Northern Grey vs Knitting Needles
Northern Grey is a Cloverdale Paint color while Knitting Needles comes from Sherwin-Williams. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. With LRVs of 53 and 53, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 0.7, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Northern Grey vs Knitting Needles in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Northern Grey and Knitting Needles are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Northern Grey vs Knitting Needles Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Northern Grey on one side and Knitting Needles on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Northern Grey comparisons
See how Northern Grey stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 53), opening up a space where Northern Grey encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 53, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Northern Grey reflects far more light (LRV 53 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 53 vs 52), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 53 vs 30, Northern Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 53 and 52, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 7-point LRV gap (60 vs 53) makes Agreeable Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 53), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Northern Grey reflects far more light (LRV 53 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (53 vs 43) makes Northern Grey the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 53 vs 4, Northern Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 55 and 53, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Northern Grey reflects far more light (LRV 53 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Northern Grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 53 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 53, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 53 vs 21, Northern Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 53), opening up a space where Northern Grey encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 53), opening up a space where Northern Grey encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 53), opening up a space where Northern Grey encloses it.
Northern Grey reflects far more light (LRV 53 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 53), opening up a space where Northern Grey encloses it.
At LRV 53 vs 41, Northern Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 53, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 53 vs 25, Northern Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
Northern Grey reflects far more light (LRV 53 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Northern Grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 53 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 53 vs 31, Northern Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 53 vs 7, Northern Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 53 vs 24, Northern Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (57 vs 53) makes Guilford Green the marginally brighter of the two.