Owning a yarn shop has shown me a world I knew was there, but to see it everyday has been really eye opening. It’s been really interesting to see people walk in, many are not knitters, and they gasp and say “oh, look at the colors!”. They bathe in the colors and literally tell me it is making them feel good as they are petting a skein of yarn. I see this time and time again. I like to watch the friend tagging along behind the avid knitter, wide eyed and totally having an experience they never had before. Visual, tactile, soothing, inviting, inspiring and creative. These are just a few of the words folks have uttered to me as they were moving around the store.
It fills me with so much joy to hear the knitter’s friend say, “Hey, you could teach me how to do this” as they are feeling a juicy skein of alpaca. Not only are they inspired to learn something new, but they are now embarking on a journey that they can do together. As an artist, providing inspiration is my main goal of my shop, but the colors speak for themselves. I hear experienced knitters say “oh, I have to have this color, it just does something for me”.
Color Therapy is a real thing. Advertisers know the power it has on our emotional decisions and the effects it has in their ads. So if a color makes you feel so good, why wouldn’t you want to wrap your self in something you created with it. I definitely have certain colors I feel more comfortable wearing than others. Some days I feel like I need a bold splash of color to perk me up or cool me down, depending on what is going on in my life. I think women do this instinctively with their clothes and colors by balancing or stimulating our emotions. It is really fun to work with and to become aware of how it affects us in our day to day lives. Working with colors can also help you break out of old patterns and thought processes simply by rocking that bright purple sweater or that intense chartreuse shawl. Some colors make us feel younger or more confident. The colors we wrap our lives in can really change our outlook on ourselves and our actions. Intutively, we know what we need on an emotional level, but we often deny ourselves that ability to listen to that quite creative voice within. So play with color and try to notice how it’s making you feel. Ask your self that question, and try to focus just on the color and what that conversation is inside. Enjoy the process and don’t forget to play.
By Cindy Ruprecht
“I love coming here, It’s like a spa day for me”
“I just have to have this color, I don’t know what I’m going to make yet, but it will tell me”