Looking For Yarn

 Yesterday was sunny with a high of 24C. This morning it is sunny and 21C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 27C. 

Yesterday morning we took the bus back to the city center. The bus took us up 21 de Setiembre which is near the farmer's market we went to on Saturday. We got off the bus near the Independencia Plaza and walked away from it. We were going to find 3 yarn shops. 

Our first stop was in a shop that sells goods made my independent artists. We wandered around the store looking at the good they make. I did find a carrier that people pack their mate in. 

The red one is made of wood. They put their thermos in on part and their gourd in the other half. The handles are big so they can pack them easily. 

These are the straws they put into the gourd. The flat part is for stirring and it has small holes in it so the mate leaves don't go up the straw. 

We then walked to our first yarn shop. It had a great variety of yarn but most were acrylic. I did see some yarn imported from Turkey but they were in 25 gram balls. We bought nothing though I wish I had bought 2 balls of the yarn from Turkey for doll clothes. 

Our next yarn store was a huge disappointment. It had a tiny selection of acrylic yarn and a lot of crafting supplies. In and out in 5 minutes. 

Our last stop was at Manos de Uruguay. We spent a long time in that store. The yarn selection was very good. Downstairs was the current selection of yarn and we dug through it. I found some I really liked. Upstairs was yarn you buy by weight. They weren't seconds but they weren't neatly presented. There was bags of yarn you could buy by weight for big projects. I bought 4 skeins to make 3 pairs of socks.

The natural coloured yarn is 100% silk and the other two are merino wool. The price of the yarn is about 2/3rds of what I pay for the yarn I buy at home. 

All of the Manos de Uruguay stores carry items the ladies have made. Clothing, hand knit and woven items, purses, and shoes. 

On our walk about finding the wool shops, I found this circular fence that people have put padlocks onto. It was full all the way around. It is known as lovelocks the is a plaque but I couldn't read it. The fountain is not working. 

Next to it is a seating area where you can eat your lunch or have coffee. In it is a statue of a man with his coffee cup. 

We walked down the street until we came to a square where we sat and rested. There was a statue on a pole and I couldn't find anything about it. 

A lot of these are historical to the country. People know what they are about. Even the street names are about historical dates, famous people, and historical events. 

We walked between the two streets at this square and saw the Supreme Court of Justice building. 

We caught the bus to the shopping centre that is an old prison. We had been there the day I fell in the food court. We went to the Fresh Market (large grocery store) to get some groceries. The prices are good at this store but we know we will not be buying large bottles of pop there. It is too much to pack home. We asked about baking soda and found out we have to buy it at the pharmacy. I bought a sandwich and a drink as my blood sugar was dropping low. 

We got home late in the afternoon and rested. I sat and watched people in the water. A group were coming in on the waves and then were playing volleyball in the water. There was a kite surfer there but he left due to the number of people in the water. The beach was very busy as it was warm and the wind made for perfect waves to have fun in. 

Today is market day and I think we are catching the bus to go back and look around. I am not sure what else we are doing. I will be taking my walking poles as I struggle walking without them. Part is balance and part is walking on cement. The poles help me walk and my legs don't hurt as much. Though you would think Montevideo is flat, it isn't You walk up steep hills from the water. The cross streets are flatter but they still have areas with inclines. I keep saying it is uphill both ways. Bus rides are cheap so we are using them to get to an area,  walk around that area, and then bus ride home. 

Until the next time....................................................