Sweater and new sock challenge

I finally went back to my top down sweater knit with Burly Spun. I finished the body and started on one of the sleeves. I have discovered that I can only work with large needles for limited amounts of time - my hands start to hurt. Not really sure why - too much tension, not the right grip...? Sorry about the background...it really clashes!

Soar hands...time to switch to socks. I have a skein of Soxie by Great Adirondack Yarn Co. that I have been searching for the perfect pattern for and I think I've found it. The pattern is called Pomatomus and can be found on Knitty.com. The designer is Cookie and the pattern is rated fairly difficult...but I think I'm up to the challenge. Here's a picture off the website and a picture of my sock yarn.