A group of knitters promotes the craft at baseball stadiums across the country. NOREEN GILLESPIE explains the point of major league needlework.
(AP Illustration/Jacky Myint)
Forget a rocking chair -- knit your next sweater or scarf in a bleacher seat instead!
A group of knitting fanatics has been hosting "Stich n' Pitch" days at baseball parks around the country, with thousands of crafty enthusiasts gathering in the stands to embroider, crochet, cross-stitch and needlepoint.
"We all sit together, drink beer, work on our projects -- we get a lot of people staring, but they will eventually come over and ask, 'What are you doing?'" said Libby Butler Gluck, spokeswoman for the National Needle Arts Association, an organization of companies, shops and designers that started hosting the events a couple of years ago.
Knitters say baseball games' length and frequent downtime gives them plenty of opportunity to work on a project like a blanket or drink cozy. Some of the projects are a little closer to home -- members of the group have been known to knit baseballs and even a hot dog with condiments.
The knitters are making their way through 25 Major League Baseball Stadiums this season. To find out if you can grab your needles and yarn and meet them at a stadium near you, visit http://www.stichnpitch.com.
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SOMEWHAT RELEVANT FUN FACT:
There are 369 yards of yarn wrapped inside a baseball.
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asap contributor Noreen Gillespie is an editor on AP's National Desk.
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