To shorten the time of separation I am getting ready to visit Abu Dhabi once more. Packing has been going on for a few days – quite unusual for me – but since I will travel with a big suitcase there is space to  move some of my clothes, yarns, fibres and one spinning wheel abroad. Plus, My husband already misses some of our North American “easy” foods like KD and Quaker instant oats. He found them at Geant supermarket at an outrageous price of 6$ for KD and 9$ for the oats. The other interesting fact is that he is currently not permitted to buy alcohol in a liquor store. For that a resident of the UAE needs a licence which one can only apply for once the resident visa stamp is in the passport which will take another week or so. Luckily, I am still allowed to bring wine and beer. 
 
The most important preparation for every trip I take is the planning of knitting projects. Usually, I take a fair bit and more than needed, but after weighing my to-be-checked-luggage and weighing in at 52 pounds -2 pounds over the limit – items from the suitcase had to move into my hand luggage and taking away precious yarn and fibre space. So, my Louet Victoria spinning wheel’s carry bag was stuffed with fibre, yarn for knitting, some knitting needles and in the end even some clothes. Even with all that stuffing it weighed in under 18 pounds or less than 9 kg. 

 
 
For knitting I brought a pair of socks I started the day before and some yarn to knit a few more of my mini bowls/coasters. Just some easy, straight forward entertainment while on the plane and while waiting in the airports. 

The week before departure was a busy one with work and a fabulous spin class with Diana Twiss at Fibreswest. Even though I had taken classes before to learn how to spin a yarn I had not really sat down to see how different amount of twist in either the singles or while plying make a difference in the final yarn. I had been under the impression that all my yarns needed to be completely balanced after plying which then meant if I did not spin my singles with high twist my final yarn ended up with a low twist in the final yarn. Low twist can be an issue when knitting with it as it sometimes removes a little of the twist making the yarn look like two separate strands rather than one. We created a reference card for the different amount of twists and I have another card at home I can fill with the different drafting methods and their impact on the yarn structure. Something to do once the move has happened.

As for projects I managed to finish: the “Kunterbunt” scrap yarn hat turned out well. I sewed in the threads between colours to avoid the dreaded hiding of all the 22 yarn ends – 2 for each colour- in the end. The pompom added a little fun and helps the slouchy look when worn higher up.

More about my Easter in Abu Dhabi next week.