Take me out to the ball game: Stitch 'N Pitch 2013.

Last year, I went to my first ever major league baseball game to knit in a stadium and obtain a novelty bobble head. Well, why not do it again? Two weeks ago, 10 friends and I took an evening trip to Milwaukee to watch the Brewers play the Oakland A's,

Sponsored by The National Needle Arts Association, the nationwide Stitch 'N Pitch brings together baseball and needle arts. Yarn vendors come to the baseball stadiums while knitters, crocheters, and quilters enjoy the game and partake in their favorite crafts.

The gals from Stitch 'N Bitch Madison braved the nasty wind and tailgated like champs before the game:

Kat, Andrea, Yours Truly, and Pat in full Sith Lord getup.
Andrea is rocking the death stare.

Despite the weather, we were in it to have a good time:

Pat shows off her 'I love to crochet at baseball games' shirt.

After eating dinner in a parking lot for the second time in my life (last year's Stitch 'N Pitch being the first), we grabbed our tickets and headed to Miller Park.

My ticket.

Then, we met the man of our dreams: this year's bobble head (a knitting hot dog). Since last year's bobble head was cross-stitching, my knitting pals and I were thrilled to see that the hot dog was knitting.

We bonded over our shared hobby
(note that I have a hand injury and have taken up finger knitting).

But then, he got a little naughty!

Anne C. managed to mellow him out.
Oh, and they dressed alike. 

Action shot of Anne C. knitting.

The Brewers weren't doing so well, but the gals were all smiles in the stands.

Andrea, Anne L., Kat, and Porter.

But this guy wasn't as smiley:

This Brewers fan was pouty when the A's took the lead.

Regardless of the game's outcome, it wouldn't be Stitch 'N Pitch without Andrea and me taking some ridiculous photos.

We aimed to pretend to slide down the glove,
but in fact, we WERE sliding down the glove.

Running with the Polish, Italian, and German sausages.

Fist-bumping the Mexican and American sausages.

Silly photos: check. Time to hang with our girls. Group shot:

Top row: Andrea, Anne L. Kat, Carol, and Porter.
Bottom row: Jane, Chris, Pat, Anne C., and Yours Truly.
Note: the smiling guy in the top right corner is our new friend, Tom.
He wasn't part of our group, but really wanted to be in the photo.

The game carried on, and we wound up tied at the end of the 9th inning. It was extended to a 10th inning and...

WE WON!

The excitement on Andrea's face says it all. After two years of Stitch 'N Pitch, I must say that my favorite part is the car ride to and from Milwaukee. I have some hilarious friends, and great things happen when we're confined to a small space.

For my coverage of Stitch 'N Pitch 2012, click here.

Let's throw some cash at the ceiling.

My college pal Allie stopped in Madison for 12 hours, so I did my best to show her some of the city's best options for local food & drink:

Dinner at The Coopers Tavern.
Drinks at One Barrel Brewing Company.
Dessert at Chocolaterian.
Brunch at Lazy Jane's.

A pretty awesome 12-hour visit, eh?

When we walked into One Barrel, we immediately noticed money all over the ceiling:

After chatting with the bartender, we learned that all ceiling money for the months of May and June will be donated to the Dane County Humane Society. It's an old bar trick: fold a stack of quarters and a thumb tack into a dollar bill, and voila! We had our dollar folded by a pro:

Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3.

Then, Allie did the honors:

Awesome throw! Nice way to help out the cause. Good times with one of my favorite gals.