Auf die Plätze, fertig, los!

Well, not quite. I'll have to wait till later this evening before casting on my olympic projects. Consider this warm-up.

Wait, plural? Projects? More than one? Yes, for practical reasons: my mom and stepdad are visiting from Germany, not here in Boston, where it's cold, but in sunny Florida, which is, according to my parents, just around the corner from Boston.* My parents' trip to Florida coincides with my school's spring break (seriously), so why not go on vacation for a week? 'Cause of the traveling I need a small, portable project. Socks, for instance. And since the Yarn Harlot is Super Sock Woman, I'm participating in her Knitting Olympics, knitting Slippery. One of the gals attending last weekend's knitting brunch was working on a pair, and I really loved her results. We'll see how well I fare with the pattern: Cables in every other row? Slipped stitches all over the place? Not a single plain vanilla all-knit-stitch row? I 'spose that's the olympic challenge. See, the yarn's already waiting for me:

(Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino, with Koigu Premium Merino in gray for cuff, heel, and toe.)

Since the socks were a bit of an afterthought, a plan B, so to speak, I also entered the Ravelympics with this in mind:

(Photo by Lang Yarns, published in Lang Yarns' Fatto a Mano 169, pattern #27.)

Yep, that's plan A. 16 olympic days minus 6 vacation days = 10 days. A sweater in ten days? Sort of impossible for me. But when I look at the yarn and consider the #13 needles, I'm optimistic:

I'm hoping that this puppy will knit itself. While I'm in Florida. :) Perhaps that's too optimistic.

Right, then. Y'all enjoy a great olympics opening ceremony!**

*Geographical misconceptions persist on both sides of the Atlantic. When I lived in Berlin, an American friend asked to visit me while she was traveling in Europa; she suggested we meet in Venice.
**This whole knitting business has gotten me all excited about the real olympics, and I look forward to watching some of the biathlon action. Go, Neuner!