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Meet Cloud Dancer
Every year, secret committees of designers and color experts gather to choose the color that will define the upcoming year’s trends. By mid-year, paint companies, clothing companies, and online retailers have already declared the next year’s ultimate color, one that we’ll all flock to. Above them all, Pantone watches and waits, then declares their color of the year in early December.
This year, coffee in hand, I hit refresh on my browser repeatedly, waiting for the color to be announced. It took a little bit of patience to discover that Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2026 is “Cloud Dancer,” not a color at all but white. It’s meant to be calming, quiet, serene—a blank canvas upon which we can explore our creativity. As knitters, we know that holding yarn and needles in our hands is the best way to relax and reconnect with ourselves.
As a self-proclaimed lover of all things colorful, I wasn’t sure at first about Cloud Dancer. But like last year’s Mocha Mousse, as I sat and thought about what to make of it for my textile work, I came up with more and more reasons why this airy hue offers knitters plenty of room to play.
Embrace Cabled Textures
As knitters, we often reach for bright skeins of hand-dyed yarn to keep us entertained while we work our stitches. If you want to embrace Cloud Dancer in your knitting, you need look no further than undyed yarn, but that doesn’t mean your project has to be boring! Cables lend depth and dimension to any color of yarn, but there’s something classic about pairing undyed wool with cables—you’re literally making your own clouds, stitch by stitch! Try the Vintage Maple Cardigan or the Daingean Pullover for a classic fisherman sweater look, or the Luisetta Vest for a more modern interpretation—with fun pops of color!
Knitting on Cloud Nine
When I think of clouds, I think of soft yarns. And what can be softer than luxury yarns like cashmere, alpaca, and silk? Wrap yourself in a cloud of lace with the Whisper Wrap, knitted in a blend of cashmere, alpaca, and silk for an elegant accessory you’ll treasure for years to come—no matter what the current trends say! Or go for pure luxury with the Sandglass Cowl, knitted in June Cashmere’s 100% cashmere yarn.
A Pop of White
If you find you absolutely must have some color on your knitting needles, as I so often do, don’t completely ignore Cloud Dancer—white can create a bright and bold statement in stranded colorwork without feeling bland! Make it the background for your favorite color in your Rancher’s Cowl, or discover how it makes other colors seem to glow in the North Road Hat. Or make a modern and colorful statement with a pop of white in your Timberlane Cowl—no stranded-knitting skill required. The possibilities are endless!
Subscribers can access all these patterns and more in the Farm and Fiber Knits Library.