It’s that time of year again, when a knitter’s thought turn to folly and festivals. And you know what that means, right?

Rhinebeck Blogger Bingo!!

That’s right, folks, it awwwwn! It’s the best excuse to hug perfect strangers I’ve come up with yet. Last year was a hoot, so many people finally got to put a face to the blogs they’d been reading for ages, found brand new blog buddies, and generally had a raucous time trying to find everyone on their cards. I couldn’t possibly not do it again.

The rules and gameplay will be the same as last year, I think it went pretty well considering utter mayhem was my actual intent. *insert evil grin here* If you didn’t play last year, no worries, the rules are posted below. For the moment, I’m using the same logo as last year. We may or may not come up with something new. I’ll keep you posted.

Ok, here’s how it works:

There are three ways to join the fun; you can be a player, a square on the card, or both. Players are not required to have blogs, but you must have one to be a square on the card. You can be there on one or both days, just let me know which when you sign up. I’ll make some special cards for people only there on one day or the other.

The names of participating bloggers will be randomly placed onto the bingo cards. Players will be sent a card electronically at least a week before the festival so you can scope your targets out beforehand. Hopefully they’ll offer hints about how to identify them. Just print it out, take it with you to Rhinebeck and let the games begin! It’s a guaranteed good time as you seek out the bloggers on your card.

Everyone participating will be entered to win something cool from an array of fabulous prizes, and we’ll also give out prizes for full black-outs. No, that’s not when you pass out from yarn inhalation, it’s when you find everyone (including me) on your card. We use the honor system for this task, just remember, the eyes of the bloggers are upon you.

There will be a separate page for all Blogger Bingo updates and info. Keep an eye out for info about meet-ups as well as a growing list of participants so you can check out the felloe players. I’ll post any updates here as well.

The rules:

1. Sign-ups are open! If you would like to participate, send an email to me at “yarnpants at yahoo dot com” (you can just use the link on the bottom right sidebar) with “Blogger Bingo” in the subject line. For best results, please enter by October 10th (preferably earlier) to give me time to add everyone to the cards and email them out. Be sure to include the following information in your email:

-Participation: (Player/Square/Both)
-Name
-Email Address
-Blog Name (if applicable)
-Blog Address (if applicable)
-What day(s) will you be attending the festival?

2. Participants whose names are on cards must prominently display the official “I’m a Square” logo identifying them as such. We’ll be selling buttons, tote bags and other stuff in a Café Press store, or you can print out the image and display it some other way. If someone is on your card but is not displaying their “I’m a Square” logo, take it as a sign that they may be feeling overwhelmed and need some bingo-free time. Our intent is not to impose on those not participating, so please be respectful.

Please extend your respect to those participating in the game, as well. If they’re in the middle of a transaction with a vendor, deeply involved in a conversation or appear to be engaged in aggressive negotiations over a fleece with a fellow festival attendant, please wait until they’re finished to approach them. This is especially important in the latter case. Situations like this could be eruptive, so it’s best to back away slowly, without making any sudden movements. You may actually want to hide behind something until it’s all over and the fleece is no longer flying.

3. Use whatever means you choose to mark off squares on the card. Bingo dobbers, sharpies, a size 2 dpn, whatever. Last year, I saw some unbelievable feats of organization involving stickers, lamination, and all kindsa craziness. Some people even printed out photos of their targets and stuck them to a corresponding sheet!

4. While it is a lot more fun to say a quick hello to someone before marking them off your card, it’s not required. If you recognize someone and feel uncomfortable approaching them for whatever reason, you can simply mark them off and move along. Just remember that everyone signed up to play, and as long as they’re wearing that button, they’re expecting you. Don’t be shy!

So, whaddaya say? Wanna play?