Day 13:  Do you have yarn that you love but can’t find a project for?  

Yes, I’ve had that problem– mostly with variegated yarn.  It looks so pretty in the skein, but I often find it ugly worked up in crochet or knitting (but especially crochet), unless it’s just the right sort of pattern.

I had trouble finding a use for my lovely Mosaic Twist yarn, until I saw how beautiful the Chickadee Cowl pattern looked in a number of variegated yarns.

That pattern taught me to love the linen stitch for making harmony among a number of colors.  One of these days, I’m going to make a linen stitch scarf with odds and ends of leftover yarn.  (There are several patterns on Ravelry; search for “linen stitch scarf”.)

I may also use a linen stitch-based pattern for some other variegated yarn I’ve had for several years– Yarn Bee Soft Delight Pomp in the Ladybug colorway.  (I may need to make another cable so I’ll have one long enough to make a scarf lengthwise…  I think my longest cable is a bit short for the job.)

I have some pretty Patons Grace (100% mercerized cotton) in the Tangelo and Spearmint colorways– bought on clearance, as almost always– that I don’t know how to use.  It’s pretty, and the Tangelo is uniform enough that it might not be hard to find an attractive use for it, but there’s such a big contrast between the white and the blue in the spearmint…

So, boldly variegated* yarn is my biggest stumbling block, when it comes to pairing yarn with patterns. (*Slight variations, as in kettle-dyed yarns, give me no pause.)