Further Reading: My Top Ten Color Theory Resources for Spinners

In the Spring 2025 issue of Spin Off, I reviewed Zollie’s Palette Scout and Joen Wolfrom’s Color Play, two color resources that I find very helpful in thinking about and playing with color. If you’re looking for more resources for your color theory learning journey, here are ten more of my favorites to get you started.

Color Theory Resources Just For Spinners

Yarn and fabric are three-dimensional things, and colors change at every step of working with fiber because how the materials interact with light also changes. Many color theory resources are designed for painters and don’t account for this transformation, so I've started this list with resources that are just for people who work with yarn.

1. A New Spin on Color

As a spinner, artist, and teacher, Alanna Wilcox presents a brief overview of color theory, followed by explanations of how colors will appear depending on how you spin your fiber. Great for braid lovers who want to try something new. Discover how Alanna cards for color in this post.

Wilcox, Alanna. A New Spin on Color. Rochester, NY: 2017.

One of Alanna’s color management techniques is to preserve clear color changes by spinning singles. Photo by Matt Graves

2. The Big Book of Fibery Color, second edition

I have the first edition (The Big Book of Fibery Rainbows) on my shelf, but had the opportunity to glance through The Big Book of Fibery Color as we prepared the Spring issue of Spin Off for press. Both are great, with some color theory, followed by recipes and tutorials for creating your own blends. There’s lots of inspiration for art yarn lovers, too!

Try one of Suzy Brown’s fiber blending recipes in this post. There are many more in The Big Book of Fibery Color!

Brown, Suzy & Arlene Thayer. The Big Book of Fibery Color, second edition. Fibery Goodness, 2024.

The number of different color patterns that can be created on a hackle is infinite. Photos by Suzy Brown

3. Color Works for Spinners

In her book, Color Works, Deb Menz breaks down each piece of color theory in an easy-to-understand chapter, with samples that cover just about every fiber technique you can imagine. This was where I started when I first dove into learning more about color and fiber. Sadly, this book is out of print, but Deb has several great videos, like Color Works for Spinners, covering the same topics (and more) that are well worth a watch!

Menz, Deb. Color Works: The Crafter’s Guide to Color. Loveland, CO: Interweave, 2004.

4. Color and Fiber

This book goes more into color theory and the science of color, including how the color we see is actually reflected light. If you’ve ever wondered why color looks different after a yarn is spun or a project is knitted or woven, this book has the science to explain that, too!

Lambert, Patricia, Barbara Staepelaere, and Mary G. Fry. Color and Fiber. West Chester, PA: Schiffer, 1986.

General Color Resources

If you find yourself scratching your head at a term in one resource, it's often a good idea to learn about it in a different place. We all learn differently, and each author and teacher has a unique way of expressing ideas. Try something different and see what works for you!

5. Color Choices

This book by Stephen Quiller is designed for painters, and uses a color wheel that is based on artists’ pigments. What I love about the Quiller Wheel is the middle, which shows you where earthy colors like raw umber live on the color wheel. If you’re thinking of using color with naturally colored fleece, this is a great place to start thinking about your color mixes. Color Choices was also the first book where the concept of a split complementary palette really clicked for me.

Quiller, Stephen. Color Choices: Making Color Sense Out of Color Theory. New York, NY: Watson-Guptill: 1989.

The Quiller Wheel includes earthy pigments in the middle, making it perfect for helping you think about the color of naturally colored fibers.

6. Color and Culture

If you’re interested in the history of Western color theory, including the language of color, this textbook is a deep dive that places color in the context of history and culture. Starting with ancient Greece and progressing through the twentieth century, Color and Culture is a broad survey full of fascinating finds.

Gage, John. Color and Culture: Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction. Berkely, CA: University of California Press, 1993.

7. If You’re Ready to Have Your Mind Blown

Peter Donahue, art teacher and self-proclaimed color nerd, makes sense out of color in many ways. He tackles a variety of subjects, from why the basic “crayon colors” are terrible for learning color theory, to the differences between additive color theory (based on light, like the color that comes through a phone screen) and subtractive color theory (based on mixing pigments, as with paints and dyes). The more he shares, the more I discover how much there is left to learn! Many of his resources are free, but he also offers the occasional paid course.

Find Peter on TikTok and Facebook as color.nerd, YouTube as colornerd1, and Instagram as art.pete.repeat.

If You Want to Dye Your Own Colors

At some point, you’re bound to want to dye your own fiber or yarn. I’ve bought a bunch of dye books and these are the ones I find myself turning to the most.

8. Dyeing to Spin and Knit

If you want to dye wool and other protein fibers, this book by SweetGeorgia founder Felica Lo is a great place to start. It walks you through the whole process of dyeing yarn or fleece with acid dyes. Before reading this book, I struggled with the math of dyeing, especially when it came to the ratios of dye, mordant, and fiber needed. But with Felicia’s clear and helpful explanations, I felt comfortable with depth of shade (DOS) and was soon creating my own dye recipes.

Lo, Felicia. Dyeing to Spin and Knit: Techniques and Tips to Make Custom Hand-Dyed Yarns. Loveland, CO: Interweave, 2016.

Some of Pamela’s go-to dye books with naturally-dyed fibers.

9.The Art and Science of Natural Dyes

If natural dye is more your style, The Art and Science of Natural Dyes is a great resource, with solid science behind the chemistry of natural dyes and plenty of recipes that will help you make every color of the rainbow on both protein and cellulose fibers.

Boutrup, Joy, Catherine Ellis. The Art and Science of Natural Dyes: Principles, Experiments, and Results. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 2018.

10. The Modern Natural Dyer and Journeys in Natural Dyeing

If you want more project-based learning in your natural dye adventure, with a side of storytelling, Modern Natural Dyer and Journeys in Natural Dyeing are beautiful and immersive books. With recipes, projects, and inspiration, these sources provide a solid foundation for your next natural dye project.

Vejar, Kristine. The Modern Natural Dyer: A Comprehensive Guide to Dyeing Silk, Wool, Linen, and Cotton at Home. New York, NY: Abrams, 2015.

Vejar, Kristine, Adrienne Rodriquez. Journeys in Natural Dyeing: Techniques for Creating Color at Home. New York, NY: Abrams, 2020.

Resources

• Try one of Suzy Brown's fiber blending recipes.
• Discover how Alanna Wilcox cards for color.
• Watch Deb Menz’s Color Works for Spinners

Pamela K. Schultz is the content editor for Spin Off. She knits, spins, weaves, gardens, and collects books in coastal North Carolina.