should retirement locale be determined by one's wardrobe?

A few years ago, when I discovered the joys of sock knitting, I decided in my retirement I only wanted to wear handknit socks. There is something so satisfying about wearing handknit socks - warm, rare, sometimes colorful, connected to history. This was before I broke my leg and discovered a very soft, finely knit brand of socks. So perhaps I will modify my original retirement goal to include some machine made socks. There is this nagging voice that says perhaps I should invest the money I spend on fiber - so that I can retire.

Not long after the sock flash hit, I decided I needed to learn machine knitting and acquired a knitting machine. While the well used machine aged in my studio waiting for me to get over my fear of learning this behemoth, I began handknitting sweaters. This is odd, since previously I had only completed one sweater type garment. I'm not a project kit person as a rule - I am a buy the fleece, spin the wool kind of person.

The is my zen garden kimono designed by Judy Dercum of La Lana Wools. The green silk yarn is indigo dyed. I learned that I love mosaic stitch and that linen stitch makes a fine solid fabric.




La Lana Wools is a joy to do business with. I ran short of green silk and they send sent an additional skein at no cost. This company specializes in exquisite plant dyed handspun and custom millspun yarns. www.lalanawools.com It looks like the website is being redesigned at the moment so visit them again when full functionality is back.

My handknit sock and sweater collection is growing. What if I choose to retire in a hot climate? Will I need all this cold weather gear? I want to simplify, pare down. If that is true - a hot climate would have reduced clothing needs. But then, if that were true I wouldn't continue to fill my house with all my textile endeavors.