Tag: niece

Other items of interest

Ava places 3rd!

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For 50 years, Major League Baseball (MLB) has sponsored Pitch, Hit & Run.  While I had heard about this event, Richard and I never paid attention to its details as the children in our lives were not playing ball.  However, that changed this fall when we learned that our great-great-niece was to compete in Milwaukee.  Ava was one of forty finalists from around North America who made it to American Family Field after qualifying locally and then regionally in the 9–10-year-old softball division.  This year’s Pitch, Hit & Run competitors were announced on the World Series field in pre-game festivities and attended the Brewer’s winning game 2. 

While Fox programming was scheduled to broadcast both Game 2 of the World Series and the pre-game festivities, a college football game ran so long that we missed seeing Ava walk unto the MLB big-league field. We did view the Sunday morning competition for softball and baseball players ages 7 to 14 and even glimpsed our niece on screen several times.

The juvenile athletes were tested on the accuracy of their pitching, the distance they could hit a ball off a tee, and how quickly they could run. Ava’s scores placed her third in the 9–10-year-old softball division.

Congrats, Ava!

Graphic credit:  © MLB Pitch, Hit & Run Instagram post 2026

Knitting

Simply Red

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handknit red sweater with front cable design hanging from a purple ribbon

A swift scroll through years of digital photos revealed a varied selection of pictures suitable for this month’s square challenge #SimplyRed! (Not to be confused with the former English soul and pop band of the same name.)

Becky B. hosts this quarterly themed challenge. While participants are encouraged to post daily, the only real requirement for this fun blogging exercise is that the themed photo must be square. Her previous themes ranged from BrightSquares to GeometricJanuary to TreeSquares. With five Tuesdays, I have set a weekly goal for #SimplyRed! and, as this is mostly a knitting journal, I will start by highlighting a sweater knit for a new great-great nephew.

Featuring my favorite design element – cables, the Waterfall pattern by Marie Greene, offers assorted sizes from newborn (0-6 months) to seven years. Knowing little ones grow quickly, I hope this size 2-4 might keep our new great-great nephew warm on future chilly Indiana days. Knit in his older brother’s favorite color, red, the yarn is a blend of cotton, bamboo, and silk which knits up nicely with the advantage of being machine washable for busy parents.

#SimplyRed!

Knitting

For a new great-great

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handknit green sweater on white background with a central cable design on the body and the sleeve hanging on a wooden hanger suspended by an orange ribbon
Babbling Brook in Forestry
details of a handknit green sweater on white background with a central cable design on the body and the sleeve
Cable details

Amidst those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, Knit Campers add yarn[y] to the list of rhyming words as 100s plunge into a four-day sweater knitting adventure. While I did not follow the crowd’s choice of patterns, I did create a sweater for an expected great-great niece or nephew. (We must wait until October to know which.)

Green is the new momma’s favorite color, thus the choice of this gender-neutral forestry colorway. The blend of cotton, bamboo, and silk always knits up nicely with the advantage of being machine washable. Marie Greene’s Babbling Brook pattern offers assorted sizes from newborn (0-6 months) to seven years; and includes my favorite design element – cables. Knowing little ones grow quickly, I hope this size 2-4 might keep our new great-great warm through one or two Oregon rainy seasons.

Congratulations Katie and Cam!