Tired Yarn

I bought some yarn that I thought would bring brightness to a dreary winter day. That was a year ago.

Since then, the yarn has been about four different patterns, and like a true primadonna, wouldn't cooperate with any of them. It seemed to think it was above actually being knit into something. But some of us can't afford to have beautiful yarn become a permanent part of the stash. And that's totally not why I adopted it, so it should just do what it's told and knit up already.

Cables and lace didn't seem to have enough definition. It did pretty well with a herringbone pattern, but was not the right weight, so the sizing was awkward. It's a dramatic little single ply, so after each frog, it balls itself into little pills scattered along the strand to irritate me when I knit it up. 

Now, this jewel-toned diva appears to be gasping and tired, prior to settling into its new (and last, so help me) pattern. I'm not usually one to force anything into being something it's not, but this yarn has been taking up space for long enough, and needs to get out of the house already. None of us know who we are until we try something. We can't all be shining stars on the first round. 

Have you had a yarn that just wouldn't do what you tell it? Have you ever gotten nervous about ruining a yarn by unknitting too much? Have you ever personified your craft materials?

Cheers,
Daisy