Suburban Life

I've never really been a city person. Even though I've worked in New York and Philadelphia and various other large cities, I never really found the pace and the "buzz" of a city very appealing.

City Benefits
Cities do offer somethings that I wish I had more access to. Ethnic restaurants, art-house theaters, public transportation, museums, etc. But for me, the offerings of a city environment don't offset the negatives (dirt, crime, homelessness, stress, etc.)

But rural life isn't for me either.

I couldn't imagine being 30 minutes away from a grocery store, or an hour from a movie theater where all I could see would be the latest blockbusters.

So, I choose suburbia. Living close enough to those things I consider enriching to my life while enjoying the serenity of a more rural area seems to be a good middle ground for me.

Rural Farm/Yarn Store Visit
John, one of the Canadian participants who attended the last Men's Spring Knitting Retreat, and also owns The Fibre Garden in Jordan Ontario (and is also an incredible dyer) was visiting family in Edmonton, and asked if I'd like to accompany him and his niece Heather to a tiny little town with an amazing fibre store and sheep farm.

I couldn't resist.

Here's the yarn store (Celeigh Wool):

And here's the owner Marg with John and sheepdog Tia:

And here are some of the sheep who also reside there:

And finally, my purchases:

Gorgeous BFL/Silk blend...heavenly!

A sweater's worth of natural colored Shetland wool from Celeigh Wools sheep.

And finally...a hand-loomed Alberta wool blanket that sells for such a cheap price, I couldn't pass it by!

Current Knitting
I've started on the ribbing of the Austermann Step sock and I'm still hopeful to get it finished in time for show & tell at the Men's Rocky Mountain Knitting Retreat.

We'll see.