Saturday evening I finished up the knitting on the much anticipated Fleece Artist Merino Parrot socks. Today I grafted the second toe (Knitty directions work more than once!) after lunch so I could get them into the light-colored delicate load of laundry. But first the socks and I had a little photo shoot out on the back patio, and I overheard this socky conversation.

Second Sock: Well, we are a pair now, and I must say we are stylin’. Of course, we are knit from the best sock yarn in the entire universe!

First Sock: Perhaps not in the entire universe. But I do like how our kind knitter used a simple pattern so that our lovely parrot colors are shown to their best.

Second Sock: Parrot, my Aunt Fanny! We look like guacamole! Really good, home made guacamole, not that nasty store bought “guac.” Say, did you hear the news going round the sock basket, that the Tofutsies yarn may still not be behaving? Our knitter thinks it may be too big.

First Sock: I’m sure our knitter will solve the problem. She is thinking of switching to a smaller needle after the first repeat of the pattern. If that fails to satisfy, she is contemplating using a different ball of Tofutsies and knit it up in the Rib and Cable pattern from IK Fall 2005 by Nancy Bush. She has had excellent success with this pattern before, and she knows how it behaves.

Second Sock: I think she should just stick to yarns made from the fleece of Nova Scotian sheep. That’s what I think.

First Sock: Well, having been out of the sock basket longer than you, my dear twin, I happen to know that she has plans for two skeins of our Fleece Artist Merino brethren: Burgundy and Woodland. And they won’t be knit into socks.

Second Sock: What’s she going to knit?! It’s sock yarn for cryin’ out loud!!

First Sock: If you don’t know you’ll just have to wait and see.

Second Sock: That’s not fair!

First Sock: You know what our knitter’s M says about fair.

Second Sock: What’s fair?

First Sock: Pigs in a park.

Second Sock: Why you big meanie! You better keep your foot away from me! I’m gonna tell our knitter that you’re a big bully.

First Sock: She’s the older of two sibs herself. I’m certain she’ll see things my way. Oh, and M is also the older child. Face it, you’re doomed.

At this point, I decided to end hostilities by a trip through the washer. We’ll see if that makes them better friends. In the meantime, the second sock will be trying to figure out what I plan to do with the Woodland and Burgundy FA. It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

I am very happy to report that the errant second Gingerbread Cable Sock and I have completely reconciled. In fact, the GCS have gone from a WIP to a FO! We are both very pleased.

“I can’t believe she finally finished you, my lovely sock mate!” First Sock.

OK, I don’t have cute kitties like Chris, so I have to make my socks talk. It’s sad, I know. The completion of the GCS means that only the Fleece Artist merino socks in Parrot are still on the needles. I think FA misnamed this colorway; it should be called Guacamole, but maybe I’m just hungry.

Actually, I do have two other pairs of socks on the needles, but they are soon to be frogged. Both annoy me. First, I don’t like the colors in this yarn. The gold with the pink, blue, grey and white just doesn’t do it for me. I want my needles back, so it’s going to be ripped.

Second to go is this cuff; it’s the third pattern attempt with this yarn (Fleece Artist for Simply Sock Yarn’s first anniversary), and I don’t like the striping. It’s too jarring, so back into the stash it goes.

All this frogging leaves me needles to finally cast on for the Lenten Rose pattern from Sundara’s Petals Collection. I plan to use the lace pattern Sundara provided. I’m very excited by both the yarn and the pattern.

I received the next installment in the Petals Collection today: Birds of Paradise. I’d show you, but Flickr won’t let me upload the picture. It’s very bright and cheerful. I’ll save it for the Easter season.

I also want to get a pair of the Tofutsies M bought me as described in my last post on the needles. My friend Elsie has knit a couple pairs of Tofutsies socks, and she really likes the yarn. She machine washes and dries her handknit socks, and she reports that the Tofutsies yarn holds up well to this laundering routine, and the socks get even softer with washing (it’s really soft in the skein). I’m hoping the soy silk/wool blend will extend the handknit sock wearing season here in California.

It’s time to play with Sundara’s yarn!

Have a great weekend!