Practicing with old yarn

Dear users, dear authors,
Do you sometimes practice a difficult pattern first with old yarn and then redo it with the nice yarn?

Hi,
I actually do this with every pattern—partly to see how it looks with “that kind of yarn” (e.g., leftover merino, solid-color, or gradient yarn...) and also to see if I can handle the pattern.

I don’t feel like checking every row—for me, a pattern should be easy to remember (e.g., have a certain logic to the repeats) so I can quickly figure out how to continue (hope you know what I mean 🤔) 

I don’t do that when knitting or crocheting. In very rare cases, I use the right yarn right away and then rip it out or sacrifice the piece.
But when it comes to sewing, I do it more often—I’m not that skilled at it, so it doesn’t come easily to me. Thread tension, stitch width and length, taking the thread double or triple as with a zipper… I have tons of fabric scraps, so I experiment a bit first before moving on to the original project.

I actually “pre-knitted” an entire knitted coat with inexpensive yarn first, and only once I was sure I had mastered all the patterns did I knit it with the good yarn. I think this is generally a good idea, especially with yarns that are hard to unravel, if you’re unsure.

It really depends on the pattern. If it’s a “complicated pattern” for me, I have to try it out first with plain yarn. That’s the only way I can really see how the knitting or crochet pattern is structured. And sometimes the pattern doesn’t work out because I don’t like it. So the “good yarn” gets set aside and waits for another pattern.

Best regards, Ina

I don’t. You knit or crochet a gauge swatch with the actual yarn anyway. That’s enough for me. 

I was too quick there.
I did still want to send my best regards, Marita

I only do this when I’m not sure if I understand the pattern correctly. In that case, I’d rather try it with old yarn before I have to rip out the good yarn too many times.
By then, I’ve already gotten the hang of the pattern a bit, and working with the good yarn makes it easier, faster, and without having to rip anything out.
Otherwise, for patterns that I understand right away, I just do a gauge swatch with the original yarn.
Best regards, Marina