Whiffy

I am supposed to be knitting the February Lady Sweater. I am supposed to be knitting 60" of stockinette for a scarf. I am supposed to be reknitting a pair of socks for LB. I am supposed to be knitting two other pairs of socks I have begun. I am supposed to be doing some Civil War knitting.

Instead, a ball of possum yarn came home with me and was promptly knitted up into these Claudia mitts.

The yarn, Zealana Kia Ora Rimu Fingering, is 60% merino, 40% possum. The possum part is freaking me out.

The New Zealand possum isn't the same as the American possum, although both are apparently unpopular. A FAQ is here. On the plus side, the hair of the possum has a hollow core, which makes the yarn incredibly warm.

On the negative side? It's possum. The gloves quickly got a sort of halo about them and the possum fur is pretty clearly visible. Since the fur is ticked, it looks as if a tabby cat took to sleeping on the mitts for several months.

Second, the yarn is very whiffy. Add sweaty hands from the hollow-core hair, and the whole situation just gets worse. Steu, who has thus shown little interest in yarn, went a little crazy for the possum yarn.

I don't have a photo of him going after the possum yarn, but I do have a photo of him greeting Sparkles, my friend's cockatiel. Steuey's reaction to the yarn was about like his reaction to the cockatiel, only with slightly less barking. And the yarn was unable to fly away.