I don’t knit, but that hasn’t stopped me from lurking around the Etsy shop of a German merchant called DyeForYarn. The pun, though forced, is fitting. Just take a look at the macabre names bestowed on many of the colors.
It’s Really Dead, Dead Walnut Wood, Black Hole, Gray Which Must Not Be Named. (“OOAK” stands for “one of a kind.”)
“Dead” shows up across the spectrum: there’s also a purplish-blue Army of the Dead and a deep teal Dead Marshes. There’s also Ghost (creamy silk), Ghosts Fading Under the Moon (pale gray silk-linen blend), Ghosts Dancing Under the Cold Moon (silvery silk), and Nobody’s Grave (silvery blue silk).
Poison shows up as well.
Poisonous Crocus, Long Forgotten Toxic Love.
There’s a Poisoned Blood…
… and the lingering disappointment of a failed dessert. Other colors include Forgotten Poisonous Love, Poisoned by Love, Poisoned Steel Flower,
Another revolting dessert, another toxic hue.
Not merely a carrion bird: an ex-carrion bird. And be careful with that lipstick, lady!
Colors names like these may not be everyone’s cup of gall, but I find them enchanting. When I wrote about historical color names for the Visual Thesaurus, I discovered a crypt’s worth of morbid shades. The Elizabethans, for example, favored colors named Dead Spaniard, Dying Monkey, Puke, and Goose-Turd. In the late 19th century, a shade of pale pink was dubbed Malmaison (“bad house”) as an homage to the name of Napoleon’s residence. And even a cheerful box of Crayola crayons may harbor an Inch Worm.
Then there’s the guy who stealthily swapped out the names on paint swatches in a hardware store.
Admit it: That’s a lot more memorable than “Midnight Black.”
-
Previously in yarn names: Artfibers yarn store (which I see I also began “I don’t knit, but...”).
Previously in the Week of Woe: Miserabilism, Surly beer, bad movie names, Sackcloth & Ashes.
For painting the Addams Family castle? What fun!
Posted by: Duchesse | July 15, 2016 at 03:54 PM