Summer sun -- summer colors

We all know what summer colors are - they're bright, and juicy -- like the fruits of the season.  We've been stocking the shelves with summer yarns since February.  I love brilliant colors, but I have to admit,  at first all those summer colors seemed a little intense.  In early spring, the sun is low in the sky, and the light it shines is soft and gentle.  That's why spring colors are soft pastels.  Mother Nature knows this and paints the world with the pale muted palette of Lenten Roses. 

Come summer, though, the sun is a completely different animal.  Even now in early May, the sun is hot and bright, shining with nearly full intensity as we approach the summer solstice in just 6 weeks.  Those delicate spring shades seem a little drab against the summer sun.  Areas near the equator - Central and South America, Africa, and South Asia - where the sun shines at straight down all year long, are famous for bright red, orange, and yellows.  Softer tones would be completely washed out.  In very northern areas like Great Britain the sun's rays hit the earth at a greater angle, making the light much less intense, even in summer time.  The colors of those areas, affectionately referred to in the shop as "Rowan colors," are muted and soft. 

Here in the Mid-Atlantic region, our summer sun is even more intense than in the equatorial regions.  We need those bright colors to stand up to the light.  We crave those hot colors that symbolize sun and sand and surf.  Even if we spend our days inside at home or in the office, sunny colors are happy.  They're summer in a skein, and just knitting with them will make you as happy as a day at the beach.

Come see the brilliant colors of Tandem, Hempathy, Zooey, Modern Cotton, and Tandem.  Knit them up now to wear all summer!