Stitch 'N' Pitch a hit! (Phillies, not so much)

Last night's Stitch 'N' Pitch event at the Phillies game was fun (except for the awful play of the home team). My blanket made it onto the field with the Phanatic before the game--there is was on the Jumbotron!--then was returned to me in the stands so I could donate it to Project Linus. I was happy to see that there were many other handcrafted items in the box. Thank you to coordinator Cathy Finley for pulling the evening together.

Getting ready for Stitch 'N' Pitch

Stitch 'N' Pitch night at the Phillies game is this coming Tuesday. It's co-sponsored by The National NeedleArts Association. Project Linus, which collects and distributes blankets for ill and traumatized children, is going to accept donations at the game.

I wanted to make something for the Philly Phanatic. First I was thinking about a scarf or vest, but when I heard that Project Linus was involved, I thought that a blanket would be best; the Phanatic can donate it at the end of the evening. The blanket is crocheted in Tunisian simple stitch, trimmed with single crochet, and embellished with cross-stitch.

Cathy Finley, owner of "Finely a Knitting Party" in Swarthmore, PA, is the local chair for the event. I visited her charming shop last week and gave her the blanket. Cathy has done a lot of work to make Stitch 'N' Pitch a success, and I was so glad to have the opportunity to meet her in person. She said more than 600 tickets have been sold. It's going to be a lot of fun to sit in the stands with other fiber folks and their families! I'm sure there will be all sorts of interesting baseball-related crafts.

Book cover!

Here is the draft front cover for Crochet Pillows with Tunisian & Traditional Techniques, starring the "Red Hot Heart" pillow! Stackpole Books is working on the back cover, and they sent me the edited pages to review one more time before printing. It's a treat to see what the design team came up with for the layout, typeface, and overall look.