Running Around the Valley

Another weekend in the Valley. Only this time I could take my time getting there. Dinner was planned for 5:30ish to celebrate my grandparent's anniversary and my grandmother's birthday, so I had all day to get there.

First stop: JustUs! outside of Wolfville.
As far as I can tell, this is the closest place where I can find Ten Thousand Villages products (there's no store in the city!). I went in the hopes of finding something specific, but alas, I didn't find it. I'll have to order it online, I guess.

Second stop: Wolfville Farmer's Market.
I love Farmer's Markets, and this one certainly didn't disappoint. I left with 4 maple sausauges, a package of lamb chunks, delicious veggie samosas with a spicy cilantro chutney, a sampling of several apple varieties I hadn't heard of (I bought four Prima apples). And while I was there I had my lunch - a $3 hamburger made from fresh beef, and an apple turnover.

Third stop: Corner of Commercial & Valley View Dr. in New Minas.
Girl Guides were there flagging down cars to sell boxes of GG cookies - the mint chocolate cookies. One of the Girl Guides made eye contact with me and sold 2 boxes without so much as a word. Hey! It's for a good cause...

Fourth stop: a quick visit with the grandparents, a great aunt and uncle who were in town for a short while, and pick up my aunt for a trip to...

Fifth stop: Gaspereau Valley Fibres
I've been looking for a good wool shop, and the stores I've found in the city just aren't cutting it as I've mentioned before. The thing is, most of the good wool shops seem to be off the beaten path. Like Gaspereau Valley Fibres. This store is in a converted barn, pictured below, on a farm in an entirely rural area. It's highly unlikely you'd find it if you weren't looking for it.

They even have their own resident woolmakers....
And here's what I bought:

2 skeins of Casbah Sock wool
(80% merino, 10% cashmere, 10%Nylon)
hand-dyed in Canada
red and veregated blue
Project: Chevron Scarf

1 skein of Dzined wool
(55% wool, 45% hemp)
hand-dyed
Project : a hat on circular needles?

I'm quite excited about my new wool and my new knitting project. I think the Chevron Scarf is the perfect next project. The last year or so I've been knitting mainly simple scarves in a simple garter stitch, sometimes trying the moss stitch or a cable. The Chevron will be good practice for increasing and decreasing, and for using two balls of yarn in the same project.

Sixth stop: Home.
By this point it was dinnertime and all 14 of us settled in to a wonderful smorgasborg of Nova Scotia delights: scallops, shelled lobster (20 lbs of lobsters!), baked beans, smoked fish, salads and quiche (okay the last one isn't NS'ian, but it went well with the dinner).