A Crochet Olympics for 2008

[frogrockr]

Just a-wondering....

 

 

Is anybody organising or planning to co-ordinate a Crochetville Olympics for 2008????

 

 

Hookier! Yarnier! Stitchier!

 

 

Manda

[Amy]

We should be able to do that! Does anybody have any ideas on how it should work?

[MamaHooks]

When I asked this question about a month ago no one responded so I don't think there is much of an interest. However, to answer a couple of your questions. Jinglelady did the organizing in 2006 it was a crochet-a-long. It was a lot of work. We set up a web page. Then everyone choose one main item that they planned to crochet. We then were split into teams based on the type of item we were going to make (wearables, kitchen accessories, etc...). We couldn't start until the Olympics were officially started. Then you worked on your project only when the Olympics was on for that day. We awarded anyone that finished at or before the official end of the Olympics with a gold medal web button, there was sliver and bronze too. We did constant updates on our projects. It was a lot of fun. But I know that I had the easiest part I designed the web page. Jinglelady did all the real work. She placed us in groups, updated the web page and kept the whole crochet-a-long going with cheerfulness. She helped anyone with a pattern they were stuck on.

 

It was a fun experience to say the least. I would love to see another one for this year.

[Nora58]

That sounds like fun! I'd participate in it.

[Amy]

Who is interested in participating in a Crochetville Olympics 2008?

 

I took part in the one the Yarn Harlot (oops, knitting celebrity, sorry!) organized on her blog on one of the crochet teams several years back. Apparently, I have a memory like a sieve. It was jinglelady's Crochet Olympics that I participated in.

 

But I think it would be great to have our own Olympics right here at the 'Ville.

 

Hmmm, I wonder if Stephanie (Yarn Harlot) would be interested in a reciprocal competition (if she's going to do this again)? Knitters vs. crocheters? We can send anyone who wants to be in the knitting Olympics her way, and she can send crocheters our way. What do you think?

 

Since she will probably have thousands and thousands of knitters participating, maybe the contest could be whether knitters or crocheters have the highest percentage of gold medal winners from the total number of participants.

 

Any other ideas?

[darncat]

I'll join in.

[Amy]

When I asked this question about a month ago no one responded so I don't think there is much of an interest.

 

If you asked this question here, I must have totally missed that thread! Or if I did see it and posted in it, my tiny little caffeine-deprived brain has forgotten about it today. Sorry about that. I do think it would be a great idea to do another one.

[Gran]

Organizing it as a CAL sounds great. I'll crochet along. Would it be a good idea to amend the title of this thread to read: ...a Crochet Olympics-CAL...? I almost passed it over as it sounded like a competition. Having the olympics as a CAL means that anyone who wishes to can participate, not just the swiftest.

[PoetryinYarn]

Depending on when it is I might go for it.

[crochetmom2]

Sounds like fun. I like the idea of a CAL. I'm not the fastest crocheter!

[pat54]

sounds like fun. I want to make sure I understand the whole thing before I commit but I'm interested.

[beth eathorne]

this sounds like fun...might i suggest that the items made go to some kind of charity(s)? this would be a great way for our group as a whole to made a real impact.

[frogrockr]

Hi!

 

I'm so glad there's some interest!!

 

what I was thinking - having read Yarnharlot's 2004 Knitting Olympics rules - was that it's not a competition, more a Crochet Along, and everybody acheives their own stated goals.

 

Maybe somebody could design us Gold Medals that could be awarded if you complete your "goal" item/s.

 

To make it more of a a challenge, the "categories" could be:

 

 

a. Endurance: Complete 20+ Squares to send to a group that is making afghans. Your choice of group.

 

b. High Dive: undertake a technique that you've never tried before : i.e. Wire, thread, filet, felting.

 

c. Destash: This one we could offer gold , silver, and bronze, based on the amount of yarn you use up during the Olympics. Using the same Stashbusting calculations that many people are already trying to live by!!!

 

d. WIP'D - Finish off WIPs - amaze your friends that you have finished!

 

e. Personal Best. Make that project you've always been wanting to try but have always put off due to lack of time, saying that you don't know how or whatever - go for it!

 

 

I'd be happy to be one of the co-ordinators, now I have a little more time (and health) on my hands!!

[Amy]

I am so glad to see that everyone is interested in this event! It was a lot of fun when I participated two years ago.

 

Donna and I are going to review what was done with the Crochet Olympics of 2006 and with the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics. We'll try to take the best of both and come up with a unique Crochetville Olympics of 2008!

 

Please fee free to keep sharing ideas here, and be watching for the official "rules" post to be made by Crochetville LLC within the next few days.

 

For now, you can use this thread to let us know if you're possibly interested (no commitment) and to share some ideas with us.

 

Since we just finished up a major charitable effort (Caron's Soften the World Sweepstakes) as a group, I'm not sure we want to require everyone to donate their item to charity in order to participate. Some people may want to make something as part of their holiday gift-giving project list, others may want to make something for themselves. I don't want there to be any limiting factors that would make someone feel they couldn't/shouldn't participate.

 

Of course, anyone would be welcome to donate the item they make to the charity of their choice.

 

But keep the ideas flowing. Let us know what you think would work, as well as what you think wouldn't work. This is going to be so much fun!

[Amy]

sounds like fun. I want to make sure I understand the whole thing before I commit but I'm interested.

 

I think (don't hold me to this) that the basic concept will be that each participant commits to make SOMETHING that is a personal stretch for them and their crocheting abilities. You can't start crocheting until the opening ceremonies begin, and you have to stop (for the purpose of the game; you can finish later on) when the flame goes out. The "personal stretch" is totally individual. What may be a stretch for one is easy for another, and vice versa. You may want to try a more complicated item than you've ever made; you may want to try something that you don't think you could possibly get done during the two-week-or-so period of the Olympics.

 

What does everybody think about organizing into teams (based on the type of item you're making, for instance) and having team competitions, or would you rather it just be an individual challenge? The team concept would make it more like the real Olympics, but we don't have to do that if people don't want to.

 

There's going to be a lot to think about with this, and we'll do our best to get everything up as soon as possible.

 

By the way, when DOES the Olympics start this summer????

[laurawithchild]

Sounds like fun!

[2kute]

sounds good to me

[frogrockr]

Amy - the Olympics starts on 8 - 8- 08

 

8th of August - the Chinese believing that 8 is an auspicious number.

 

 

I thought maybe having the different categories would allow people to have the chance to stretch and try things that they havent before as well as make the items they've always wanted to.

 

And only the Squares section would be a charity/donation event.

 

 

Manda

[mama_crochet]

Sounds interesting to me too...just depends when you start it!!!

[Amy]

Sounds interesting to me too...just depends when you start it!!!

 

Well, we're going to get started with the rules and guidelines pretty soon. Once we get a bunch of ideas from everyone, we'll get all the guidelines set.

 

But the actual Olympic event would take place at the start of the opening ceremonies on August 8 and continue until the end of the closing ceremonies when the flame is extinguished.

 

We'll have a thread where people can discuss their possible projects, join up in teams, get some team buttons made, all sorts of stuff.

 

Keep the ideas coming! There are all sorts of different team ideas we could come up with.

 

I think the Knitting Olympics only awarded gold medals, but I like the idea of having gold, silver, and bronze medals.

[Gran]

Teams could help each other as the other CALs do. Maybe there could be some guidelines for posting, like tag relays. Don't know how it all could work. If you're crocheting you can't post. Ah, unless I get that voice-activated feature figured out.

 

It's a great idea. To do this in August with other Olympic events is fine with me.

 

Could we have some new little smilies for this event?

[pat54]

Well now that I understand a little more, I'm in. Sounds like fun. I with Gran, can we get smilies for it?????

[2kute]

I think it's a great idea to start working on our holiday list. That would be a great motivation factor to make holiday presents instead of just buying them I for one, keeping putting my holiday list off.

Also, being that we are a bunch of givers, I think each team should choose a charity and make grannies for that particular charity, as a team.

And then of course, the team gets the medal according to number of squares.

[teakaycee]

This all sounds fun............ I think I would like to play along!

 

[candy4271]

Teams could help each other as the other CALs do. Maybe there could be some guidelines for posting, like tag relays. Don't know how it all could work. If you're crocheting you can't post. Ah, unless I get that voice-activated feature figured out.

 

It's a great idea. To do this in August with other Olympic events is fine with me.

 

Could we have some new little smilies for this event?

 

Voice-activated posting!!! Man......wouldn't that be great! Be on the 'Ville posting and crocheting at the same time! WOOT!!

 

These Olympics sound like fun! Maybe I should request some vacation time from work? Do you think they would frown upon that? If I told them I needed time off to train and participate in the prestigious Crochet Olympics?

 

Ready.......... Set....................