FROM THE 2006 WORLD CUP IN GERMANY

German town knits its way into the World Cup
By Nadia Samie

The residents of a little town in central Germany have found an interesting way of participating in the 2006 FIFA World Cup – off the pitch, that is.

The residents of Unna, a town of 70 thousand inhabitants, situated about a hundred kilometres from Cologne, have been knitting a scarf for the past year now.


Above: The 12.5km scarf knitted by the residents of Unna

This is not just any scarf, it is made up of many little scarves, which each depict the flag of a country that is playing in the world cup. The scarf now measures a whopping 12.5 kilometres, and was on display at a celebration held in the town recently.

Werner Kolter, the town’s mayor, says that world cup fever has hit the town in a big way. The residents are hoping to get the woollen scarf into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Organiser of the event, Elfie Blees is an actress in Unna, and is not very involved in sport. The scarf is a result of her wanting to be involved in the world cup in some way, but not necessarily on the field. She received many calls from peoples in surrounding towns, who all offered to knit once they had heard about the idea. Blees says that more than a thousand people assisted in the knitting process.

But what exactly do the residents plan to do with a scarf that measures 12 and a half kilometres? Blees says that she plans to sell the scarf, and she will use the proceeds to boost sports clubs for the youth in the area. Meanwhile, the mayor, who is a big football fan, has put in his prediction of which two teams will clash in the world cup final:
"I think the final will be between Germany and Brazil, and I think the score will be 2-1 to Brazil!"

Pic: Nadia Samie