I don’t do commissioned knitting because that turns something I love doing into work. Yuck! I like to knit what I want to knit, not what someone else wants me to knit. I’m not saying that I don’t like to knit for others. I love to knit for others. And it isn’t to say that I don’t want input from those for whom I knit. When I knit something for someone I love, I want to make something they will love, too, and, more importantly, something they will wear.
So when the DH subtly hints that he would like another pair of socks, I ask him what color he would like, then shop around for nice sock yarns in that color. When I am ready to start the knitting, I ask him to choose which yarn he would prefer. (But I choose the pattern. If I don’t like the pattern, I won’t finish the socks. Life is too short to spend time knitting a project one doesn’t like.)
And when the boy needs a new sweater, I have him choose from a selection of patterns that I am willing to knit, but I give him carte blanche when it comes to the color.
Recently I got a special request from a very special person, the boy’s sock-worthy GF. Knee socks? she queried. OMG, I’ve been wanting to try knee socks for a long time, said I. And since knee socks require more yarn than regular socks, I couldn’t dive into my stash. No, no, no! I had to buy more sock yarn. What color? asked I. Blue is always nice, replied the SWGF.
Blue it is. On my next trip to the Burgh I will be accompanied by two skeins of sock yarn and the SWGF can choose between squishy Knit Picks Stroll Blue Yonder Tonal (75% superwash Merino/25% Nylon) and super-soft Knit Picks Imagination Looking Glass (50% Merino/25% alpaca/25% Nylon).
Stroll and Imagination
All Kinds Of Knitting 
I was showing my Bigger on the Inside Shawl to some folks at a convention a couple of weeks ago. I thought selling kits would be a great idea for their booth (the right sort of nerdy venue). They thought I wanted to knit them a supply to sell.
Oh heck no!