The Knitting Faux-lympics!

A couple years ago, a news article came out that brought to light a cease-and-desist letter sent by the US Olympic Committee to the Ravelry community who had, for the last several years, hosted the Ravelympics on their web site.  This letter was published and it angered a lot of knitters.  According to the Olympic board, "We believe using the name “Ravelympics” for a competition that involves an afghan marathon, scarf hockey and sweater triathlon, among others, tends to denigrate the true nature of the Olympic Games.  In a sense, it is disrespectful to our country’s finest athletes and fails to recognize or appreciate their hard work."  (Here's a great article on the subject that's worth a gander.  Also, just for fun, a letter from Starbucks to a brewery over the name of one of its concoctions...)

I think we can all agree that this is this a bunch of complete nonsense and a waste of valuable time and resources.  I have the utmost respect for Olympic athletes and I can't possibly even come close to competing against them.  I couldn't win against them in a race to the bathroom, much less down a ski slope or around a skating rink.  But a crafting competition named similarly to the world's most illustrious sporting events to participate in *while watching* would not hurt anyone's feelings--least of all the fastest, strongest, most agile competitors our planet has to offer--and it was a slap in the face to all knitters who have spent years honing their skills, some of them actually competing for prizes and recognition in their own smaller world.  None of it is televised and few are sponsored, so the expense is totally on the competitors to foot the bill!

What the USOC should have said was, "What a creative way to challenge each other in your craft AND help improve our ratings at the same time!  While we would have rather you asked our permission to use 'lympics' and the logo, we will grant you permission to use them as long as no organization and no one person is benefiting in a monetary way."

Now, apparently, the USOC apologized in a follow-up letter that read, in part:

“Thanks to all of you who have posted, tweeted, emailed and called regarding the letter sent to the organizers of the Ravelympics.

“Like you, we are extremely passionate about what we do. …

“The letter sent to the organizers of the Ravelympics was a standard-form cease and desist letter that explained why we need to protect our trademarks in legal terms. Rest assured, as an organization that has many passionate knitters, we never intended to make this a personal attack on the knitting community or to suggest that knitters are not supportive of Team USA.

“We apologize for any insult and appreciate your support. We embrace hand-crafted American goods as we currently have the Annin Flagmakers of New Jersey stitching a custom-made American flag to accompany our team to the Olympic Games in London. To show our support of the Ravelry community, we would welcome any handmade items that you would like to create to travel with, and motivate, our team at the 2012 Games.”

Whatever, USOC.  Guess what?  You don't have exclusive rights to the word "Olympics".  I don't care what that 1978 lawsuit says.  You know where I live?  Washington State.  The capitol is Olympia.  My in-laws live on the Olympic Peninsula.  Just a few miles from my house, you can see the Olympic Mountains.  I even worked at a place call the Olympia Village.  You want to stop people using the word "Olympic", you'll have to talk to the Government of Washington State about changing the names of mountain ranges, cities, roads, businesses and other geographical locations.  Good luck with that. 

Here's what I propose...It's not the Ravelympics; there are no organized competitions.  BUT, in the Olympic spirit, I hope to challenge you during these most austere games, to reach high and aspire to your own lofty goals and improve your "game" while watching and cheering on our nations finest athletes!  With the utmost respect to the athletes, coaches and judges, and to the time and commitment that they all undertake to reaching these games, I challenge you all to participate in the Faux-lympics!  

We will not be competing in Scarf Hockey or a Sweater Biathlon, but you choose your project, set your own goals, cast on during the opening ceremonies, and try to finish by the closing ceremonies.  One friend already said, "I better just do a dishcloth--I don't know if I'll have time to complete a larger project!"  Whatever you think you can do!  Go for gold!

I'm planning on doing something like this; a huge challenge for me.  I've never made a sweater that I could wear (OK, one, but it was in college and it was hideous), and I haven't done much two-color work...a couple pairs of socks.  OK, five pairs.  But it includes steeking, a technique I've never done, and I may have to increase it in size (it has S-M-L, no XL or XXL).  And although the original pattern is in Norwegian, it has been translated to English (so here's hoping it was done well!)  The great thing is that it has a free pattern here.  There are tens of thousands of free patterns on the garnstudio site, so just about anything you want to knit is there!  Great search engine, too!   Go check it out!

I haven't yet chosen my tools and materials (equipment), I'll have to do a couple of test swatches and watch some YouTube videos (training) and consult my fellow skilled knitters (coaches), maybe even find a sponsor (DH!) and start on my road to bringing home the gold!  Or at least a pat on the back!

Only four weeks to go...are you ready?  Get set!  GO!