Stitch 'n Pitch 2011

Before any more time passes, I want to tell you (and show you) all about this year's Stitch 'n Pitch.  A little bit more than a month ago, Carol happened to mention it on Facebook, and I said that I thought we should go.  A few more people expressed interest, and before I knew it, I was in charge of ordering tickets for myself and five other people!  Then one of the group had another friend who wanted to go, and she was able to get another ticket right in front of us.  So we were set, and everyone was looking forward to it.

Amazingly, a week ago this past Wednesday was a gorgeous day and evening!  You may be saying, well, it IS June after all, but we had already been through two heat waves.  April - who is not a knitter, but wanted to go to a Phillies game - and I met up and took the subway to Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies!!!

Sadly, at the last minute, Andrea had to be out of town for work, so another friend of Sally's was able to take her ticket, which worked out very well.  We met up with the rest of the group there - Carol, Liz, Sally, and two of Sally's friends, Dorian and Aileen** - and headed first to the "swag" table.  Some of the others had swag from previous years, so they took tote bags, but this is what I wanted:

The Phillie Phanatic!  And he's a bobblehead! 

And he's knitting!  And standing in half a baseball!

OMGOMGOMG!!!

Next was to get something to eat and/or drink.  Carol and I opted for water (at least to start.  But then we didn't end up getting a beer later.  Fail.), while the others got beer.  We paid [dearly], and headed to our seats, which were right along the third base line (we were of course in the 400-level, but we could see really well).  I snapped this picture of Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay warming up:

(He looks sooo different on TV ...)

Then we needed to take lots of pictures, of course.

Sally (picture borrowed from Carol.

The one I have of her is just rude.)

April and Dorian became fast friends that evening.

Liz, Aileen, and Carol

Carol and I (don't ask)

The game started out with a lot of action and then just settled down, with the Phillies loading the bases several times and then striking out, and we were all quite dismayed to think that here we were, and Roy Halladay was pitching, and we were going to LOSE to the Marlins?????  But after a lot of people left in the 8th inning (oh ye of little faith), the Phillies tied it!  The ninth inning was uneventful, but then at the bottom of the tenth, a thrilling play led to a Phillies victory!  So worth staying to see ...

I have to tell you, I had one of the best times of my entire life that evening.  I haven't laughed so hard so many times for a long time, and of course I got so involved in the game, I had no voice the next day.  But I got to spend a beautiful evening with old and new friends, and my amazing Phillies, and it doesn't get much better than that.  (Though April's entertaining commentary on the subway home was hilarious ... and the two young guys sitting near us thought so, too, though they kept turning away so we wouldn't see them laugh ...)

If you have the chance to go to Stitch 'n Pitch with your friends, I highly recommend it.  And for those of you who can't, or don't have a nearby team - come to Philadelphia and go with us (I'm lookin' at you in particular, Kathleen).  There are few chances in this world any more to just go out and have fun for the heck of it.

Oh - and did I knit?  Well, I took my knitting with me, but between the game and the conversation, I never even pulled it out of my bag.  Some of the others made real progress on their projects, though.

** So.  I spent the entire evening confusing the identities of Dorian and Aileen.  Carol says it's because I can't remember who people are if they aren't Irish.  In my defense,we were all introduced quickly, and didn't much call each other by name for the rest of the evening.