I've been thinking about something lately.

Do I knit the things I actually wear?

You would think the answer would be an easy yes. After all, if I'm going to spend hours and hours making something, surely it's something I need and will wear all the time.

Well...

Not necessarily.

I Love Knitting Shawls

I LOVE knitting shawls.

There is something incredibly soothing about them—even the challenging ones. I'm not sure if it's the size, the way they grow, or what it is, but I tend to fall into a rhythm with a shawl and just keep going.

The problem?

I like knitting shawls more than I like wearing shawls.

I finally admitted that to myself a couple of years ago.

Instead of deciding I should stop making something I enjoy, I decided I needed to figure out how to actually wear them!

I started looking on Pinterest for different ways to style shawls. I experimented with wrapping them differently, and somewhere along the way I started enjoying wearing them more.

I'm still always looking for new ways to wear them.

Of course, there's another problem.

I can really only wear them when it's cool outside. Thanks, menopause! 😂

So my shawl-wearing season might be a little shorter than some people's, but that doesn't seem to have stopped me from knitting them.

And maybe that's okay. Do we always have to make something because we need it?

Sometimes enjoying the making is reason enough.

Socks Are a Completely Different Story

I also LOVE knitting socks.

But unlike shawls, I wear my handknit socks all the time.

I've worn some pairs so much that I've actually worn them out.

I know I'm supposed to darn them and give them another life. Unfortunately, darning is not one of my talents. When I repair a sock, the repair usually doesn't last very long.

At that point, I decide the poor sock has lived a good life...

And into the dead sock box it goes.

Yes. I have a dead sock box.

I always think I'm eventually going to come up with some brilliant project for all those worn-out handknit socks.

I haven't yet.

But I'm keeping them just in case inspiration strikes!

Maybe I Need More Sweaters

Sweaters are almost the opposite of shawls for me.

I enjoy knitting sweaters, but most of the time I think I enjoy wearing them even more than making them.

I've always been a sweater wearer.

Which raises an obvious question:

Why don't I knit more sweaters?

Maybe I should!

I am working on a vest right now, and I'm really enjoying it. I've always loved wearing vests, so I'm very happy to see them coming back into style.

That's one project where what I like to make and what I actually like to wear seem to be lining up nicely.

Then There Are Hats...

I enjoy knitting hats.

Wearing them?

I'm a little more so-so.

I'll happily wear a hat when I'm doing barn chores or snowplowing. When I'm going somewhere, though, I don't necessarily want to put on a hat and mess up my hair.

Apparently even a handknit hat has its limits. 😄

Mittens are easier.

Love making them. Love wearing them.

That's a win-win.

So Why Do I Never Have Anything to Wear?

Here's the part I haven't figured out.

I own handknit shawls.

I have handknit socks.

I've made sweaters, hats, mittens and all kinds of other things.

I'm surrounded by yarn.

I literally own a yarn shop.

And yet somehow, when I'm getting ready to go somewhere, I still find myself thinking:

I don't have anything handknit to wear!

How is that possible?

Maybe I need to start thinking a little more about the life I actually live when I'm choosing my projects.

What do I reach for when I open my closet?

What colors do I actually wear?

What kind of sweater would I throw on over and over again?

What accessories fit into my everyday life?

That doesn't mean I'm going to stop knitting shawls simply because I don't wear them as often as I wear my socks. I enjoy knitting them too much for that.

Not every project has to earn its place by being practical.

Sometimes we knit because we want the finished object.

Sometimes we knit because we love the process.

And the very best projects might be the ones that give us both.

So now I'm curious about you.

Are you knitting for the life you actually live?

What do you love to knit—and is it the same thing you love to wear?

And please tell me I'm not the only person with a collection of beautiful handknits who can still stand in front of the closet and say, "I have nothing to wear!"

Happy knitting!

Betty Jo