Making the Gradient: A Selection of Gradient Knitting Designs

Today, in the section on knitting needles and damage, we will look at the choice of gradient points. When I write point design reviews, I find that I am particularly attracted to the successful gradient effect. There is something beautiful about the effect of a beautiful color scheme. This look is very dependent on your palette, as any color block or stripe pattern can be used to achieve an ombre effect, as long as the strands blend well into that layer. If you decide to try a point-to-spot gradient, be prepared for a challenge, as changing a smooth color in your yarn can be more difficult than expected. This approach reminds me of that practice when I took a color theory course at George Brown College in Toronto as part of the Visual Arts Certificate program in the early 2000's. Black, or from one color palette shade to a darker shade, with a smooth progressive gradient, and the inconsistent "jump" between the two shades felt like a sore thumb and was relentless. Underrated course professors but then you will mix and match them at your local cable store, adding an infinitely small drop in a black or white look can be too much and your effort will go unnoticed instead of sweating at the opportunity. Go ahead and enjoy choosing your gradient color. And there are also knitting design techniques that will help you combine your chosen yarn palette, which I will point out with the selected gradient designs in this post.

The design above is a Humphrey shawl by Melin Tricoteri Design. I like that the designer has achieved the psychedelic effect of the rainbow by choosing very bright colors and using black to close them.





Changing Light , Jennifer Weissman. At this gradient point, the designer uses alternate lines to blend adjacent shades. Hard colored blocks can be a bit harsh without a smooth transition, even if you choose a good color range.





Gradient Deep , Suvi Simola. Here again we have changed the color line and the designer has limited the gradient effect to sleeves so that it is really dramatic.





Jennifer Beaumont's Pixeled Sweater . Another technique for transitioning between two shades is the "pixeled" effect of the points placed between the random colored dots.





Conversion , Lisa K. Juice This design uses alternate points to "transform" one shadow into another. I have been looking at this sweater pattern for a long time and am going to make it in 2019 for my nephew Bug's 6th birthday.





Color change , Karina Spencer. In this hood, the designer removes the difference between the two threads by sewing two threads. Changing the color of two yarns in a color gradient scheme is a good strategy because you are creating the color of the bridge.





All about green by Natalie V. This design repeats the thin band of color to combine the palette of four shades of green.





Deny, Josh Ricks -Robinsky . In this model, the designer took the classic Afghan wave pattern (traditionally used to combine different colors) and added alternative stripes to make it easier to change the tone.





Reflective line , Suvi Simola. I wouldn’t mind combining these three colors, but they look great.





Knit Pix's Jennifer Thompson 's Amber and Penumbra Sweater Varnished: Fruit 2014 Collection . It’s a great variety of colors, but it will be an expensive knitting pattern because it requires a lot of lace and a lot will remain.





Jennifer Beaumont's Prism Fleece Cardigan . In this sweater, the designer has combined colors with a neutral background color.





Colorslide , Nicole Nerig. This pattern uses alternate colored dots to change. These individual colors are beautiful, but I think this palette will work more. The top three colors are warm colors and the bottom two are cool colors, which creates a degree of inconsistency in the middle.





Turtleneck jersey by Tres Grises Aurora , Berta Karapetyan. I'm sure my color theory professor will accept these gray shades.





Debbie Blissen gradient sweater. This shadow effect is created by combining yarns of different shades and using a mohair yarn to create a halo that contributes to the fading effect. As a result, the effect is smooth, calm and pleasing. (I've revisited this design since it was published in the Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine Fall / Winter 2014 issue , and I really liked it at the time.)





Precious petals , rose bake. The three lines of gradient color intersected with the dark lines give this traditional hood a bold modern look.





Primus , Dawn Pricet. Here we have a shawl that is contemporary in color and style. The designer was able to give the model so much interest and movement by using only three shades and a layout of lines.





Curio Cowell , Kelly McClure. Linen stitching especially fits with the color and I like the color used here.