Anne McCaffrey‘s Dragonriders of Pern series has lots of scope for yarny imagination. Even though I’m in my 30s I still have daydreams where I imagine myself as Menolly or Lessa. I don’t think we leave those sorts of daydreams behind when we become adults.
Today, I’m channeling those daydreams into coming up with yarn colorways.
Colorways Inspired by The Dragonriders of Pern
Dragons in the Sky: A light, sky blue base with bits of gold, bronze, brown, blue and green that will pool nicely when knitted. Like a dragon moving very fast in your peripheral vision.
Dawning Red Star: A vivid, roiling variegated red with flecks of very dark red, like the red spot on Jupiter.
Threadfall: A stormy gray with streaks of dangerous-looking silver.
FireLizard Nonet: Menolly originally had nine fire lizards – 1 gold, 2 bronze, 3 brown, 1 blue, and 2 green. To properly represent this I think we need a self-striping yarn with color repeats representing each fire lizard: Gold, Brown, Bronze, Blue, Brown, Green, Brown, Bronze, Green. Something like that.
Black, Blacker, Blackest: Three shades of black, swirled together. Maybe a very dark gray, a true black, and a black with blue highlights (if that’s achievable with yarn).
Harper Blue: A bright, cheerful blue. I’m thinking a blue like denim, not a blue like a jelly bean.
Hatching: An ecru base swirled with a rich yellow and bits of gold, bronze, brown, blue and green.
North Continent: A stone-gray tweed, rough wearing for rough weather.
South Continent: Lush, tropical hues, like a Hawaiian vacation. But not wool. Maybe a bamboo or linen/cotton blend.
All She Wants To Do Is Knit 
loving this series, loved this book when I was younger too 🙂
I Iove how it’s a fantasy series that takes a sharp veer into sci-fi once we find out how the people got to Pern.
You need to go into business! 😉
Dear yarn companies. Hire me.
Ooooo I love that series, they’re some of my favorite books! I’ve finally read all the ones she wrote, now I’m trying to read the few that her son wrote (but they’re just not the same). Very creative of you to turn those mental images into inspiring colorways, thank you!
I had no idea her son wrote any. I never read much past The Girl Who Heard Dragons.
Yes, he did 3 or 4 books, I think. I’ve only finished one of them, and his writing style just isn’t on the same level as Anne’s. It’s a little disappointing but I don’t mind going back and re-reading the ones Anne wrote — they’re so great! Which book is your favorite so far?
White Dragon is probably my favorite. But I’ve reread the three Harper Hall books more than anything else.
Would you please name the yarn I just finished spinning? You can see it here: http://willowcreekfarm.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/hand-dyed-blue-faced-leicester-roving/
I love all your names and would love for you to name it from something in the Chronicles of Narnia. You had said before you liked The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, so from that book or any others in the series if you read others.
It would be so fun to have a name for it!
How about Cair Paravel?
Nice! Thanks!
You’re welcome. Your yarn sort of looks like a crush of heraldry. Lots of flags and fine clothes. What I would imagine at the coronation.
LOVE these books!!! And I love the idea of making up a whole yarn scheme around them! Heck, we could do them for just about every character also!!!
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Have you ever read any of Tamora Pierce’s books? Especially “Sandra’s Book” in “The Circle of Magic” series? –After all she is a spinner and weaver.
Four unlikely friends who did not know they were mages and who are brought to winding circle university to learn how to better manage their out of control magic, and in the process grow to support each other and heal from their pasts in which each was greatly misunderstood.
I’ll definitely have to look up “The Dragons of Penn” series.
No I haven’t read those, although I’ve heard of Tamora Pierce. I’ll keep those in mind for future reading.