approaching Rose Quartz and Serenity?