Ambitious... and nuts

I'm nuts to even consider this, but my yarn stash is making noises that I can't completely ignore. It's whispering about the lace weight merino yarn I got from knitpicks a while back, and about what can be done with said yarn. It's whispering about sweaters. Granted, lace weight yarn is probably better used for fuzzy shawls, or doubled and used for socks; it's still whispering about sweaters. This is a puzzle to which I shall apply myself after I finish puzzling out the stripey foot of that Nordic Lights sock.
I've hit a snag, which I mentioned in my response to Rachael's comment: My little Brittany birch needles are too short to do what I need to do. It's a problem, but it gives me an excuse to consider ordering some of those nifty new wooden Harmony DPNs from KnitPicks. There's a further problem, though, because apparently the demand for the needles has been so unexpectedly high that the company has run out... and they won't be in stock until 22nd of October. I'd so hoped to finish the socks by then! Doesn't look like I'll be able to do that, though--especially since I do need longer needles.
The other problem is a purely technical one: I have yet to figure out how the needles are numbered for the heel gusset, which makes it a hell of a lot harder to do the stripe pattern. Of course, I could just finish the sock with a plain foot and just work the snowflake diagram and the toe according to pattern and completely ignore the stripes. At present I'm considering it a frustrating challenge, mostly because I really would like to figure out how to finish the sock without taking any shortcuts. On the other hand, I'd really like to finish the sock... and then finish the other sock. Not because I want to get it over with, but because I really want to be able to wear them! I know, I know... they'll be under shoes, which means no one will actually be able to see them. That doesn't matter, though, because I'll know they're there.
And I still need to figure out my holiday knitting schedule. I know of one person who's destined for mittens, and I know what I'm doing for one other person, but that still leaves a few people to plan for. Somewhere along the line, I'll be working on ideas for this lace weight sweater.. assuming I don't decide to double the yarn and do it as fingering weight, which--using the requisite small sized needles--could easily take F O R E V E R.
See why I said it sounds nuts?

Dammit.. I broke one of my teeny-tiny little Brittany needles. Now I really do need to order some from KnitPicks.