Ravelympics: decisions, decisions

I'm excited about the Ravelympics coming up. This is an event Ravelry sponsors, in which knitters or crocheters may sign up for teams or participate individually. There are numerous "events," and one may choose how many to enter. The general idea is to challenge oneself to make an entire project, from cast on to bind off, during the Winter Olympics. You may swatch before the opening ceremony, but may not cast on until the torch is lit. And the project must be done by the time the torch goes out, 16 days later.

The decisions:

1) Should I join a team? I am a member of many groups on Ravelry, but teams are pretty much already formed up. I would prefer to be part of a small local team, but the local knitting groups I am in did not make the deadline for team sign-ups. So, I think I probably will not join a team.

2) What should I make? I had originally said I wanted to make a shawl called "Ishbel," but there are some truly beautiful free shawl patterns out there, so I have a hard time bringing myself to pay for a pattern I will probably only make once. I think I will substitute a pattern called "Haruni." I looked at it today, and doing it in 16 days would be a definite stretch for me, but isn't that the point?

So, I guess I will be going it alone in the Ravelympics, making a complex lace shawl that uses 460 yards of sock weight yarn. Wish me luck!