Glovely

[offcntr]

I go through a lot of gloves.

Specifically, fingerless gloves. I wear them for everyday, outdoor activities throughout the rainy season, but most abrasively, during Market and fair set-ups, where they get scraped and snagged by pottery totes and shelf splinters, and just plain worn out. For most of my pottery career, it's been plain, undyed rag-wool gloves. Then, a few years back, Denise found me these:

They're still wool, albeit a finer knit, with Thinsulate (TM) lining, for extra warmth. I've gone through three pairs of them at this point, and as you can see, these badly need replacing.

Two, three years ago, they were everywhere: BiMart, Fred Meyer, Shopko. This year, we couldn't find them anywhere. Denise poked around the internet, finally said I should try a sporting goods store, like Cabela's.

Well, I happened to be over by Gateway Mall yesterday for a doctor's appointment, so I swung by.

First reaction: they have a truly disturbing amount of taxidermy on display, starting with the two full-body mounts of elk fighting over the front entrance. It's also a huge layout, so I wander fruitlessly as I wonder who dusts the bears and bobcats. Finally find an employee, who directs me to the fishing department. I narrowly miss getting clothes-lined by two guys waving fishing rods like light-sabers, come around the back of display of hats to find their gloves are primarily nylon or kevlar, designed to a) grip a fishing rod and b) prevent fish-line cutting your hands. The only pair of rag-wool gloves, with plastic gripper dots on the palms, cost nine bucks, but are too small to fit my fingers through.

Back to the car, where the sun has gone down and a heavy rain set in. I realize there's a Big 5 sporting goods store in the complex, though finding it in the murk is a challenge. I eventually make my way in; it's a much smaller shop, with no dead animals, but also no fingerless gloves, except for some over-built hunter's specials, heavy wool, leather palms, a convertible mitten over-cap held back off your trigger finger with Velcro (TM). Also, nineteen bucks.

Resigning myself to another winter with raggedy-ass palms, I try to navigate the maze that is Gateway Mall parking in the rain, and find myself driving past Target (TM). What the hell, I think, Give it a shot.

It's a big store; I learn this when I mistakenly take a left turn at the front door and end up circumnavigating the entire array, including a truly terrifying Valentine's candy display. So red. Such pink. Many foil. Shiny!

I finally find Men's Wear in the back right corner, hidden in the dim misty distance beyond Women's and Children's, straight back from the entrance. Still not having much luck; I see three pair of what we'd call snowmobile gloves back in Wisconsin, hidden on an end-cap behind heavy quilted snow pants. I'm on my way out again, the short way, when I see an employee restocking random items from a shopping cart in Women's Unmentionables. Excuse me, I say, Can you help me? I'm looking for gloves, and I only see the three pair back there. Are there by chance any others, fingerless ones maybe?

She tells me they've been hit hard on gloves early on, not sure that there's any to speak of, but if there are, they're in the display with the stocking caps. If not, I could try Cabela's? Eh, no. Well, maybe Duluth Trading Company, or perhaps Fred Meyer, she's heard they're overstocked.

I thank her and head back to the indicated display. And find...

They're not exactly what I wanted. Still have the extra mitten cap, and they're lined with Fleece (no TM), not Thinsulate (TM). But they're warm and soft and fit like a dream. And they only cost twelve bucks.