I’m racing off to a work event today, so I just have something quick for you: a new toy.

The color palette generator is a tool that will generate a “palette of harmonious colors” from a photograph that you upload from your computer. If you are going to do a SWAP or a Fair Isle sweater or a beaded necklace, you can get the colors from a favorite photo.

I tried it with a few random pictures that I like, a picture from my living room, and then with my SWAP pictures. The tool gave me a nice palette every time — though a forest picture turned out to have only shades of green, so it’s not like the generator is going to be imaginative for you. 

When I compared the palettes generated by my original SWAP fabrics, my SWAP Part II, and the fabrics I’ve collected for my SWAP Part III, I was able to see the color shifts clearly. My basic gray and burgundy colors turned up in each, but with different accents each time. The generator also suggested a new neutral — I’ve been  using gray all along, but for SWAP Part III they offered a nice mushroom shade that I would not have thought of.

You can do a picture of your face and get a palette that would be harmonious for you, if you are not sure what colors to start with. I tried that with pictures of my whole family, and consistently got good choices, though naturally heavy on the neutrals.

I would think you could also do this with a painting you love, and have suggestions for decorating the room it’s going to live in.

Anyway, it’s fun.