Evolution of taste

As I knit up my leftover bits from the stash I've been noticing how the quality of yarn I've bought over the years has changed.  From my student days there's acrylic with maybe some wool, mostly from Michaels.  Since I've graduated there's been nicer yarn from local yarn shops.  As I've knit some of the leftovers of a friend I've really noticed the difference in quality.

I don't normally pay a lot of attention to how the yarn feels in my hands, especially if it's knitting from the stash.  I try not to complain about things I can't change and if it's in the stash I should use it without complaining or give it away.  I normally avoid cotton since I don't love how it feels and won't dream of using old plasticy yarns anymore (though I was once given an entire garbage bag of that), but usually choose based on what I need for a project, not the tactile sense of the thing.

My friend's leftover yarn may have changed that, it feels absolutely lovely in my hands.  I wonder if the simpleness of the pattern is helping me notice it as well, kind of like how they say that people who are blind and deaf have a heightened awareness of their other senses.