bye-bye, Dulaan

I've knit a good bit for charity over the past few years, mostly hats, scarves, mittens, and an occasional vest. Many of these items have been sent to Mongolia. So, when I read today that the (official and sanctioned) Dulaan project is closing its doors, I felt a touch of sadness. But, since the reason behind the closing is a good one -- Mongolia has developed to the point of requiring technical assistance rather than the most basic clothing needs -- I'm pleased.

Of course, there are still many charities who collect knitted goods, so I'll still be knitting! Most of what I knit is from leftovers or scraps. However, some of the items are made from nice stuff, like these Noro hats below.

For some time now, I have been kicking around the idea of selling some knitted items to raise money for charity. (It came up again recently, when a member of my SnB raised the idea in another context.) While warm knitted goods are nice, what most nonprofit groups really need is cash -- money to keep the lights on, pay the people who do the good work, and implement programs on the ground.

I was thinking of an Etsy store, as that seems to be the quickest and easiest way, with little up-front work or cost. I'd list things only when I felt like it, with no real pressure to sell them -- if they didn't sell, I'd donate them as I would have anyways. (Note: I know that there are copyright issues with selling items made from others' patterns -- the Fake Isle hat above is just an example of yarns I have used for charity knitting in the past.)

What do you think? Is it a good idea, or more trouble than it's worth? Let me know -- especially if you have bought or sold on Etsy before.