a sweater of a different color: part III

Hello Quince & Co. Friends!

Which colors do you find yourself choosing to knit with this season? Do you prefer to stick with the colors shown in a pattern, or do you choose a color palette of your own? 

As a team, we’re pretty split in how we approach our own knitting projects. Some of us enjoy knitting in the original colorways selected for a pattern because they’re often just that good. Still, there are those of us who make it their personal mission to select alternate colors. Whichever camp you fall in, we do think there’s great value in experimenting with color choices—sometimes that’s all it takes to look at an old (or new) pattern in an entirely different way. That’s why, in our ongoing study of color, we return once more to the Atelier collection with our third and final segment of our A Sweater of a Different Color Series. 

Scroll down for the yarn-y details!

Above: Dérive by Keiko Kikuno is your favorite chunky cabled sweater reimagined.

Our swatching fun concludes with a couple of alternate color pairings for Dérive by Keiko Kikuno. This modern design is your favorite chunky cabled sweater reimagined. It features an organic, asymmetrical cable pattern, a relaxed, dropped shoulder silhouette, a split hem, and a generous turtleneck. 

Above: Chickadee Organic Heathers Gilding (left), close-up of Dérive by Keiko Kikuno (center), and Owlet Papuan (right).

Dérive was initially worked in Chickadee Organic Heathers Gilding and Owlet Papuan held together throughout to create a warm, subtly-marled fabric that seems to glow from within and is irresistible to the touch. So we thought, why not achieve an entirely different mood with some lighter colors?

Above: Dérive swatch in Chickadee Organic Heathers Hydrangea and Owlet Elf (center).

In our first test swatch, we aimed for another subtly-marled fabric in choosing Chickadee Organic Heathers Hydrangea and Owlet Elf. We love the lighter, gently heathered look of this swatch—just imagine how much different the entire sweater would be in these colors!

Above: Dérive swatch in Chickadee Damson and Owlet Papuan.

However, in our second swatch, using Chickadee Damson and Owlet Albertine, we ended up with two high-contrast colors that, once combined, obscured the cabled pattern altogether. While this gorgeous marled effect works beautifully on its own (see our previous post featuring the Poché swatches), it doesn’t do any favors for patterns that call for cables, lace, and knit-purl textures. Let this serve as a cautionary tale!

Which alternate color pairings would you choose for Dérive? Let us know in the comments below! And if you’ve started working on Atelier projects, be sure to tag us @quinceandco or use the hashtag #quinceatelier with your WIP photos, as we love to follow you along on your knitterly adventures.