good press

Someone on YarnHarlot posted a link to a newspaper article about the Knitting Olympics: currently 3300 participants and counting!

I think what is making me so excited about this is that we're all in it together and we're all pushing ourselves. Recently, I've felt disillusioned about the "real" Olympics, because it seems that big money sponsorship, politics and no-holds-barred competition has extinguished a lot of the inspirational spirit of the Games. To me, it should be individuals pushing themselves to achieve their very best, supporting their teammates, respecting their competition, and taking pride in their achievements on behalf of their country's team. Of course, in the Knitting Olympics, our competition is not other knitters: we are competing against time, the intricacies of pattern and stitch, and our own experience and skill levels.

I know that when I was initially thinking about taking part, I was worried about upcoming work stresses (the busiest time of my working year is over the next month or so) interfering with my ability to finish. The Olympic Creed states: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." We've set ourselves a goal, and we'll try our best to attain that goal. If life gets in the way and we're forced to abandon the mission for one reason or another, we haven't failed as long as we've given it 100% while we could. The only failure is if we give up without giving it a go.