Scrappy is such a satisfying word. We love it in the way it’s intended in the Scrappy Checkers pattern name - implying you can use what you have and waste not, want not. But we also love it as an adjective that conveys the idea of someone who is determined, often with few resources, to do the best they can.
So the Scrappy Checkers pattern, yes, uses actual scraps (if you want) but also, it’s a scrappy pattern in that it’s determined to achieve a lot with a little!
We have loved seeing how the pool of test knitters for this pattern have made it their own!
Gina held yarns double so she could use up thinner scraps, and went with a palette of greens and yellows which we think is so fresh and sweet!
We love that this post includes colour inspo (last slide).
This knitter included her specific quantities which is so useful, and is a good reminder that even little leftovers can become great things when they work together.
Elaine modified the body and sleeves so that just the yoke uses the scrappy checkers instructions for colourwork and we think it looks fab.
A classic blue gingham 👌
We’ve been looking for even more scrappy colour inspiration, and decided to see if we could come up with some combinations outside of our usual ones by looking to images we like (we do this a lot, and it’s always very enjoyable and fruitful). Lydia took this photo of a beautiful painting by Uruguayan painter Petrona Viera when she was in Uruguay in 2023, and has always loved the colours. We pulled some of them for a potential palette. We like the calming and subdued, but unusual tones.
This photo of a forsythia in full bloom on a very blue day is saturated and leaning into a little too primary for our usual preferences. But by using a few of the different yellows, and pulling some of the darker shades of brick from behind we’ve made a very fun sunflower-esque check as well as a yellows+brown gingham. It would even be cool to see these options combined!
This is a tiled floor from a medieval church in Norfolk, spotted by Lydia earlier this year. The photo was taken mainly because she loved the wonky star, but the colours from this one give so many potential options. The warm undertones in all of these mean that any sweater in this palette would automatically feel mega cosy, and we’ve tried two possibilities, a nine patch style with terracotta as the background, or an unusual gingham combining the same terracotta shade with dark blue.
When Lydia visited the Welsh Quilt Centre in West Wales last year it was a dream come true! There was so much textile history packed into a small space. She took this snap of a stack of striped Welsh blankets and we’ve used it to create glowing pink checks on a background of darker tones.
Meghan found this beautiful bug on pinterest and made two quite different options depending on the tones chosen. It’s so nice to see how many possibilities there are in just one image.
And what about a delicious drink as inspiration? Lovely warming tones combined with the icy grey of the marble makes a lovely vibrant contrast here.
This photo is from Meghan’s trip to NYC in January (where it was even colder than it looks). She loves the icy greys and whites with that minty green on the street and bus and tiniest pop of red from the Radio City Music Hall neon sign.
Meghan took this photo below of purple hearts that like to spread all over her garden in Austin. She loves the tiny bright purple flowers against the dark green backdrop, and that this is a way to incorporate brighter colours into your knitting even if you’d be wary of wearing something entirely bright. It also feels quietly dramatic and moody in a fun way.
Another great example of a bright colour popping against a dark backdrop, this twilight scene from Meghan’s front porch was too beautiful not to take a photo of.
Don’t forget if you have Scrappy Checkers the pattern includes colouring pages for you to use to play about with combinations, we probably went a bit over the top with how many we made here but who can blame us. Playing with colour is fun, and playing in general is how new ideas are usually made.
That’s all from us for today, we hope you have lovely weekends and if you do create a potential colour combos or any swatches for Scrappy Checkers please do share them! We love seeing what you all make, it’s always something we would have never thought of ourselves.
xxx Lydia + Meghan
There is inspiration everywhere! What a lovely article.