Image from Pantone
Not quite “forest” and not quite “teal,” emerald is Pantone’s color of the year for 2013. And I couldn’t be happier – I’ve tossed out what I hope is my last pair of army green cargo pants from a client’s wardrobe.
Ahem.
However, after consulting my existing wardrobe, I realized I didn’t have anything any shade of green at all. But, I did have this one light gray cardigan I’d stopped wearing because it was just so blah.
It wasn’t just any gray cardigan, though. Way back, when I decided to stop building my wardrobe from disposable junk, I bought a heavy, all-purpose cable knit cardigan in light gray from Banana Republic. Although it’s not a super-high-end brand, compared to what I’d been buying, it was pure luxury at the time.
It came in two colors: the light gray and a light beige that made me look like I had the flu. I bought the one in light gray – and also a green/blue houndtooth cashmere blend scarf that I’ve worn from October to March every year since.
But, back to the cardigan. Gray just isn’t me – at least not this sad, sorry shade of gray. So there it sat, neatly folded in the top of my closet, patiently waiting. And all the times I told clients to either “let it go” or find a way to wear it began to loop in my head.
So when I saw that Pantone had declared this understated shade of green as color of the year, I knew exactly what could save my light gray cardigan: a bottle of Rit Dye in dark green.
This is less a DIY, how-to-dye-a-cardigan post – and more a post to inspire you to reuse and repurpose what you have. Note that a project like this requires a couple hours and constant attention. Please use gloves and read all the directions before embarking on your very own at-home-dye adventure.
My poor, gray sweater getting a second chance.
Using very hot water helps set the color.
A single run through the dye bath wasn’t enough to get to the color even. A second soak made the color perfect and my long-lost cardigan new again!
