One thing I always try to keep in mind when designing is a smart yarn usage, especially in colorwork.
Some stitch patterns use two colors very differently. You may need much more of one color than the other, and if you work the whole project in the same way, you can end up with quite a lot of leftover yarn.
There is a simple solution I like to use: switch the colors when you've used half of the total amount of yarn.
It does not matter how much of each color you have used by that point. Just weigh all your yarn together, keep working until you've used half of the total, and then switch the colors. This way, you can use almost all of your yarn, with very little left over.
Often, this solution makes the design more fun and interesting looking! And this trick can be used in multiple ways. ◍•ᴗ•◍
Giraffic Day cowl
I first used this idea for a cowl combining the Catherine's Wheel stitch with spike stitches to create a polka dot pattern. The stitch pattern doesn't use the two colors equally, so I simply reversed the colors for the second half. I love how much interest this adds to the stitch pattern!
Linen Hearts cowl
Here, I alternated the colorwork stripes, but this project can absolutely be worked the same way as the Giraffic Day, with an orange background for one half and a white background for the other.
Linen Flowers wrap
This wrap consists of two triangular shawls. I had four skeins in total (two green and two white), so I worked on my first sample until I'd used two skeins altogether (mostly in one color, with just a little of another one). The remaining yarn went into the second sample.
Wave cowl
I did the same with the Wave cowl, which also consists of two triangles (this pattern is available in Malabrigo's Ravelry store and on their website).
This trick doesn't just help you use up your yarn. It can also be a very creative solution, with many different and unique looks. And seeing such tiny balls at the end (not by chance, but planned this way) is super satisfying to me, too! ♡
