Color-dominance in stranded colorwork

Sometimes some things sound more complicated than they actually are.

Color dominance is simply about the order in which you carry yarn strands. For instance, in the photo below, I held the light color as the dominant on the left mitten, and on the right, I held the dark color as the dominant one. When you want to accentuate one color over the other(s), you carry that yarn strand BELOW the other yarn strand(s). This makes the accentuated (ie dominant) yarn stitches appear slightly bigger.

Which color to hold as the dominant one? It’s totally up to you! Personally, I like to hold the contrast yarn as the dominant one just so I can make it pop on the background of the main color. I also like to make the light color the contrast one. That’s just my preference.

You can do what feels/looks right for you! Just remember to make a note of your decision so you keep things consistent.

Color dominance also helps with keeping a consistent gauge. Also, the reverse side of your knitting will look so beautiful! I know, nobody else will see the wrong side of things, but it’s still extra satisfying to look at it.

I have used color-dominance rule in these designs: