To compete, or not to compete…

So, I hear the Olympics are starting! No! Really! It’s true, I read it on the internets.

Long time readers may remember four years ago – holy crap, was that *really* only four years ago? – when they saw photos like this every day for two weeks while I grappled with The Knitting Olympics. I  had a good time, I learned new skills, I challenged myself, I felt like I joined a large community of people all working towards the same thing. My god that really doesn’t seem only four years ago. It feels like forever. And even though at times I felt I was really just slogging the fuck through with miles and miles of unchanging lace, I stuck with it and I finished. I can’t find a photo of the whole thing, but a friend even sent me a beautifully embroidered towel to celebrate my winning finish.

Two years ago I sort of ignored the 2008 Ravelympics, mostly because … well, I’m not sure why. Probably because I was busy teaching classes and already had so much on my plate that adding some sort of large challenging timed project might have pushed me over the edge.

So … this weeks starts the 2010 Ravelympics/2010 Knitting Olympics. And although up until about three days ago I hadn’t given it much thought, now I’m wondering… should I join? I’m not feeling particularly overwhelmed by anything I have going on right now, so it’s not like picking up one more project would push me into insanity. More into insanity. WHATEVER. But I have to say, I’m totally on the fence here. I sort of want to, but I don’t really feel motivated enough to. Any *normal* person at this point would probably say “well if you don’t feel motivated to, don’t do it, and shut the fuck up already”. But me? Normal? HAHAHAHAHAH. So of course I have to… examine my feelings. oooOOoooOOOOoo.

– PRO: I have a job that not only encourages me, but downright needs me to knit during the day. So I’m not worried that taking on a huge project would only leave me 90 minutes a day to work on it.

– CON: I feel a little different about challenging projects now that I’m a yarn store owner. I kind of feel that if there’s something I really want to make and it’s really, really, hard, there are probably five or six people in town who would also be interested in making the same project and would be up for taking a class. So if I want to do something tough, I should teach a class on it.

– NEUTRAL: I would have to knit a pattern I already own or can get in the next 24 hours, and use yarn that I either already have or can get in 24 hours.

– NEUTRAL: I have eight things in my queue right now; four long-sleeve pullovers, one tank top, one hat, and two pairs of socks. The way I whip out socks, I feel I should take that off the table right now. Socks in 16 days is not a challenge for me. The hat is for a class in March, so I can’t make it until then. That leaves the pullovers and the tank tops, and out of those while I own all five of the patterns, I only have the yarn on-hand for three of them. Four, if I make one massively multi-colored. Also out of those five, three of them (the ones I have the yarn for) are all mindless stockinette. The complicated cabled one I definitely do not have the yarn for. The somewhat cabled/somewhat boring one I could do if I did in many colors. So it’s sounding like Death by Stockinette, wherein the only challenge would not be stupefying myself with non-stop stockinette stitch.

There are some other things that have been in the back of my mind to do something with. I have some wool I picked up in Scotland that I’ve been thinking of making a Ruana or poncho with… but I don’t have a pattern picked out so if I did that I’d have to write or find a pattern in 24 hours. Or go in with a handicap of not knowing what I wanted to do. THAT SOUNDS FUN. Actually, that does kind of sound fun, sort of. But only sort of; I just don’t feel the fire I did last time.

Yeah.

Doesn’t sound much like I’m joining in this time around, does it? I mean, I’m not scoffing at it… but I’m just not feeling the fiery love, either. I guess I’m just of a different mindset than I was four years ago.