The first colour we've chosen is PINK, one of the youngest colour names. First referenced in The Oxford English Dictionary in the late seventeenth century as a colour to describe pale red, in the English language it was firstly the name of a delicate small variety of carnation, a member of the genus Dianthus, before being used as a name to describe a colour.
I don't grow pinks but there were plenty of other pink flowers in my garden this spring - from the delicate blossom on the apple tree, in the many pots of tulips and who could forget the amazing camellia? It started flowering just before Christmas and carried on until March was nearly through
There's the pink of the London Financial Times, ‘in the pink' from the fox-hunting tradition and of course, the smallest finger on your hand is your 'pinkie'. Goodness, you can even be tickled pink! Interestingly though, pinking sheers have nothing whatsoever to do with the colour, but they are named after the genus Dianthus because the cut they produce resembles the flower petals. Neat, in all senses of the word!
Love and romance, sweetness, compassion and friendship, soft and tender: is Pink the colour for you? We certainly hope it is as this week we’ve dyed enough of it just for you!
Hazel & Terry