By Karen Aney (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: July 18, 2012
Let’s—for just one moment—pretend it’s not scorching hot outside. Envision last December, when we had to trudge to school in below zero temperatures to sit in a brick school that never seemed to be warm enough. Remember the goose bumps, people.
Keep that cold in mind, and let me tell you about an awesome website. It’s called Ravelry. It’s like Facebook—except better—for knitters, crocheters, spinners, and weavers. For weirdos like me, who would rather spend a Friday evening knitting with my kitten and a mug of tea than go out clubbing, it’s pretty much Utopia.
This gets relevant, I swear. How? Well, each time the Olympics rolls around, Ravelry hosts what is called the Ravelympics. It’s an awesome event, first officially held in 2008. There are events like afghan marathon, scarf hockey, and sweater triathlon. Crafters get together in teams—either with people they know in person, or new yarny friends from around the globe—and participate in the events by casting on during the opening ceremony and casting off (finishing the afghan/scarf/sweater) by the closing ceremonies. Why? Wait for it – because it’s fun.
Sometimes companies donate prizes: a ball of yarn here, a set of needles there. They’re randomly given to someone who participated and won (i.e., completed the event/item). Other than that, it’s really just a way for a community to get together and have some fun talking sports with like-minded individuals. Oh, and for those of you that think there aren’t many of us out there – check for my name in other parts of this issue. You’ll find it under “Sports Editor” in the mast head, and obsessing about all things NHL just a few pages to the right.
Sounds great, right? Stop laughing. It is. Anyway, in their latest move of supreme douche-baggery, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has sent Casey Forbes (the self-professed “code monkey” and father of Ravelry) a cease and desist letter. Yes, apparently the Olympics—which have been around since Homer was kicking—is an institution and “brand” so weak that they’re threatened by a bunch of crafters. Oh, and apparently, the Ravelympics are insulting.
The official notice, sent by one Brett Hirsch, Law Clerk, states as follows: “We believe using the name ‘Ravelympics’ for a competition that involves an afghan marathon, scarf hockey and sweater triathlon, among others, tends to denigrate the true nature of the Olympic Games. In a sense, it is disrespectful to our country’s finest athletes and fails to recognize or appreciate their hard work.”
Yes. I’m sure Michael Phelps is super insulted by the hordes of adoring knitters and crocheters who alternate ooh-ing and aah-ing over his perfect form with showing each other how far along in their shawl they are. All those furiously waving needles are going to knock him right off that uber-delicate golden podium he’s gotten so used to standing on. Yup, us yarn crafters are probably super high up on his radar.
The best part about the notice sent to Forbes and his team at Ravelry is that it contradicts itself. It states—just one paragraph before saying how insulting the Ravelympics are—that “The Olympic Games represent ideals that go beyond sport to encompass culture and education, tolerance and respect, world peace and harmony.” Last time I checked, culture means art, and knitting et al. is an art form. One of the oldest forms there is, in fact. Heck, weaving has been around as long as the Olympics themselves. And I don’t know about you, but that whole “world peace and harmony” thing sure seems like it could be achieved pretty well if everyone sat down to chill the heck out with some fluffy balls of yarn.
Ravelry has decided to play nice: the Ravelympics are now the Ravelennics. As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not have a trademark on every sport name, they cannot force Ravellers to change event names (for example, the afghan marathon does not need to become the afghan wink-wink nudge-nudge). All forum post titles made by Ravelry moderators will not include “London 2012” – as with “Vancouver 2010,” it’s trademarked. The USOC, in turn, has apologized for their “regrettable accusations” and negative terminology.
It seems like everyone has made nice, but the real problem here is that the Olympics are no longer what they once were. They don’t celebrate unity and harmony, they celebrate sponsorships and cash. Living in a post-Olympic city, we’ve seen the benefits – but is it really worth pretending the event is such a beautiful thing when it’s worse than the three-ring circus that is the Super Bowl?
The long and short of it is that the International Olympic Committee—and its various factions—have gotten much too big for their (woven, which is a fibre art) britches. It’s time for them to have a slice of humble pie and remember what the Olympics are really about. I’m sure the folks at Ravelry would be happy to help out. They may even have a few spare fluffy balls of yarn.
