2 Be or Not 2 Be Random

I am trying variegated yarn on a sizable project for the first time. Looking at pictures of self striping yarn projects, it looks like sometimes the skeins were chosen at random. For example the right front and left front of a cardigan or each sleeve start with different shades on the bottom trim. Other times, it looks like there was some planning and the trim starts with the same shade on each side.

Do knitters obsess with starting from exactly the same place in the variegated sequence? Or if you pick the same shade to start and you aren't quite in the same part of the sequence do you keep on going?

None of the pictures in the books show the backs of cardigans, so I'm not sure what they do with those. Do they have narrow stripes compared to the fronts because you are knitting a wider piece? Or has the knitter used two skeins and made the stripes closer to those on the fronts.

I know, SO many questions. Once again, knitting is proving NOT to be a relaxing experience for me!

Despite all my questions and issues with the colors, I have to say I love watching the colors change and the Noro yarn I'm using is lovely. It is Noro Silk Garden Chunky in colorway 11, which is pink-purple-green-tan.

I am working on a shrug from the book called Noro Designer Mini Knits Two.

I am starting sections of the shrug with roughly the same color, though I discovered after I got going that I wasn't always in the same part of the sequence. I have not frogged.

For the back, I am knitting from two skeins and trying to make the back stripes closer in width to those on the front, but it is hard not to interrupt the soft transitions between the colors when doing this. I think maybe I am having a harder time as this is my first variegated project and I am learning as I go. I am hoping these lessons will make my next Noro project in the queue much easier! I have frogged and reknit sections of the back too many times, only to feel that the first time was the best after all...aarrgh! Here is what I'm sticking with now.

Here are a couple of pictures showing how the side seam areas are looking/lining up.
Right:
Left:
I can live with it! Now, I only have to worry about size. Somehow, despite the fact it is pretty much filling up the knitting needles, it is looking small to me. Knitting usually grows though, so hopefully it will all work out. We'll see...