Knitting Olympics (god help me)

Yes, I'm trying for the Knitting Olympics this time around. Events conspired against me.

1. I've been reading the usual hue and cry on all the knitblogs, and seeing their beautiful planned projects.
2. I've been diligently working on my WIP elimination and only starting new projects for necessities for cold husbands (more later).
3. I picked up The Enchanted Sole by Janel Laidman at Knit & Caboodle last Thursday, and found the Atlantis sock pattern.
4. I then found the perfect handpainted Opal sock yarn in blues and bronze browns to represent the Atlantis Gateroom.

See? Events conspired. I had to buy the book and the yarn. My goal is to finish both socks by the end of the Winter Olympics. Considering that even when applying myself to finish the second sock of a familiar pattern, it took me a little more than a week to knit one, this should be a sufficient challenge. I started the socks late Friday night after the Opening Ceremonies. Here's the yarn, recently released from its ballband and before an encounter with the ball winder:

From 2010-02-14

And here's the progress after a weekend trip to Illinois and the usual errands before it started snowing too heavily to chance metal needles in the car today:

From 2010-02-14

The lace is a 10-stitch, 24-row repeat, with patterning on every row. I'm not a big fan of the process, but like an athlete practicing the basic fundamentals every day, I do enjoy the results. I have nearly three pattern repeats done, and I should be ready to start the heel after another half-repeat. The yarn is Opal at its best; fine, vibrant and non-splitty. I only hope it wears as well as its Southwest Collection brethren; I usually knit Opal on size 1's or 0's (that's 2.0mm to 2.25mm), but to get anything approaching gauge I had to go up to size 2's (2.75mm).

In non-Knitting Olympics news, I finished my Andromeda socks last week. Paparazzi-shy cat and my Valentines gift added for background interest:

From 2010-02-14

Specifics: Yarn is Knit Picks Essential Sock (now Stroll) Kettle Dyed in Ivy. It's actually not as flat as shown here, but a beautiful vibrant green. Sorry, it's snowing like mad, and this is the best I could do. This picture is a little truer to the actual color, but didn't have a cat.

Knit on size 2.5mm Addi Lace circular needle. Pattern is knotions Andromeda Sock by Polly Outhwaite. They fit well, look really dressy, and the lace was an easy 3-pattern-row repeat. I love the cable that flows down the heel flap. Bonus cool points: learning to do the slip heel stitch inside-out, with the slip 1 on the purl side. So much faster! This pattern was so much fun, I might have to knit it again and add the beads around the hem this time.

Two more FO's to report:

From 2010-02-14

The Elfin socks are done. Not bad for leftovers. Still not sure when I'll want to wear wool socks that won't keep my ankles warm, but there they are.

Also, the black ribbed dickey is finished. I haven't had a chance to get it and its recipient together in daylight for pictures (see: snow, clouds, tons of overtime, and early winter sunsets). Since black yarn absorbs all light more efficiently than a black hole, imagine an Elizabeth Zimmermann Trickey Dickey in plain black 2x2 rib. Yeah, it was about that exciting to knit. But husbands with cold necks get priority.