Albers Cowl in Yummy Fingering Toes!

Veronica here... I've just finished something new and easy and fun. It's Ann Weaver's Albers Cowl, and it's just perfect in Yummy Fingering Toes. It's all garter stitch, perfect for tv knitting or when you need a meditative moment.

This project is inspired by the abstract artist Josef Albers' series of paintings known as Homage to the Square, which consists of several hundred geometric studies of squares in carefully controlled compositions, created from 1949-1976. The paintings explore colors and their relationships to one another. To showcase 'pure' colors, Albers applied the paints straight from the tube, with no mixing, and frequently recorded the names of the colors on the back of the painting.

The great thing about this project is that it allows you to explore colors and how they affect one another  in your own way. I used seven different colors, most of which were very harmonious with one other (the greens and blues and greys of Rainforest, Coos Bay, Blackwatch, Pewter, and Provence) alongside a couple bright colors to really make it pop (Ghoulish and Impatiens). Can you see how, for example, the lavender-grey of Provence looks very different whether it's next to Impatiens in the second square, or alongside Ghoulish in the third one?

My first square was perhaps the most directly inspired by Albers' style - many of his square paintings use a progression of related colors.

Square #1: Ghoulish, Rainforest, Coos Bay, Blackwatch

For my second square, I wanted to showcase the Impatiens. It's such a fantastic bright fuchsia.

Square #2: Provence, Impatiens, Coos Bay

For my last square, I wanted something a bit more high-contrast and fun... and then I discovered that Albers had put this combination together, too! (Great minds think alike? No, I can't claim that for myself!)

Square #3: Rainforest, Pewter, Provence, Ghoulish

I have some suggestions for when you put together your own Albers Cowl color combinations. If you use Yummy Fingering Toes, you can get two sections out of each mini-skein. This means you'll need at least 6 colors. I suggest planning your color progressions in advance, and try not to use two colors in the same position in two different squares (for example, make all the centers a different color - this is also important for the borders, as they all touch).

We'll have Albers Cowl patterns and sets of Yummy Fingering Toes in several color combinations at Stitches South.  You can also select combinations of your own.