In Which the Pirate Resists the Knitting Olympics.

As much as I think it would be great fun to join the Knitting Olympics and/or the Ravelympics, I’m not letting myself do it. The idea of the Knitting Olympics is to cast on a project during the Opening Ceremonies and finish it before the torch goes out, something that would be a challenge for you to finish in the seventeen days of the Olympics. There is one exception; the Ravelympics has an event for finishing a work in progress that hasn’t been touched in over a month. I briefly thought about joining that one, for Napramach.

But no.

Firstly, I hate knitting to deadlines. I get all stressed about it and the rest of my life suffers while I commit myself to doing nothing but knitting in all of my spare time. Sure, sometimes that happens – like last year, when I finished a baby blanket the night before going to meet the new baby. Given how grumpy I got doing that, I’m not going to sign myself up for doing it on purpose.

And secondly, whenever I knit to deadlines, I have a tendonitis flare-up in my arms and then I have to take a break from everything for a couple of weeks.

I will be cheering you on from the sidelines, you crazy knitters who are going for gold medals. You make it look so easy, and your work is all so beautiful! And of course, I will be watching the Olympic athletes in Vancouver. Figure skating has always been my favourite of the winter events; I wanted to be a figure skater when I was a little kid, and part of me still holds on to that dream. They make it look so easy, especially in pairs skating where he seems to effortlessly lift her above his head, gliding around the rink holding her up with just one hand.

Here’s to all of us – the knitters, the athletes, the participants and the cheerers-on – here’s to the best in all of us, however we may express it.