Inside of Drinks Cabinet by Gerard Scanlan
Long ago when people did only what they needed to do, it was noticed that some people had a knack for particular things. Things were organised and people with a knack were given things to do they had a knack for. The knackers started to consider themselves special when compared to the knackless around them. So they renamed themselves professionals, so they could charge for their knacks. Which perhaps explains why there are so many knickknacks.