Memories Down Candy Lane is also available on Payhip

Memories Down Candy Lane was originally published in Knotions, April 2023 Shawl Issue.

Memories Down Candy Lane began when I fell in love with this bright pink skein of sock yarn that instantly reminded me of Pop Rocks candy. I grew up in the small town of Boulder City, Nevada. During summer break from elementary school, my mom would give my sister and me a dollar each, and with our neighborhood friends, we used to walk over a mile to buy candy at the 7-11 Store. I remember buying Pop Rocks, tearing open the package and dumping it all in my mouth. I would feel the bubble and pop of the candy and think that was so cool! It started me reminiscing about my parents taking my siblings and me to “Old Las Vegas” which was a fun place just right on the outskirts of Boulder City. It was designed to look like a little western town. They had a candy store that sold Striped Candy Sticks in every flavor thinkable for ten cents. We would be allowed to choose a few of our favorite flavors, and still to this day, when I see those Striped Candy Sticks, I think of the fun we had at “Old Las Vegas” that has since been torn down. Memories Down Candy Lane is a tribute my childhood adventures.

Memories Down Candy Lane is a biased, asymmetrical triangular shawl. On the right side rows, two stitches are increased at the beginning of each row, and one stitch is decreased at the end of the row to create the biased shape. The shawl begins with garter striped rows, reminding me of the Candy Stripe Sticks, for the top part of the shawl. Three sections, which introduce the third color, of bobbles and slipped stitches followed by lace sections and more garter stripes set you out on an adventure of Pop Rocks and Hard Candy that I remember so well as a child. The shawl is finished with a final row of bobbles and garter stripes for a fun finale!

Yarn
Leading Men Fiber Arts Show Stopper (75% Superwash Merino/25% Nylon; 463 yds (423 m)/100 g): Darkest Hour (CC1), 1 skein, Smoke on the Water (CC2), 1 skein, My Lipgloss Be Poppin’ (CC3), 1 skein.

Needle
Size US 5 (3.75mm) needles, 40” (102 cm) circulars
Or size needed to obtain gauge

Needle size one to two sizes larger than size needed to obtain gauge

Size
94.5” (240 cm) along top edge and 22.75” (58 cm) down