Tailgating the Lions with yarn and needles
(CBS NEWS DETROIT) - Tailgating out in front of a stadium may not be for everyone, but a group of ladies in Detroit have found an alternate way of preparing for Lions games, especially Sunday's divisional round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
You guessed it, it's knitting.
"I'd say since the 1980s," said die-hard Lions fan Linda Williams when talking about how long she's been a Lions fan. That's over 40 years of fandom.
Williams and the ladies of Parker Avenue Knits in Detroit showed off their Lions-themed creations. Williams just finished a scarf for the NFL playoffs in Honolulu Blue.
"The pride of it the colors and also the fact that when you make a garment, you can just keep it for generations and this is something that people have been waiting over 60 years and over 30 years to be in the playoff," Williams says.
Creations like this are made during the knitting tailgates. Forget the adult beverages and parking lots, these ladies want their warmth, their Lions, and each other's company.
"We sit, we stitch and it occupies your hands which is so awesome because sometimes the Lions especially can make you a little nervous," says Sally Moore, the owner of Parker Avenue Knits. Located near Detroit's riverfront, they just celebrated two years of operation.
Moore says their knitting tailgates aren't a weekly Lions event, but with the team past the first round of the playoffs, they need to cheer on their home team, while now and again competing with one another.
"We are competitive," Moore said while laughing. "We judge each other but you know we do it, it's not mean-spirited. But yeah, we're competitive. When you see your friend doing something you're like, well I can do that or I can do that better," she added.
Moore invited all of those who may enjoy knitting as a hobby to join them for Sunday's "tailgate" as the Lions take on Tampa Bay at 3 p.m.
