WestYorkshireSpinners(wyspinners.com)whohavebeen
doinginterestingworkwiththeir100%woolColourLabDK
range,whichusesa speciallyselectedsuper-whitefibrebase
tomakethecoloursreallypop.Whiletechnicallytheymay
notbeclassedasfluorescent,theircerisepinkandlimegreen
shadesbothhavethatneonlooktothem.LIGHTINGUPTHENIGHTSKY
Anyonethathasfollowedmycrochetprojectsovertheyears
willalreadyattestthatI’mallaboutthebright,contrasting
colours,butit’smycrochetartprojectsthatreallyshowwhat
canbeachievedwithfluorescentshades.Myarthasevolved
overtheyearsfrommakingcostumesandcrochettapestries,
tomakingsite-specificinstallationart.I haveexhibitedtwo
large-scalecrochetinstallationsatShambalamusicfestival
overthepastcoupleofyears,whereusingUVlightsbringsa
wholenewdimensiontomycolourfulcrochet.Duringthe
daythesecrochetpiecesstandoutthankstotheirsolid
shades,butatnighttheUVlightstransformthemintoa“I’m all about the
bright, contrasting colours”
neons in artwork
glowing spectacle. Certain colours appear inverted, as whites
turn into the brightest blues, and colours that appear vibrant
during the day recede into darkness at night.GIVE NEONS A CHANCE
Whatever your crochet style, there’s always a chance to work
in a bit of neon magic. You don’t have to go ‘all in’ with full
brights – you’d be surprised at how effective just a single
stripe of a fluorescent colour in a monochrome project can
be. If you really want to enhance those psychedelic shades,
try bordering them with black to make them stand out even
more. But if you don’t know where to start with neons, my top
tip is, ‘think watermelon’! The classic pink and green shades
work perfectly together and are a fun colour combination for
a wide range of projects. Give it a go!You can follow Matthew on Instagram @onemancrochet or
check out his artwork at http://www.onemancrochet.comThis summer I was forced into taking a
break from intensive crochet projects due to a
shoulder injury, but taking time out gives you
chance to focus - and for me t his means
looking forward to 2020 and creating more
mind-blowing neon crochet art!