Each of the 156 players in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship being played on the Country Club of North Carolina’s Dogwood Course this week will take home a special memento, thanks to a group of volunteers who put their needles to work.

The CCNC Host Committee wanted the players to have a reminder of the championship, and they came up with the idea of knitted headcovers.

Good plan, but who was going to do the knitting? Not to worry. When it comes to a stitch in time, the CCNC ladies are not to be needled.

Holly Floyd, proprietor of Bella Filati, the luxury yarn shop in downtown Southern Pines, was approached by the committee. Floyd thought it was a great idea and suggested involving the local knitting community.

The result was more than 60 women volunteering to do the knitting. After deciding to go with hot pink and lime green pom-pom style headcovers, they went to work.

Less than two months later, the women, including one from Scotland, had completed a headcover for each girl. As a result, the players will have a souvenir to take home that will always remind them of the 2010 Girls’ Junior Championship.

The headcovers are embellished with a silver dogwood charm to celebrate the name of the championship course. They are also identified with the knitter’s name, so each player will know which artisan produced their unique gift.

“This was a great community effort,” Floyd said, “and I was delighted to be a part of it. I was surprised how the word got out to knitters from all over Moore County. I especially want to thank Buffy Dumville; she was such a big help.”

The knitters were: Eleanor Batchelder, Terry Birkhauser, Barbara Blackburn, Robin Burke, Janet Clark, Taylor Clement, Anne Cook, Gail Corgan, Candy Dallas, Lynn Davison, Jody Denauro, Barbara Driesbach, Buffy Dumville, Linda Duncan, Jane Dyer, Harriet Ecker, Holly Floyd, Norma Garfield, Lynn Gotlinger, Patti Green, Linda Hardison, Sue Harvey, Alison Ive, Jatana Keel, Judith Kelley, Julie Kober, Jan Landis, Kathy Lannon, Agnes Larken, Ginger Lash, Agnes Latham, Jayne Lattman, Veronica Little, Betty Lync, Martha Mappin, Barbara McAllister, Barbara McAuley, Ann McDannold, Paula McEachen, Allison McLean, Priscilla McLeod, Launa Medved, Mary Meyer, Pat Murray, Paula Parke, Ellene Place, Pat Rackowski, Ellen Roesler, Mary Sayer, Valerie Slade, Skip Smith, Mert Smits, Dayne Sousa, Jeanie Sullivan, Katie Thwaite, Talie Tuffnell, Anne Vanderwolk, Diane Williams, Sue Wilson and Karen Wirt.

Information for this article was provided by Betsey Mitchell, who is working on media relations for the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship