Baby, It's Cold Outside - Xmas Gift #4 (boy)

Pattern: "Dashing," by Cheryl Niamath, available free here
Yarn: ShibuiKnits Merino Worsted (Seaweed)
Needles: US7 dpns (worked in the round)
Size: small

Plus: I can't help it. I'm literally sexually aroused by these. I've always had a thing for a nice male forearm, the kind where the muscles wrap lengthwise down from the elbow and curve seductively around the wrist, the way those sinewy layers would ripple over one another ever so slightly when in movement. Yow. These mitts are dead sexy forearms translated into knitting, and I couldn't be happier with them. My husband, who has been vehement and irritating in his skepticism against fingerless mitts, broke down and begged me not to gift them to anyone else but him. BEGGED! He's been wearing them everywhere and has expressed considerable anxiety regarding needing an outfit which will show off the cabling detail best. What a homo, huh?


Delta: Because it is a hand-dyed yarn, there is a little more pooling (particularly a spiral of lighter green that wraps all the way up the arm and hand) than I would have ideally wanted. (Jake thinks it's just another asset and points it out to people when showing off his mitts.) Additionally, the thumbs could be prettier; I always have a hard time with gaps around picked up stitches or reclaiming live stitches from a scrap-yarn slit.

Christmas--all three days of full on feasting and gifting--was lovely and fun. We had a actual, honest-to-God snow on the ground in the morning--a first in my memory. Everyone got a few things which elicited squeals of delight (for my sister, this was a Coach purse; for me, it was an obscene amount of gift cards for my LYS). In addition, both of our families have really embraced the idea of philanthropic Christmas gifts. Among several such gifts, Jake and I were given a $100 gift certificate for Kiva, our favorite "charitable" organization. If you have not looked into this micro-financing institution and their unique approach alleviating poverty all over the world, GO NOW.

And, you probably saw this coming: afghan square #12