Playing with colors: mixing thread

I've been making a series of very small (1-2"/2.5-4.6cm) thread balls because I've gotten interested in how the colors mix. The fun part of these balls compared to knitting is that I don't have to worry about whether the colors look good on me. I'm going wild with bright colors like orange and pink that I don't wear.

 Some color combinations produce unexpected results.  For example, light green and red together look sort of metalic. These balls have one or two tissues in the middle, some yarn and then some thread. I might add some embroidery—and do further tests of color combinations, or I might just enjoy them gathered together. They look especially wonderful in a stainless steel bowl.

 This week I also finished one of my most elaborate temari yet. I got the pattern on the Temari Challenge Yahoo group. Each month one of the group's members posts a pattern, some of the member use the pattern during the month and post photos of their results. It creates a feeling of community and one can ask questions if need be. It's very interesting to see all the different interpretations of the same pattern. My "interpretation" featured one or two mistakes, but I'm very happy with the overall effect. Here are the top and side views. In choosing the colors for the obi around the middle, I used that old Fair Isle knitting trick of using several shades of blue with white. I wouldn't mind a sweater with these colors. Doubtless one day my temari color experiments will affect my knitting.