Shopping In Sin City

Here's the view out of our hotel room on the 17th floor looking out over Flamingo Road. It is 109 degrees out there, which is why I have come back to the hotel after shopping in the relatively cool morning. I hunted up yarn shops in both Vegas and Reno, my favorites being Wooly Wonders in Vegas and Jimmy Beans in Reno.

Take a look at this very old hot pad, made, I think, by my husband's grandmother way back in the day. I always wondered how she made it, and while in Vegas, I found an old instruction book on making these. I will have to keep my eye open for the original Speed-O-Weave frame in antique shops, because it looks like a fun thing to try. You hook together the metal strips of the frame, then wrap thread around the pegs of the frame, then sew the threads to produce the pattern. There are instructions for all kinds of mats and cloths. Grandma G's cloth is very very old and has been washed a million times, but still looks pretty good.








Here is some of the sock yarn I got for M. She wanted to try the Maizy, made from corn fiber, after seeing it online. The others are, of course, Lorna's Laces. There was more yarn than this, including Lorna's in the Flames colorway, but she has already taken some of it home with her.

I found this Nashua Handknits booklet at Wooly Wonders, which, by the way, is nearby the old location of Freed's Bakery. Of course, when I drove by Freed's looking for the yarn shop, I had to stop in and buy a slice of strawberry whipped cream cake and devour it in the car. Anyway, this booklet is 'Holiday', and both girls like this sweater. I have never crocheted a sweater before (that wasn't for a fashion doll, that is) but I am going to give this one a try. Maybe I will try drafting the bodice portion for the knitting machine, then crocheting the bottom part of the sleeves and body.

I am still working on the grey sweater, so I should go put in a few token rows of ribbing.