Color Stories: How colors influence our knitting projects and our mood

Bonifaktur – the studio for your creative peace.

There's that special moment when a yarn speaks to you. Not through its softness or sheen alone, but through its color. A color that strikes a chord within you. That evokes a memory, a mood, a landscape. That doesn't let go until you hold it between your fingers, thread it through your knitting needles, and begin to transform it into something new.

Color is more than decoration or a trend. It's a language that speaks directly to our emotions, opening spaces within us that words can't reach. At Bonifaktur, we believe that the colors we choose to knit tell deep stories about us—about our longings, our memories, our inner landscape.

This article is an invitation to delve deeper into these color stories. To understand how colors enliven our knitting projects and influence our mood. To discover how we can work with color more consciously—not to follow trends, but to express our own inner truth.

The emotional language of colors

Long before we had words, we had colors. The earliest human works of art—cave paintings dating back 40,000 years—testify to our deep connection to colors. This connection is not only culturally rooted, but also biologically rooted. Colors influence our heart rate, our blood pressure, even our body temperature.

Psychologist and color researcher Angela Wright describes colors as "the only visual experience that has a direct influence on our emotions." Unlike shapes or patterns, which we initially process intellectually, colors have a direct effect on our psyche. They are, as the artist Wassily Kandinsky put it, "a means of exerting a direct influence on the soul."

In knitting, this emotional language of color becomes particularly tangible. The yarn we choose accompanies us for weeks or months. It glides through our fingers, it fills our gaze, it becomes part of our everyday life. The color we choose isn't just an aesthetic decision—it's an emotional companion.

Bonifacture Reflection: Observe which colors you are drawn to at different stages of life. Are there colors that comfort you in difficult times? Colors that energize you when you need energy? Colors that ground you when you seek peace? This personal color palette tells a story about your emotional needs and resources.

The cultural echoes of colors

Our relationship with colors is deeply woven into our cultural experience. White, which represents purity and marriage in Western cultures, symbolizes mourning and death in many Eastern traditions. Red, which represents good luck in China, warns of danger in our traffic culture.

These cultural associations aren't rigid—they change over time, blending in our globalized world. Yet they resonate within us, forming a layer of our color perception that often remains unconscious.

In knitting, we encounter these cultural echoes in various ways: in traditional patterns where certain colors carry symbolic meaning; in fashion trends that reflect the zeitgeist of an era; and in regional preferences that express the landscape and history of a region.

Cultural anthropologist Mary Douglas describes how material objects—including our handmade textiles—carry and convey cultural meanings. A knitted item in a particular color can create a connection to a tradition, a community, a shared history.

Bonifacture reflection: Are there colors that hold special meaning in your family, community, or personal history? Colors associated with important transitions or traditions? Consciously incorporating these colors into your knitting projects can create a deep connection—to your roots, to shared memories, to collective meanings.

The natural language of colors

Before synthetic dyes existed, all colors came from nature—from plants, minerals, insects, and shells. This connection to the natural world resonates in our color perception, even though we often work with artificially produced colors today.

Natural dyes possess a special quality. Unlike industrially standardized shades, they exhibit subtle variations, slight irregularities, and an inner complexity. A plant-dyed yarn bears the traces of soil and climate, of season and weather. It tells a story about its origins, about the place and time of its creation.

Sustainability researcher Kate Fletcher emphasizes how important this connection between color and origin is for a deeper ecological awareness. When we know the story behind a color—be it madder root, which imparts a deep red, or walnut shell, which imparts a warm brown—our relationship with that material changes. It becomes from an anonymous product to a bearer of history and meaning.

Bonifacture observation: Explore the world of natural dyes—whether through your own experiments with plant-dyed dyes or through the conscious choice of plant-dyed yarns. Observe the subtle nuances of these colors, how they change in different light, and how they develop over time. This sensitivity to natural color nuances can open up a new dimension in your knitting.

The personal palette

Each of us carries within us an inner color palette—colors we are repeatedly drawn to, colors that particularly appeal to us, or that touch us. This personal palette is as individual as a fingerprint. It is shaped by our earliest memories, our cultural influences, our aesthetic preferences, even our physiology (how we perceive color).

Color consultant Leatrice Eiseman describes how this personal palette can be a key to authentic aesthetic choices. Instead of blindly following trends or being guided by momentary impulses, we can explore our deeper color affinities and work with them more consciously.

In knitting, this means finding a balance between experimenting with new colors and staying true to our personal palette. The colors we choose again and again are not random—they reflect something essential within us, something seeking expression.

Bonifaktur observation: Observe the colors in your yarn basket, in your finished projects, in your favorite pieces. Which colors appear repeatedly? In what combinations? These recurring patterns can give you clues to your very own color language—a language that you can deepen and refine, rather than allowing it to be drowned out by fleeting trends.

The interaction of color and structure

In knitting, we never encounter color in isolation, but always in connection with structure—with the texture of the yarn, with the pattern of the stitches, with the shape of the resulting piece. This interaction between color and structure is a fascinating area where technical skill and artistic intuition converge.

Certain colors emphasize certain textures. A complex lace pattern often looks better in a solid-colored yarn than in a heavily patterned one. A multicolored yarn can bring a simple basic pattern to life. A bold color contrast can enhance the three-dimensional effect of a relief pattern.

Textile designer Kaffe Fassett, known for his masterful work with color, emphasizes the importance of consciously experimenting with this interaction. Not just through planning and calculation, but also through playful experimentation, by juxtaposing different yarn samples, and by observing them in changing light.

Bonifacture observation: Choose a simple pattern—such as a ribbed pattern or a simple lace pattern—and knit several small samples in different yarns and colors. Observe how the effect of the pattern changes. Which colors emphasize the structure, and which ones stand out? This deliberate experimentation trains your eye for the subtle relationship between color and texture.

The color harmony

The question of which colors work harmoniously together has occupied people for centuries. From Goethe's theory of color to modern color theories, there are numerous approaches to explaining and systematizing this harmony.

But what does harmony actually mean? Is it consistency with conventional color schemes? Is it the balance between different color qualities? Is it the emotional resonance that a color combination triggers in us?

In his work "Interaction of Color," the artist and color theorist Josef Albers emphasized that color perception is always relative. The same color can appear completely different depending on its surroundings. What we perceive as harmonious is not absolute, but context-dependent—influenced by light, neighboring colors, even our cultural background and personal history.

In knitting, this means that there are no universal rules for "correct" color combinations. What matters is the conscious perception of how colors interact with each other, how they influence each other, and how together they convey a mood or a story.

Bonifacture observation: Experiment with unusual color combinations. Place yarn samples next to each other that don't seem to match at first glance. Look at them in different light and from different distances. Sometimes, the seemingly disharmonious can create a surprising, vibrant harmony—one that's more personal and expressive than conventional color schemes.

The color therapy of knitting

The therapeutic effects of knitting have been widely documented—from calming the nervous system through rhythmic movement to boosting self-esteem through creating something beautiful. But the colors themselves also have therapeutic potential.

In color therapy, different colors are attributed different healing effects. Blue is associated with calm and inner clarity, green with regeneration and balance, and yellow with mental activity and optimism. Although the scientific basis for some of these attributions is controversial, many people acknowledge the subtle effect of colors on their well-being.

In knitting, we can consciously harness this potential. Color therapist Suzy Chiazzari describes how engaging intensively with certain colors during the creative process can be a form of "active color meditation"—a way to strengthen certain emotional and mental qualities within us.

Bonifacture Reflection: For your next project, choose a color that embodies a quality you want to strengthen in your life—be it calm, joy, strength, or clarity. During the knitting process, observe how interacting with this color influences your mood and well-being. This conscious color choice can transform your knitting project into a kind of emotional medicine—a gentle yet effective support for your well-being.

The seasons of colors

Our color preferences aren't static—they change with our life stages, our emotional needs, even the seasons. Just as nature goes through a color cycle, from the fresh green of spring to the rich colors of summer to the warm tones of autumn and the quiet palette of winter, we too have inner color seasons.

Color psychologist Angela Wright describes how we seek different color moods at different times—sometimes the uplifting of vibrant tones, sometimes the calming of soft nuances, sometimes the depth and complexity of mixed colors.

In knitting, we can consciously embrace these natural rhythms. Instead of clinging to a fixed color palette, we can follow our changing color preferences, understanding and appreciating them as an expression of our inner development.

Bonifaktur reflection: Take the time to consciously connect your yarn selection with the seasons—not in the sense of fashionable seasonal colors, but in the deeper sense of being in harmony with natural rhythms. Which colors appeal to you in spring, which in autumn? Which projects are appropriate for which season? This conscious connection can embed your knitting in a larger natural cycle and give it an additional dimension of meaning.

The color story of a piece

Every knitted piece carries its own color story—not just in the color of the yarn, but in all the decisions that led to that color choice. What drew you to this color? What memories, what moods, what hopes are associated with it?

Textile artist Sheila Hicks describes handmade textiles as "frozen thoughts"—material manifestations of our inner processes, our decisions, our creative impulses. The colors we choose are part of this story—they tell of our aesthetic preferences, our emotional states, our connections to the world around us.

A hand-knitted piece in a particular color can thus become a carrier of memories—of the time in which it was created, of the mood that accompanied us at the time, of the places where we worked on it. The color becomes an anchor for these memories, a sensory key that evokes them again.

Bonifaktur reflection: Keep a "color diary" of your knitting projects. Record not only the technical details, but also the story behind your color choice. What led you to this color? What associations, memories, and feelings are connected to it? Over time, this will create a personal chronicle of your color preferences and their deeper meanings—a fascinating document of your creative journey.

The freedom of your personal color voice

In a time when color trends change seasonally and social media is overflowing with perfectly coordinated color palettes, following your own color voice can be a revolutionary decision. Not the trends, not the rules, not the expectations—but your inner resonance with certain colors and their combinations.

Art therapist Shaun McNiff describes how the creative process—and knitting is part of that—can be a way to find and strengthen our authentic voice. Not by imitating external standards, but by following our own aesthetic truth, even if it seems unconventional.

In knitting, this means claiming the freedom to work with colors that truly resonate with you—even if they don't reflect the current zeitgeist, even if they don't fit into the mainstream color schemes. This freedom isn't arbitrary, but rather an expression of a deep connection to your own perception, your own history, your own creative vision.

Bonifacture reflection: Dare to experiment with colors outside your usual range. Not to follow a trend, but to expand your personal color palette and discover new facets of your creative voice. Sometimes the unfamiliar leads to surprising insights into our aesthetic preferences and their deeper meaning.

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At Bonifaktur, we believe that colors are more than superficial decoration or fleeting trends. They are a language that speaks from heart to heart. A bridge between the inner and outer worlds. A medium through which we can express our deepest feelings and desires.

We choose our yarns and colors not based on market analysis or trend forecasts, but rather on their ability to resonate within us. Their depth, their vibrancy, their soul. We seek colors that tell stories—not of fleeting fashions, but of timeless human experiences: of the stillness of a winter morning, the warmth of a hug, the depth of a forest.

When you pick up a Bonifaktur yarn, we invite you to go beyond mere aesthetics. To see color as a companion on your creative journey. As a mirror of your moods and desires. As a medium through which you can express your own unique voice.

Because every color carries a story within it. And every knitter adds a new chapter to this story with every stitch, with every piece created by their hands.

Yarn with soul. For people with heart.