Luck Be a Lady
…and the lady is a tramp.
I am not a lucky person in general. Oh, I’m lucky in the great house, good job, wonderful boyfriend, “at least you’ve got your heath” kind of way. I’m just not lucky in the “I just found a twenty on the sidewalk” kind of way. My scratch off tickets always say “Sorry, better luck next time,” I rarely win coin tosses or rock-paper-scissors, and inevitably the grocery line I get in is always the slowest. I guess that’s why I’ve never been very excited about Las Vegas or Reno. It’s a pretty slim chance that one of those slot machines is going to pay out for me. At least I thought that a yarn store would be a sure bet. How can you lose at yarn?
Well, let me tell you how…we rolled into Reno Saturday night, just after the two shops on my list had closed. A quick check of the internet also told me that they were both closed on Sunday; the only day we’d be in Reno this trip.
Lady Luck: 2, Me: 0. Sorry, better luck next time.
Jimmy Beans Wool
5000 Smithridge Drive #A11
Reno, NV 89502
Deluxe Yarns, Etc.
http://www.deluxeyarns.com/
38 Vassar
Reno NV 89502
Filed under: Yarn Store Reviews on July 22nd, 2007
Well, don’t worry about having missed Jimmy Beans. Their original store is in Truckee, and I’ve always wanted to stop there on my way to and from Reno. Due to the amount of time we spent gambling on departure day, it was always too late to stop, and since we’re not early risers, the shop was closed by the time we were near Truckee on our way in.
That said, I found Jimmy Beans to be very small, cramped, and lacking in inventory. The only thing they had a lot of was Lorna’s Laces. The lady told me that they had every color in stock, but when I got home and found I needed a particular color to finish a pair of socks and called them to order, they didn’t have it. I haven’t been back since.
I also noticed that you went to Sacramento. I lived there for 12 years and found the area to have many fine yarn shops. The Yarn Shoppe in Elk Grove (just south of Sac) is a wonderful shop with a delightful owner (Anna Starr). There is another store in EG called Knitique, but I don’t like it or the owner. They’re really snooty in there. Filati in Rocklin used to be in Danville for many, many years and moved to their new location a while ago. That’s my favorite of all of them. I frequented them 30 years ago in the Bay Area and did so again when I found out they had moved. Now that we’re back in the Bay Area, I don’t get to go see them (it’s a long drive), but the next time we go to Reno, I’ll be sure to stop in and say hello.
If you come to the East Bay, there’s a wonderful yarn shop in Castro Valley called Adele’s. She has a large selection of many different types of yarn and every size needle (and length) that Addi makes, including the lace needles. I go to a Wednesday night knitting group there. The only complaint I have is that their sock yarn section is small. There’s also a new shop which I teach at in Pleasanton called Knit 1, Purl 2 (I think… I don’t even know the name of the stupid shop), but their selection is limited and the owner is a bit of a snob. I’ve been getting her to bring in indie dyers, so maybe she’ll change around her selection. It’s a very small shop.
In San Francisco, there are lots of shops, but I’ve heard that Noe Knits (right down the street from ImagiKnit) is a wonderful shop, although it’s smaller than ImagiKnits. I didn’t get to go there the last time we were in the City. I’ve got to scout around and find all the shops here - I haven’t lived here since 1991, and a whole lot of things have changed.
I’m sorry for the ramble, but if you need help finding shops around California (Northern), I may be able to help you.
Happy Knitting!
That’s too bad about the shops closing. There are quite a few shops in the Sacamento area. Unlike the previous post I find Knitique’s owner and staff extremely friendly. There are always a ton of people hanging out and knitting. Make sure to bring your knitting and join in.