Welcome to my blog about life as an expat with travel and crafts! These past three weeks time management had become a bit more of a challenge when I started to take Arabic lessons for beginners at the Eton institute in Abu Dhabi. It is an intense three-week long course with 2 hours of classroom lessons five days a week from Sunday to Thursday. It had been one of my plans or dreams to learn the local language or at least standard Arabic once we made the decision to move here. The first year passed way faster than anticipated and in between exploring our new country of residence, travelling and hosting visitors I wasn’t able to commit to the hours to study a new language. But this month during Ramadan all fell into place: no travel plans until after June 22nd and lessons in the afternoon  were a great match for my schedule. The challenge lies with studying in between lessons – there are only so many hours in one day and not all can be dedicated to Arabic – and driving our car to each lesson. The latter is not an issue for most people I know as they like sitting behind the wheel, but it is a drag for me. I much rather would take public transit to be able to relax, read, study or knit, but with the bus taking the long way to the institute and 90 minutes each way, the 15-minute car ride is the better choice.

I am surprised to find that I enjoy learning the Arabic alphabet and its various additions to create the sounds and words. The setting in a small class with no more than 18 adult students is a great size and our teacher is fantastic! She is fun, knowledgeable and open to many questions and discussions around the language and how to read and write it. Trying to write the correct letter during dictation is my biggest challenge at the moment as there are a few throaty letters that sound very similar to my ear, but are very distinct to an Arab speaker. I hope in time I will see improvements in that area, the same as I find it easier to read and remember the letters by the day. It is a great thrill to being able to start deciphering the Arabic writing on the bilingual traffic signs. I mostly try when waiting at a red light as it still takes some time and I don’t want to keep my focus away from the surrounding traffic while the car is moving.

Tomorrow will be our final test to determine if we learned enough to move on to the next level. I enjoyed this learning experience so much that I will sign up for the next class starting in two weeks. For today it is good bye or “Ma: as-salaama” (which means ‘peace be with you’).

Maike

If you read my blog a few weeks ago about reviewing some ‘works in progress’ (WIPs) you may have seen the note that the crochet flower poncho had been put into hibernation. But that did not mean that the project had left my mental space. Floating up as a thought once in a while and wondering what to do with it. To understand the wall I was up against I will start with my idea and vision of ‘my’ poncho. It was beautifully displayed on the cover of ‘Love of crochet’ magazine and I fell immediately in love with it. I had four balls of fuchsia pink to crochet with, but needed another 3-4 balls of cotton as per pattern. So, I bought some complimentary colours: a variegated white to fuchsia and a white to create a slow colour change from the bottom edge in white to light fuchsia to fuchsia around my shoulders.

Reading through the pattern multiple times there was no mention in which direction the poncho was being crafted or which side of the ‘assembly diagram’ was supposed to the the garment’s bottom or sides. During years of knitting garments and reading their measurement diagrams, those were usually displayed with the bottom edge at the bottom of the diagram. Even when the knit was beginning at one sleeve and knitting across the neck to the other sleeve the diagram would face the same way. Thus, I assumed it to be the same here. I didn’t realize until I had crocheted 10 flowers for my first row, held them stretched out along my shoulder-line from left to right, and wondering if I really needed the other 5, that I may have looked at the assembly diagram the wrong way. Going back to the photo which depicted only short sleeves, I thought my gauge couldn’t be that wrong ( I had measured the first flower and compared it to the given size in the pattern). This was the point when I examined the photo closer, counted the number of flowers in the middle from the bottom edge to the neckline and realizing that the ‘first row’ was being crocheted from the front over the shoulder to the back. Meaning that shown diagram showed me the side edge at the bottom. This was totally screwing up my colour transition plan! Forcing me to create vertical striping instead of horizontal. Not good and a full-stop to my crocheting for the next 3 months.

Thankfully, it all changed when another fellow knitter suggested to join their weekly crochet/craft group. This time I thought “Why not? May be, I will find motivation again to continue the poncho”. One of the nights before the first meeting I woke up in the early morning hours and couldn’t fall asleep again. Suddenly, it hit me: I could just alter the assembly pattern and turn it by 90 degrees on its side.

Perfect! That would change the look slightly with regards to the borders as now the more wavy border will be falling over my shoulders. Currently, I am working with 10 flowers in one row alternating with 9 in the next and will see how that will impact the setting for the neck opening since there were originally 11 rows = flowers along the bottom edge. As I am plotting along there are ideas popping into my head: how about creating the neck opening in row 8 by leaving out 4 flowers in the middle? That may work. If it looks askew, then I will execute Plan B and add another flower to the end of each row and see if that solves the potential issue…

Anyway, it is so much fun to crochet this project again and seeing it grow every week. I can’t wait to see the colour changing soon!

Thank you, for reading my blog and following my adventures in Abu Dhabi! Maike

 

 

 

Do you like driving and do you like your drive to be a bit more challenging than passing cars on  highway? Then this is the road trip to do in the UAE! You will be driving up the highest mountain in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, Jebel Hafeet, measuring 1240 m. Compared to the mountains in British Columbia, Canada, that may not sound that impressive, but it is so much more accessible with a road full of twists, turns and hair-pin curves  from the desert floor of Al Ain oasis almost all the way to the top. So much fun to drive! 🙂

Plus, the views in all directions are amazing as the peak is part of a crest of mountains along the border with Oman and is surrounded on all sides by flat terrain. It is one of the few roads in the world which can be driven in any car with its smooth pavement and many viewing points.

We were amazed to learn that the Mercure chain built a hotel about 3/4 up the way. One has to visit and experience the spectacular views and ample amenities. We chose it as our dinner stop after we had watched the sun set on the horizon. The views from the terrace were fantastic and seeing the city of Al Ain lit up impressed us with its sizable area. We had picked a day with pretty good views, but a nippy wind drove us inside and we enjoyed a delicious dinner of Indian food at Lawrence’s bar before we tackled the two hour drive back to Abu Dhabi.

 

Combined with visiting Al Ain oasis this is a great day trip!

Until next time, Maike

 

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to join one of my local groups for a day-trip to Sharjah, the emirate bordering Dubai on the east along the coast. The bus ride from downtown Abu Dhabi took just two hours and I was surprised to have arrived at the Blue Souk already. There was no obvious change in architecture between the skyscrapers of Dubai and Sharjah. Both downtown areas merging into each other.

The Souk obtained its name from the blue tile mosaic adorning the building on all sides. It houses the gold souk, a clothing souk and upstairs antique stores. The gold souk was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday morning. As I learned a few days later it may have had to do with the low gold price which made the shopping even more worth while. Unlike jewelry-shopping in the Western world gold in the UAE is sold by weight only. No matter how elaborate the craftmanship. My quest to find small locally crafted or hand-made items was not satisfied. There may have been items in one or two of the antique stores, but the ones which caught my eye were still closed. Still I enjoyed a wonderful two hours exploring the beautiful building, marvelling at its architecture and enjoying the store displays.

Our lunch had been organized in the Sharjah Radisson Blu, a georgeous hotel with a fantastic high-ceiling open lobby architecture. Lunch was served in the lobby restaurant with a choice of buffet or ala carte menu. Sitting among the greenery of a tropical rainforest made it a lovely experience with great, friendly service.

The only regret I had was the lack of time to explore the hotel a bit more. It offers a beautiful beach on the waterfront. But our next stop at the Museum for Islamic Civilization was calling us. It was the highlight of this day for me. Following my quest for locally made items I was successful at the museum gift store which I visited before looking at anything else. From Jute-bags and clothes imprinted with art by a local artist to hand-embroidered coin purses to wood ornaments in thick paper frames, the selection was great! Showcasing the artistry of Islamic culture.

The building alone is worth a visit. It had been built as a souk/market and was renovated as a museum which opened in 2008. The merchant stalls on the lower and upper floors were converted into eight big exhibition halls. The four on the upper floor with the permanent exhibits displayed arabic weapons, clothes, housewares and calligraphy through the centuries. The main floor rooms were used for astronomy, medical and engineering advances and a temporary exhibit showing fabrics and saddle clothes from the Ottoman empire given to rulers in Hungary and Transylvania from around 500 years ago. The microscopically fine embroidery and often with silver or gold thread was amazing and will go back to its museum in Budapest once the show finishes (no photography allowed).

As impressed as I was by the interior architecture as beautiful and enchanting are the details on the outside of the museum. This was a day with wonderful experiences I want to share with my husband and visitors in the future.

There is a lot more to explore in our new home of the UAE. Until next time!

Maike

 

 

Some things we leave behind when we move and many are coming along. Sometimes what stays is surprising. I had planned to leave the craft market circuit behind to concentrate more on knitting items that challenge me and explore projects that would be planned from the purposely spun fiber to the final accessory or garment. But I learned quickly that just spinning and knitting to enhance my knowledge for myself seems to be not purposeful enough. Two weeks into our arrival to Abu Dhabi I explored the first craft market at the Eastern Mangroves hotel and run by LaLoupe. It was a fun event with a big bouncy castle and activities for smaller children, so the parents could go and shop in the ballroom.

The afternoon latte and tiramisu in the Mangroves Lounge upstairs were fabulous and a great treat after the market exploration. In the following weeks I had the opportunity to visit a few more craft fairs or markets, half of them were showing off items made elsewhere in the world and sold by vendors who often had “brick-and-mortar” outlets somewhere in town or in Dubai. Those were not the events I felt my knitting and crocheting would fit in. My current favourite craft market is the one at the Abu Dhabi golf club next to the Westin hotel. It is well organized, shows lots of vendors with handmade crafts from jewellery to body care to hand-sewn bags and clothes. Another one I want to scout out later is the one in front of Waitrose supermarket in Al Zeina which may be suspended for the summer until September..

In preparation to apply I have started to knit and design a line of baby accessories and toys and am thinking to add some lace scarves for women as well. It all depends on my current supply of lace yarns since I have not found a store which sells any, yet. The cottons used for the baby items are sourced through Green Branch Trading crafts in downtown Abu Dhabi and Magrudy’s book store in Al Wahda mall.

In the meantime the Parisian Night Channa sweater in Katia linen has been finished and fits beautifully. I have made only two small adjustments to the pattern to increase the length and to decrease the neck opening which I describe on my Ravelry page.

The yarn caused a little bias to the finished product which can be seen when the sweater is hanging: on he right hand bottom the back with the plain stockinette is showing when there should be only the “ribbed” front. This potential issue was already visible when I swatched and noticed that the swatch pulled a bit to one side. Still, it turned out great and fits nicely with a longer back and fitted sleeves. I hope to post a picture of me wearing it soon.

While knitting I am a huge fan of watching knitting and spinning podcasts or reading spinning blogs. My favourite spinning blogger is Rachel of welfordpurls with her variety of topics and very regular blogs. She writes about spinning, the process she uses to get to a finished yarn and garment and about other interesting spinners out there. The most motivation to stop knitting and sit down to spin a for a change comes from her detailed description on how the process works and her many photos. Looking at them makes me want to spin a little more and so I did this week when I finally pulled out my recently acquired Turkish spindle. After a spinning class at Fibreswest in March I stashed it with my other lace spindle and moved it our new home over Easter. So, I only had access to it again for the past month and my urge to try it and create some colourful turtles overcame my worries that I may not like spinning with it. I LOVED spinning with it and finally managed some clockwise-spun (Z) 100% merino singles that by themselves are lace-weight and may still fall into that category after plying them into a 2-ply.

Success! The easy part about using a Turkish spindle is the fact that the staff with the pointed bottom pulls out of the arms and then the arms can be pulled out of the yarn = the turtle, without having to unwind it. Each one weighs about 5-6 grams and can be plied right from this after they have sat for about a day to settle down the twist. It fascinated me so much that I plan to take the  spindle and some charcoal dyed merino with me to play with while on vacation next week.

My last “work-in-progress” is knit with a Caterpillargreen- yarn from my stash I bought last August at a Fibrefest in Victoria, Vancouver Island. This Vancouver Island artisan hand-dying company creates self-striping yarns for socks, shawls and brioche cowls in amazing colour combinations. They are so popular that any new inventory in their online store sells out within hours of being posted. Finding  a table of this company by surprise and with lots of stock made me swoon and at least one of their skeins had to come with me. My friend recommended the Skyline colourway and the bigger skein for a better size. I had oogled it in my stash often and planned to knit the scarf many a time just to be pushed aside by a more “urgent” project.

But now the time is right and it knits up quickly with a very simple pattern of stockinette knit and the occasional purl row – just a backside row knit instead of purled – to frame the stripes. Pretty much a modification of the Boneyard shawl by Stephen West. Thank you, for reading!

Maike

 

 

 

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. 

The reality of our move to the UAE is sinking in and eliciting various feelings: from excited most of the time to doubtful that all organization can be done in the time left. This made me look back into my last big move 20 years ago and wondering if I had those emotions before. I can remember the excitement, but not the worries so much. Most likely because I was moving towards a future with my husband in a city I fell in love with and a plan to resume work in my profession. This move we will be delving into the unknown:  a very different country and culture (even though not so visible during a short visit) and no decisive plans for my work future. Not setting out with a definite plan is new to me and an interesting experience. Let’s see where it will take me.

While the temperatures in Abu Dhabi are rising towards 30C Vancouver is still relatively cool which does not stop our spring flowers from sprouting everywhere. I love this time of year when the cherry blossoms are out and the first magnolia trees are starting to bloom.

The sun today was so deceptive: luring many people to shed their coats to walk in short-sleeves and shorts: in 5-10 C! I am quite happy about this as I can continue to use my warm hand-knit sweaters and cardigans a little longer before they will all go into storage.

Knitting continues to keep my mind focussed and in the moment when too many things are going through my head at once. The mystery KAL-shawl for my friend Uta has been finished and looks beautiful. The mohair-merino lace yarn knit up into a lightweight and airy piece of art that adds a little warmth to the shoulders. It currently measures about 60 cm by 120 cm and I plan to block it to 60 cm x 140 cm to open up the patterns. Pictures will be posted later in the year once the KAL is underway.

The small cowl, named “Stacks“, I started to practice my more efficient knitting has been finished as well and I just treated myself to cast on for the “Kunterbunt” striped scrap-yarn hat today. Knowing that I will take a day-long (yarn-) spinning class at Fibreswest in Cloverdale this weekend I did not feel like sitting down at my Majacraft wheel and started to spin with my little Louet Victoria travel wheel instead. What a difference! The small travel wheel is much lighter and feels more wobbly when I spin on it.  The brake, controlling the uptake, is difficult to adjust in very small increments and takes me a while to fiddle with before I can spin a continuous and even thread. May be, I need to change the thread on the knob that sets the tension on the break or replace the entire knob as it does not stay well in its chosen position. Still, I started with my azure blue pulled sari silk fibre. What a great colour! And best of all: no more reds, purples or pinks.

 

Next week will see me travelling with my Louet spinning wheel and I hope I can still bring it on the plane as a carry-on. It is small enough to fit hand-luggage sizing – sort of – and I really don’t entrust it to the baggage handlers. The plan is to have it with me to spin some yarn while my husband is at work. It could work in an air-conditioned room. Another novelty will be writing my blog on a tablet instead of my home computer. I am curious to see if I can do it while on the road.

Cheers, Maike.

 

 

 

Stay-cation part 2

While my previous day in Victoria was focussed on some of the well-known Victoria tourist attractions my most recent visit with my friend Rike explored the more hidden treasures in and around our capital city.

Our first activity off the ferry is often a walk on Island View Beach Regional Park to marvel at the views to the islands, enjoy the tranquility of the rocks and logs and let the dog “Felix” run free.

Lunch at Tonolli’s cafe run by two Hungarian sisters was next. Our Versailles panini -warmed in a sandwich press and filled with French brie, caramelized walnuts, sliced pears on a ciabatta bun – was delicious and kept us going on our search to find a hay-bale. The hay is being used in composting – a fact I learned that day – and is rather hard to find at this time of the year since they are the leftovers from last year’s grain harvest. We eventually found one and felt like being in a hayloft for the rest of our drive as it was liberally dusting off in bits and pieces getting stuck everywhere.

We started our Sunday with a scrumptious waffle and fruit breakfast and then headed off to Craigdarroch castle, a Victoria landmark I had heard about, but never seen until a week ago when we visited friends who bought a house adjacent to it. Into Scottish Westcoast history we were immersed while walking through the rooms. The Castle had been the family residence of the Dunsmuir family, then a military hospital, a college and a music conservatory until it was taken over and partially restored to the family home it was around 1900 by a non-profit organisation.

Next was a visit to Knotty by nature, a yarn and fibre store close to Oak Bay and the only one I had not visited, yet, in my many visits over the years. The owners organize Fibrations, a fantastic fibre and wool festival on the 3rd Sunday of August. I managed to be in town in 2015 and loved the location in a park and the variety of vendors, mostly from Vancouver Island and a few from the Lower Mainland. Check their website later this year to find the date. Anyone needing Caterpillargreen Yarns and finding it difficult to buy online: you may find them at this festival and at Knit City.

On our way to the ferry via the Butterfly gardens in Saanich we grabbed a vegetarian sandwich at the Parsonage Cafe which serves coffee from Fernwood coffee roasters. A quick and yummy lunch in the Fernwood area of Victoria close to downtown.

The Butterfly Gardens were a treat for us: warm and full of butterflies, birds, fish and tortoises. Interestingly,  we had the most fun with little “E”, an Eclectus Roratus parrot, who took a particular liking to my friend. He landed on her arm and did not want to move off her for many minutes. Talking and chirping as if he had missed her. Shadow, the big Macaw parrot, was less interested in us than in his seeds and fruits.

Closing time is early in the winter at 3 pm with viewing time until 4 pm which gave me just enough time to leave on the 5pm ferry back to Tsawassen/Vancouver.

I have created captures for some of the photos. Click on one and have a look! More about knitting, spinning and fibres next time.