OK, I got game.  (Whatever that means.)

I also still got plenty of UFO’s.

So, here goes:  I’m officially entering the 2008 Summer UFOlympic Games.

Welllll, kind of officially.  There’s some wiggle room there, I think.

Background:  As far as I can tell after a whole 5 minutes of online research, the UFOlympics concept started in 2006 with this blogger’s idea to do something akin to the widely known Knitting Olympics, but with UFO’s instead.

I think this is freakin’ brilliant.

Her more recent post, for the upcoming 2008 games, says this:

"It’s almost time for the 2008 Olympics! The US Trials start this weekend, so it’s time to start planning our UFO projects for this year!

Here are the rules:
1. No starting on your designated UFO before the opening ceremonies start. (August 8, 2008)
2. Finish before the flame goes out. (August 24, 2008)
3. You may choose 1 or more UFOs, depending on how much is left to do. All UFOs you intend to finish in the 16 days MUST be declared prior to the event.
4. You cannot join both the Knitting Olympics and the UFOlympics. The point of the Knitting Olympics is to start a new, challenging project. The UFOlympics is about finishing those unfinished objects lying around.

The UFOlympics is not associated with The Knitting Olympics. They are separate events/KALs.

We have a Ravelry Group this year, so join there, or feel free to post comments about your projects on my blog here on any UFOlympics post if you aren’t a member of Ravelry (and if you’re not, why the heck not?). I’ll be starting a thread for declaring your events there today, or feel free to leave a comment here! You don’t have to choose your event yet either, we still have a couple of months to go, so there is plenty of time!"

BTW, as far as I know – The Yarn Harlot isn’t doing a Knit Olympics this year, due to issues with the real games’ locale.  That info was straight from the horse’s mouth, when I talked with her at her local appearance a few weeks ago.  It’s fine with me.  I need to fish-or-cut-bait on UFO’s more than I need a new project, anyway.  If TYH’s changed her mind, I am blissfully unaware.

I’m not a "joiner" knitter.  I’m pretty much a solo girl.  It’s part of The Curse of the Independent Thinker, but I don’t do clubs, wars, KALs, SPs, or any of that newfangled stuff that seems to have been mostly spawned by the internet, and that I mentally refer to as "gimmicky knitting".  I am a member of a few Ravelry groups, in spirit — The MOHAIR Appreciation Society is one — but I don’t post on BB’s or forums or any of that stuff, basically because I don’t have that kind of time.  I have my own knitting, of which I am the boss – and along with the teaching, that’s quite enough work already, thank you.

So while I won’t be an official, OFFICIAL UFOlympics participant, I believe I will use this concept as a personal challenge to finish up that effing stack of UFO’s.  I’ve been making some progress there, true –  witness the bunny slipper triumph of last week — but not as much as I’d like.  Obviously, I need a kick in the seat of the pants.  And therefore, I’m changing the rules a bit to suit me.  (Kind of like what I do with most of my knitting projects, actually.)  My rules are somewhat abbreviated:

1.  Finish all UFO’s in progress before the flame goes out. (August 24, 2008)

Not a heckuva lot of wiggle room there, eh?

Naturally, I’ll keep you informed as to my progress and plans.

Oh, and I definitely need to figure out what a suitable reward would be.  Hmmmm….  any suggestions?