Iron Bowl rivalry spills into, gulp, knitting and crocheting

By Ken Rogers

Published: April 17, 2008

I’m all for playing up the Iron Bowl rivalry whenever possible. I tell friends and relatives from other parts of the country that the single greatest matchup in sports is an Auburn-Alabama football game.
When players from those schools tangle in basketball, baseball and other sports they bring the best out of each other, which is how I define a great rivalry.
Until yesterday, I never really thought the rivalry could be overhyped. Until an email was brought to my attention. It was flagged with a red exclamation point and the importance, of course, was “high.“
Did JPW break his arm? Did Tubs tell a Southern Cal booster group he would replace Pete Carroll? Nope.
Turns out, knitters and crocheters on both sides of the Alabama-Auburn rivalry will be competing for a charity event. The 2008 Ultimate Knit to Win Challenge is a contest to see which team’s supporters can produce the largest number of hand-knitted and crocheted caps for premature and high-risk infants. The contest will run through Nov. 20. Caps will be presented to local hospitals in Tuscaloosa and Auburn/Opelika, as well as Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for their neonatal intensive care units.
Serendipity Needleworks out of Tuscaloosa issued this challenge. For details, check out their web site at http://www.serendipityneedleworks.com
So what, you say? Sew what? It’s for a good cause, but I’m not sure it warranted the red flag on the email.
Still, bringing nine-inch needles into the Iron Bowl debate could be irresistible, like bring a gun and knife show to an international soccer friendly.