A Few Random Thoughts

Yarn Collecting

It occurred to me the other day that our yarn stashes are really just collections. Some people collect old furniture (i.e. antiques), some people spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on fine wine (which when drunk turns to pee), some people collect dust. So what's wrong with collecting yarn? Maybe someone needs to design a cabinet specifically for showcasing our stashes. Mothproof, of course.

Charity Knitting Conundrum

I have an uneasy relationship with charity knitting. On the one hand, for the money, it would be more economical to purchase knit goods, and for the hours involved, it seems we could be doing something more useful. We like to think the recipients of our needles will appreciate the time and effort involved as well as the quality of yarn and workmanship (workwomanship?) but when you are living in need, those issues are not very important.

So do we charity knit simply for our own pleasure? I'm not a snob when it comes to acrylic - all my afghans are crocheted with acrylic - but one charity project I knit for used (donated?) yarn that felt incredibly icky, like it was oozing petroleum. The colors weren't ones I would choose, either, so visual pleasure was lacking as well. I had to force myself to work on the project.

Or do we knit for charity because we want to help somehow and have limited resources? For example, if I were a stay-at-home parent who wanted to contribute and knitting was one of the few avenues available to me, then I would probably be more enthusiastic. But I have enough disposable income that I can support my favorite charities financially. From this perspective, charity knitting feels self-indulgent.

And yet I do knit for charity. I knit premie caps and chemo hats (here and here) and I'm contemplating selling handkint items to raise money for Heifer. I am going to knit no matter what, and if some of my knitting can result in something positive, maybe I should stop making it into a moral dilemma. Less drama, please!

Displaying One's Sock-cess

While working on this pair of socks in a spectacular colorway and an interesting texture, it occurred to me that it's a shame to hide them inside shoes and under pantlegs. What do you do to showcase your socks? I posted this question at the Knitter's Review Forum and there are creative solutions to the shoe problem. But what about pants vs. skirts?
Do you build your wardrobe around your handknits or vice verse? Inquiring minds want to know!