It’s hardly real that last week, I was in Abu Dhabi having fun with the knitters there.

Melissa and myself were kindly given a lift by Lou from Ibn Battuta Mall. We nearly missed the turn off to Yas Island because we were having a great time just chatting in the car. We probably would have driven right out to the UAE-Saudi border and not realised it!

Anyway, once we got to our correct destination, we met new knitters and the some old friendly faces. I hardly had time to order my coffee when there was a clamour for me to bring out my yarns! Well not so much a clamour but they did ask for it. So I opened my little wheely case and plopped down the skeins in the middle of the gathering.


This is a view from a different angle. Hala kindly took these photos for me as I was busy either having coffee or talking to Marion and Monika who sat on either side of me. Some of these skeins were dyed just the day before and luckily dried before I had to leave for Abu Dhabi.

Zaina, one of the knitters I met for the first time, snapped up these three skeins. I brought my winder and swift so most of them were all wound into cakes. She did ask for a custom dye which I will try and tackle after Christmas, sometime during my 2-week break.

Louise coveting my skein of Mulled Wine! She used her baby girl Lily as leverage, naughty naughty. Of course how could I deny sweet Lily something gorgeous in this deep red colour? Louise won out so she now owns this skein of superwash sock yarn.

This is Louise’s Damson in a gorgeous colourway called October from Fyberspates. She is not so hot about it but we all loved the colour and the shawl! Louise, I am still game on finishing this for you if you like.

The other Louise, the one we seldom saw this year and miss so much, did turn up. Yay! She is going home for the holidays so was furiously knitting on warm woollies including this chunky cabled beret modeled by Hala.

Marion always has the cutest knitting accessories. Her wooden box of notions is something I have my eye on, then she whips out this ring of cute stitchmarkers. Wee balls of yarn! ❤

Hala, a very gracious host as ever, held a surprise raffle for everyone who came. So we wrote down names on pieces of paper and folded them up. Manuel, the only gentleman in our group, drew one from the lot.

He then handed it over to Ingrid to read the name out. And the winner of the surprise gift from Hala is …….

……. Louise! And she won big! Look at all that chocolate! Plus there was also a skein of undyed 100% 4-ply BFL sock yarn. Woot! Hala is such a giver.

It was a quick meet-up, mainly because Louise had to hurry home to make sure she gets to sing a lullaby to her baby girl. But it was a good one. Glad to have finally met Ingrid, Manuel, Marian, Zaina and Plantwoman. Also to touch base with Hala, Monika, Marion, Sarah and Louise again before the year ends.

Looking forward to more chatter, more knitting, more chocolates, more coffee, more cake and more fun with you all in 2011!