Change of plans

I had intended to blog today with a lovely full update on how all the deadline knitting is going, complete with as many pictures as I could take: how the challah cover went (short version: great), how the Christmas/holiday knitting is going (short version: a few snags but essentially good), how my 12-in-12 challenge is going (short version: I've been making progress)...but then, this afternoon, my husband gave me my birthday present from him. (The actual birthday isn't until tomorrow, but he wanted me to open it without the children around, so that there wouldn't be constant interruption while I was trying to have a reaction)

I.
Was.
Gobsmacked.

Actually, 'thermonuclear plotzing' is a more accurate description of my reaction. What I unwrapped was a sweater with gorgeous shaping along every curve, which looked like it would fit me perfectly. And it did.

Naturally, I was intensely curious as to what pattern this was. My first guess, based on how it looked, was that Elsebeth Lavold could have been the designer, but Ysolda Teague also flitted through my mind as a possibility. However, he refused to actually answer me when I asked him about it.

It wasn't until I had it on and was admiring in the mirror how incredible it looked on me that it suddenly hit me that he had designed this thing himself.

"Is this...YOURS?!?" I shrieked.

I am quite sure my reaction was everything he could possibly have hoped for. For one thing, I am quite sure my jaw didn't come back to a closed position for at least ten minutes.

When I was sufficiently recovered (and had managed to take my eyes off myself for a few seconds), I asked him what he was planning to do with the design.

"Oh, I don't know...nothing?" he ventured in a surprised tone.

"No, seriously," I insisted. "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THE DESIGN?"

"You're going to bully me into submitting it somewhere, aren't you," he said.

Well, of course I'm not going to bully him into anything. And if he doesn't want to try and get it published anywhere, of course I'm not going to pressure him. But dammit, I told him, he really, really should try to put it out there. He seemed surprised. (Dork.)

And that's why, very unfortunately, there are no pictures of this thing to show you. :( Once its fate is decided, though, I will go all out with the showing and the bragging. But for now? Trust me...it's hot. :)

(Update on my knitting to come later.)

(Oh, and also: he's all mine. Hands off.)