Inspired by Color: The Very Peri Project

by Karen Mallin

The use of color should inspire, intrigue, and excite the eye. I often say that certain colors tickle my eyes. When that happens, I immediately take note to replicate this effect in my weaving, although color blending and color in woven fabric isn’t always easy to create.

Every year, Pantone issues a “Color of the Year.” This choice informs the fashion industry and other industries like paint, industrial design, and home furnishings. It influences all areas of design including yarn production. For 2022, the color of the year is VERY PERI, 17-3938. It is a spritely, dynamic, periwinkle color that has become one of my favorites. Inspired by Very Peri, I invite ALL members of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota to challenge themselves to think more about color in their work.

The newly created Pantone color Very Peri is intended to “encourage courageous personal inventiveness, creativity, and imaginative expression.” “The complexity of this new red violet infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lay before us” (Pantone Color Institute). As we emerge from an intense period of isolation with Covid-19 precautions, Veri Peri places the future ahead in a new light.

I encourage all guild members, whether you participate in a study group, take classes, or work from home, to include this inquisitive and intriguing color into your work. Over the next few months, I will meet with different interest groups to talk about this challenge. At year end, we plan to have a display of work on the guild walls. The challenge is not rule bound, allowing for your creative spirit to come through using Very Peri or other colors that inspire you.   

Members of the Whorling Spinsters have used blending boards to create batts inspired by Very Peri. One guild member who recently took a color blending class incorporated several colors in her rug that blended into a periwinkle-inspired creation.  (see photos) 

Throughout the year, I will be back in The Draft to keep the creative juices flowing. If you have any questions, or would like some resources to get started, contact me.

Resources:

  • Wandering Paths by Susan E. Horton, Handwoven November/December 2020
  • Blossoms and Butterflies Towels by Barbara Goudsmit, Handwoven March/April 2020
  • The Fusion Sparkle Shawl by Nancy Dunlap, Handwoven January/February 2019
  • Circle of Life Table Runner by Deb Essen, Handwoven January/February 2021
  • An Epiphany of Ellipses by Debra K. Sharpee, Handwoven September/October 2020
  • Luncheon Napkins by Kira Keck, Handwoven May/June 2021
  • Pantone Color of the Year – www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2022