Chris King, 57, of Doncaster, lost both hands, except his thumbs, in an accident at work four years ago.
He had the complex operation at Leeds General Infirmary in July.
The Leeds Rhinos fan is also looking forward to being able to clap when he goes to watch the rugby league team.
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Mr King can now do a range of tasks, including writing, making a cup of tea and gardening, and has progressed faster than his surgeon anticipated.
He next hopes to tie his own shoelaces and button up his shirt.
"It's been going fantastically," he said.
"I can make a fist, I can hold a pen, I can do more or less the same functions as I could with my original hands."
Mr King's accident involved a metal pressing machine and left him close to death.
A team of "unsung heroes" at Sheffield's Northern General Hospital saved his life and enabled the later transplant surgery, he said.
Professor Simon Kay, a consultant plastic surgeon, performed Mr King's double transplant.
The hospital is hoping the procedure could one day be as routine as a kidney transplant.
Mr King said he wanted to again thank the family of the person who donated the hands.
He also encouraged others to become donors and provide "this wonderful gift".

Tonia Antoniazzi polled 22,727 votes compared with the Tories' Byron Davies on 19,458 in what was the tightest marginal seat in the UK.
Labour's Nia Griffith retained Llanelli while the party's Carolyn Harris kept Swansea East.
Shadow defence secretary Ms Griffith polled 21,568 votes with Conservative Stephen Davies on 9,544 in second.
Labour's Christina Rees also held on to Neath, Geraint Davies retained Swansea West and Stephen Kinnock kept Aberavon.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives' Simon Hart held on to Carmarthenshire West and Pembrokeshire South with 46.8% of the vote, and former Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb retained Preseli Pembrokeshire by just 314 votes for the Tories.
Plaid Cymru's Jonathan Edwards retained Carmarthen East and Dinefwr with 16,127, ahead of Labour's David Darkin on 12,219.
Ms Antoniazzi said she though the key moment for the Labour campaign was when Prime Minister Theresa May "did a U-turn" on the Tories' social care policy.
"But also we have a strong manifesto and moving forward, on the doorstep that's what we were hearing," she added.
Mr Crabb said: "The motivations for doing this election were entirely right and proper, to strengthen the position of the United Kingdom before going into what will prove to be the most difficult set of international negotiations we've faced since the Second World War.
"Clearly something has gone wrong because the country has wanted to talk about other issues at this election time.
"They wanted to raise other concerns and there are a whole lot of new voters who were less concerned about Brexit and more concerned about issues to do with quality of life and their economic security into the future."
Stephen Kinnock, re-elected in Aberavon, said Labour had presented "radical but realistic policies" and common sense which reached out into the centre ground to appeal to voters.
He said Jeremy Corbyn had shown leadership and judgement in the manifesto put forward.

19 April 2017 Last updated at 17:30 BST
Maureen Leathley was a prima ballerina who toured the country with operatic companies.
Ms Leathley said the movement and the music takes her "to another world".
The first person in the UK to have a double hand transplant has written a letter of thanks to his surgeon, nine months after his pioneering operation.
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Labour has won back Gower from the Conservatives, a seat the party won by 27 votes in 2015.
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A 91-year-old woman from Hull is still dancing - 79 years after she began ballet classes.