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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Craft On: At the Bodice!

So, I think I said that we are getting close to Amelia's baptism. Now, I think I can actually stop adding length to the skirt and decrease for the bodice! I am finishing the final repeat on the skirt, and then get to divide for the bodice, and stop knitting something that is my size and start making something that is her size. Yay!

I have kind of stalled out on my last sock, not because of any trouble, but because I want to take some photos and video of the heel turn technique to help people who are not familiar with it. But I'm knitting with dark yarn. And I want good light for the photos and video. So, I have been waiting to turn the heel for all the circumstances to be right. I need to get that done. Maybe that is something I can do tomorrow.

My reading is still largely a little in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages and a lot more in Northanger Abbey. I'm not getting a lot of personal reading time lately.


Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:54 PM 0 comments

Sunday, April 21, 2024

Menu Plan: April 21 - 27

Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

We had a little bit of a topsy turvy week last week, and so several meals were shifted or abandoned, and are either now moved to this week or next. Then I realized that our Shawn will be here this week and I wanted to make some more special meals for her while she is here. So, some of the meals have been further moved. Unfortunately, Dominic was not able to get the time off so he could come visit home with his bride.

Rich has been wanting pizza since Lent, so we are making our own on Monday, making a polenta crust for one of them for Jerome. Because we like to put a few anchovies in our pizza sauce, I am planning a quiche next week which also uses anchovies so we don't waste any of them.

Beyond that, we are continuing to work and pray and live and play, Rich is busy in the garden, I am busy at home, and the kids are just busy. We have our annual homeschool semi-formal dance coming up and then spring might be here in earnest.

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday (this may be later this time because of our holiday feasting and rest).

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:58 AM 0 comments

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Craft On: Sock Hop

Life certainly has a way of getting in the way, doesn't it? I am still not finished with my sock, and won't be publishing quite yet. However, it will be soon. As I said, the pattern is already tech edited and beta knit. I will take the opportunity of taking a few more photos of the heel turning technique for the pattern, and perhaps a little video, as well.

Two out of five projects from my spa set are complete, which are bright and happy. I love them. I was really hoping to have the pattern set ready in time for people to make them for Mother's Day, but that will not happen. However, the patterns should be ready for May, and if you are interested in making one or more of the items in the set in a beta knit, I would be happy to hear from you! The third of the set will be made soon, and certainly any beta projects would make excellent Mother's Day gifts.

In the interim, I have a big sale going on at both my PayHip and Ravelry storefronts. Rich and I have had a goal to make it to our 75th wedding anniversary. I was 20 years and almost six months old, and Rich was just past 26 years and six months when we married, so I would be 95 years and almost six months at that celebration. As close as I can calculate, that is today!

I thought the best way to celebrate this with you would be to have a sale. So, between today and the end of the day PDT Saturday, April 20, 2024, with the coupon code Halflife, on both my PayHip and Ravelry stores, every singly sold pattern I offer will be 50% off. LoveCrafts does not permit its designers to offer coupon codes, so you will need to use either of these stores or contact me directly for a Paypal invoice.

There is slow, but steady progress being made in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages and the kids and I are working our way through Northanger Abbey fairly quickly and enjoying the humor and fun.


Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:46 PM 0 comments

Sunday, April 14, 2024

Menu Plan: April 14 - 20

Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

My Bible study is taking a little break and hoping to interest a few more people to join us. We will begin again with a study of the book of Sirach. I kind of wanted to finish our former study at the end of last year so we could start it up in January again with this study, as there are 52 chapters in this book and 52 weeks of the year, so it seemed a perfect match.

In any case, that does leave my Tuesday nights a little less hurried for a little while. Even though I am a bit sad about not having our standing weekly study and prayer group.

We have a memorial to go to this week, so I needed a couple more simple meals than normal. We have some red chile pork in the freezer, so we can use that as well as some quick and easy pasta dishes and pressure cooker meals. This will make less work for our busier days. We are still eating mostly out of our freezer, also, and that is a great blessing now.

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday (this may be later this time because of our holiday feasting and rest).

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 5:24 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Craft On: Second Sock Started

Six patterns are written, five from a spa set collection, and I am working on a seventh! My goal is always to be three pattern releases ahead in my pattern writing and that went out the window in the last few years, so I am excited to be getting back on track with that.

I actually started the second sock of this pair, and since the pattern is already written and edited, I am hoping to have it finished in time to publish at the end of next week. I had a couple beta knitters, and I am looking forward to their pictures, too.

Now I have two out of five of the spa set designs knit, though I will be re-knitting one of them. I will be casting on the basic washcloth of the set today, and probably finishing it tomorrow. My goal is to have them all completed in time for an early May release. I will have beta opportunities for any/all of these pieces soon, and hope you will want to knit them.

P.S. If you do not already subscribe to my newsletter, check out the link below. I will have a new release soon, and have some fun suprises in store. This Friday, I am planning another FO post, too, so I can share some of the finished items I've made lately.

Still a bit exhausted, and trying to get back to normal work and school schedules here, but I did pick up Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages and read a little. The kids and I started Northanger Abbey this week, which we are finding delightful. It was one of only two books by Jane Austen I had never read in their entirety, and now that we've read Mansfield Park, this is the last one. Like Mansfield Park, I know enough of the story to know basically how it goes, the characters and themes, and, of course, how it ends, but I have never actually read it from start to finish, so this is enjoyable for me, as well. Having something humorous to read is really helpful right now when we are all a little out of sorts and tired.


Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:01 PM 0 comments

Sunday, April 07, 2024

Menu Plan: End of the Octave

Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

In the Antiochian Church, there is no fasting for all the Paschal season, not just the Octave. Our priest here has said, that though he would never tell anyone that he must keep the Wednesday and Friday fasts during the Paschal season, as the Bishop has spoken on this, and he would never go against the Bishop, that the people in the Middle East suffer much more than we in the west, and need more relief than we do, so he still keeps those fasts. So, as a way of still celebrating as we are permitted, but also acknowledging the truth of what our local priest has said, we have been eating fish, dairy, and egg on Wednesdays and Fridays during the season as a compromise, while still continuing our celebration. We are enjoying all the dairy and fish!

Jerome had an immense relief from his eczema that was nearly miraculous. Unfortunately, he has found that wheat/gluten triggered both stomach problems and skin issues. So, we are back to trying to eat as gluten free as possible for him. In general, though, we are trying to avoid gluten free breads and products, and just having him eat things that are naturally gluten free, like rice and potatoes, or loads of vegetables.

Our freezer cooking continues apace, and we are busy making room for more ducks and turkeys to be butchered and, we hope, a couple lambs and maybe a hog. Our poultry are producing quite well, and we are in a luxury of eggs, which helps with our feasting right now.

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday (this may be later this time because of our holiday feasting and rest).

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:29 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 03, 2024

Craft On: Sock and Goals

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Holy Week and Bright Week have taken a lot of my time and energy, so there isn't as much progress to share, though there is some. I am finished with the first sock of Dahha, and the pattern is written and edited now. Three out of five patterns in the H'ammaam spa set are written, and I am close to finishing Amelia's baptismal gown (and she is close to getting baptized!).

The heel and toe on this sock design are one of three of my favorite ways to work a heel, and I'm really pleased with the fit and look on it. There will be a special offer on both this pattern and Nafhat when I publish Dahha, so keep your eyes open for that (if you subscribe to my newsletter - see the end of this post to do that - you will get the earliest notice of the discount).

One thing I keep forgetting about making gowns for babies and toddlers is how large they are in the skirt. It is basically the size of an adult sweater that would fit me! The bodice is toddler sized, but the skirt could be a sweater for a grown woman.

The facecloth and drawstring bag really would have been better had I made it a little larger, so I am probably making another pretty soon. Right now, I am finishing a bath mitt, and will make a washcloth, and a soap sack, as well.

Because of all the church services and cooking of this past week and a half, not much reading has been done in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages (or anything else, really). The kids and I finished Mansfield Park last month, and I finished my Romans Study, so those are three more finished books this year.


Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:55 PM 0 comments

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Menu Plan: Bright Week

Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Traditionally, the eight days of the Paschal Octave have absolutely no fasting in them. Even with our somewhat truncated fast this year with the wedding, we are all ready for meat and dairy and fish and all those lovely things. We broke the fast last night after the Vigil with ma'amoul, a platter of dates, smoked salmon, crackers, cheese and meats, and various other lovely treats. Then, it was home for bacon and scrambled eggs with toast and some of the last of our Paschal preparations.

Today we will finish our preparations for the meal, feast and pray and feast some more! I've included some of the offerings we know people are bringing over today, but the rest will be a surprise. Rich has a meeting this week with a lot of people we have known throughout his career, and I will be coming along and bringing a few trays of the food from our feast to share with them. There are actually containers in our fridge labeled "FAA Hummus" and "FAA Baba Ghanooj" and so on, which is a little funny to me, but there you have it.

Blessed Feast for those of us in the West and a continued Holy Lent to our Eastern brethren!

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday (this may be later this time because of our holiday feasting and rest).

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 12:00 AM 0 comments

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Recipe Round Up: Mount Athos Tomato Rice and a Depression Era Chocolate Wacky Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Coconut Frosting

Mount Athos Tomato Rice

This rather simple rice recipe is remarkably satisfying. It is good with vegetables, or shellfish, or anything you like with it. As written, it is good for olive oil and wine days, but you may substitute a fasting friendly oil for the fasting seasons, Wednesdays or Fridays.

2 cups white rice (any type you like, though it will affect the texture - we tend to use a shorter grained Egyptian rice)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 medium, fresh ripe tomatoes
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks
4 tablespoons tomato paste
6 tablespoons olive oil or fasting friendly oil
4 cups vegetable broth OR 4 cups hot water and 2 vegetable stock cubes
freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

If you do not have vegetable broth, dissolve the stock cube in hot water.

Place the tomatoes and red pepper in a food processor or blender. Process until a relatively smooth purée is made. Set aside.

Put the oil in a wide pot over high heat. When oil warms up, sauté the chopped onion and garlic for a couple minutes. Then add the tomato paste and sauté for 2 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula, so that the tomato paste releases its wonderful aromas and doesn't burn.

Add the puréed tomatoes and peppers to the pot. Add the paprika and the oregano, then the water (or broth) into the mixture. Stir and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

When the water starts to boil, lower the heat to very low and add the rice. Stir to combine it with the sauce. Place the lid on top of the pot.

Simmer the rice in the sauce until all the water is absorbed. You will need about 15 minutes. The heat must be very low so that the rice and the sauce won’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes with the lid still on the pot. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary, fluffing the rice to serve.

Depression Era Wacky Chocolate Cake

This is such an oddly made cake, but it really does taste good. The frosting makes it, though. Without the frosting, it is a little flat. We have often served this cake (as well as two or three other cakes) as a birthday cake during Lent.

Dry Ingredients:
3 cups pastry flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup safflower (or other light) oil
2 cups water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 X 13 inch baking pan with nonstick coconut or avocado spray. Mix first 5 dry ingredients in the prepared pan (flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and salt).

Make three depressions in the dry ingredients – two small, one larger. Pour vinegar in one of the smaller depressions. Pour the vanilla extract in the other smaller depression and the vegetable oil in third larger depression. Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth.

Bake on middle rack of oven for 40 - 50 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Be sure to check your cake to make sure you do not over bake.

Cool completely before frosting (if using). You can also just sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Chocolate Coconut Frosting 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix 2 cups sugar, cocoa, milk, oil and vanilla in a large bowl with stick blender, or in a stand mixer. Scrape sides to fully incorporate the sugar. Add the remaining sugar, gradually, mixing over medium speed until sugar is fully blended.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 5:47 PM 0 comments

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Menu Plan: Holy Week

The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

We have made it. This week is the penultimate week of the year. We are walking the Via Dolorosa with Christ. We live each of those days with Him. It is the busiest, hardest, most challenging week of our year. Meals this week are lighter and simpler, and follow the strictest fasting rules. Traditionally, a full fast begins on the evening of Maundy (Mandatum - from the new mandate/commandment Jesus gives, as He established the priesthood, the sacraments of the Eucharist and confession), and goes through the end of the Vigil on Saturday, as we await Jesus by the tomb. The events of this week are what give shape to every other week of our year. We have the priesthood, the Eucharist, confession, because of this week. We fast on Wednesdays and Fridays because of Judas' selling Jesus on Wednesday and Christ's crucifixion on Friday. We celebrate a little Paschal feast every Sunday. This week is the most important week in the year. It is such a significant week that it is eight days long. The Sunday of the Resurrection is the eighth day of creation.

Our school break begins this week, but this first week is for all the services of the week and a lot of preparations in our home for the feast. There is a lot of cooking and cleaning to do besides the spiritual preparations. Next week will be our rest and rejoicing. Since everyone is old enough to participate at some level in the stricter fasts this week, Good Friday will not have meals planned, though Nejat may eat a light meal after the liturgy that day. On Holy Saturday, the two youngest may break their fast a little earlier than the rest of us. Rich has given me a mandate to break the feast a little earlier, so I can taste food as I prepare it. It always feels a little terrible to do that, because everyone else is fasting while I am not, but I try to be discreet, and it is literally tastes, not a whole meal. It is a small sacrifice I can make to ensure our church and family and friends can enjoy an excellent meal for the Paschal feast. What I'm trying to say is not to feel too badly if you cannot keep up with the strictest rules this week. Struggle within your strength.

May you have a blessed Holy Week! Please pray for our strength and health this week. If you are Orthodox, I pray for a continued Holy Lent.

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:52 AM 0 comments

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Menu Plan: Passion Sunday

I am a little sad that we are entering the final week of Lent at the time that the East is entering the first week. Properly, this Sunday is called Passion Sunday, was the beginning of the final week of Lent, with Holy Week being its own separate and distinct observance. Passion Sunday gave the general overview of the last days of Christ's life on earth, while with Palm Sunday, we enter into each day of that final week with Him quite specifically. Unfortunately, in the West, this has largely been relegated to a footnote to Palm Sunday, rather than its own observance. So, right on the heels of celebrating the Hosannas of Christ's triumphal entry, we slide into the Good Friday narrative. This is a shame; it is jarring, and robs parishioners of the real walk of that final week of His life with Him during Holy week, from Palm Sunday, the first, instructive events of Holy Monday and Tuesday, with the fig tree and the annointing with perfume and oil, through His betrayal on Spy Wednesday, His Last Supper and the institution of the priesthood and the Eucharist, His arrest and trial, His crucifixion, and His rest in the tomb, as He harrowed Hell to free those captive to death. We live through the events of that week each year. It seems to me that the modern church seems to think it is too much to ask of her people to take that walk with Him for one week each year. Meanwhile, our calendars and prayer books still show that this is the historic practice and we preserve it in this way only. We will keep His final days in mind this week, meditating on His words and actions, as we prepare for the hard Via Dolorosa we will embark on next Monday.

Passion Sunday marks the last week of Lent, as a summary of what Christ did to rescue us from sin and death, as we ready ourselves to walk each day of the way of sorrow with Him and, in the East, ends with Lazarus Saturday, the first resurrection which points to the greater one. We have begun observing it ourselves, as one of the commemorations that is significant to the life of the Church. Jesus raised Lazarus in anticipation of His own resurrection - and ours. One tradition for Lazarus Saturday is to make sweet, little breads shaped like a man wrapped in linens (Lazarakia). Another is to permit the eating of caviar (fish eggs) as little eggs, before we get to have eggs again on the Paschal feast. We will be doing both of those, but it will have to wait until after liturgy, because of that difference in the timing of Lent for East and West.

So, because of the feasts of Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph this week, we get fish twice! Even though our Lent has been interrupted and truncated, in some ways, the relief we are given from the discipline is a blessing. We embrace it and enjoy it. We have a special devotion to Saint Joseph here, Rich even more so, and love him so much. He is Elijah's patron saint, as well, and we love to remember and celebrate him. Our grocery stores had some great deals on fish, too, so we are enjoying a fish pie for Saint Patrick's day after church and a Spanish fish and shellfish stew for Saint Joseph's feast. Rich is planting some peas today, in honor of Saint Patrick.

Now that we are at the end of our fast, I invite you to walk with the Church in these last days of Christ's suffering. Look for a Catholic (especially Traditional Latin or Eastern Rite) or Anglican type church in your area which has actual Holy Week services, and go to them next week. If your church does not observe Passion Sunday, read through the gospel accounts of the Passion and prepare yourself for the daily Via Dolorosa that is to come. Next week, read through the events of each day of Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday, and allow them to penetrate your heart and mind. Saturate yourself in them. Pray an hour with Christ in the garden on Maundy Thursday. Fast with Him on Good Friday. Pray at the tomb on Holy Saturday. Prepare yourself for a full rejoicing when He bursts from the tomb. Don't limit it to one day's notice and leave Him. Remember that the Paschaltide begins on the Paschal feast and goes 40 days to the Ascension and another 10 days to Pentecost. Do not let it end with one Sunday. You will find life in His life.

Keep praying for us, and we continue to pray for you. Blessed Lent (and Forgiveness Sunday for our Eastern brethren). Forgive me, a sinner.

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:20 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Craft On: Sunrays and Socks

You know when you knit something and it doesn't look right? But you keep knitting, anyway? It will not be better three inches later. I know this. This didn't stop me from continuing after I saw something I thought wasn't great. So, I will be undoing the heel on my Dahha, and going back to make something on the leg the way it ought to be. In other news, however, my sunray washcloth is delightful. It is doing exactly what I planned. It is bright and joyous and makes me so happy. I hope you will love this set. It will be released as part of a spa set that will be published in time to knit the whole set for Mother's Day.

Still reading Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages and almost finished with Mansfield Park. Next week, I will be finished with our Romans study, which means two more books to mark on my reading list this year.


Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:13 PM 0 comments

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Menu Plan: Laetare Sunday

Laetare Jerusalem: et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam: gaudete cum laetitia, qui in tristitia fuistis: ut exsultetis, et satiemini ab uberibus consolationis vestrae.

Be joyful, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation.

Laetare is milk-joy Sunday. It is the Mother's Day of the Church, remembering the Church as our Mother and the Blessed Mother herself, who is both the mother of God and of all believers. The traditional Gospel reading is that of the feeding of he 5000, the only miracle of Jesus that is presented in each of the Gospels. It is the fourth full week of Lent in the West. The austerity of the altar is relieved a little with the adornment of roses, the flower of the Theotokos, nd the rose vestments. This is one of the Western Traditions that I would love to see in a unified Church. Much like Forgiveness Vespers from the East and the Imposition of Ashes in the West are both such powerful practices, I think this set of readings and prayers and the reinforcement of the earliest Church teachings on the Church as Mother and devotion to our Blessed Mother are powerfully presented in this little lightening of the fast.

We enjoyed our dairy today and got to celebrate Amira's birthday, though I think I overdid it, which is definitely not in the spirit of Lent. I'm trying to keep in mind Saint Gregory Palamas' words about the fast, and think of sharing our excess and leftovers with those who fast out of necessity, rather than choice. Even our prayers at church tonight echoed that, with prayers for those who fast because of war, famine, homelessness, or illness. Our fast is voluntary, theirs is not, and we must remember them in action, not simply in our thoughts. Next week is Passion Sunday, and then Palm Sunday follows that, which is a little startling. This year Lent has gone by so quickly - in all probability, it feels that way because of the break we took with the wedding and so forth. We are more than half way through Lent.

Evil DST is upon us again, and I really wish we could just ignore it. Workplaces can shift their hours, so can schools and activities, and we can just all go on in rational, real time. On the plus side, we had the winds of spring come through this weekend, and that gives me hope that we will find ourselves outside of winter misery sooner than later.

We found an incredible number of deals on excellent produce this past week, and we are enjoying that bounty. Again, this is just one of the ways that God shows His care for us. My favorite kind of pear is the Comice, and our Grocery Outlet had them for $0.79 a pound, which is a price I rarely see on other kinds of pears, let alone more "specialty" ones. We should be able to enjoy all the apples, oranges, pears, tangelos, and other produce I found for at least two weeks. We had to adjust our menu once last week, so we have a repeat this week, but I am looking forward to it, as well.

We are now in the last part of Lent, as I said, and preparing our hearts and homes for the Resurrection. I am looking forward to it so much. It is the highest feast of the Church year and my favorite holiday of all time. I wish we were celebrating together with the East. That is the only sorrow in it. My Bible study only has two more sections in it, so we will finish up with it the week before Holy Week, and be able to take our break, then begin again with another study.

Keep praying for us, and we continue to pray for you. Blessed Lent (and beginnings of Lent for our Eastern brethren).

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:42 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

Craft On: Of Socks and Spa Sets

Progress is being made on Dahha. I think the first sock and the pattern will be finished in a week or two. There is a collection of patterns I have had in mind for some time, and I started those this week. They are super fun to make, and I eliminated almost all the sewing (there is a tiny seam on one of five pieces). They use some of the yarn I bought while we were in Split, and it makes me even more happy to knit with it because of that.

We have more wedding pictures from the photographer and I can share the big one of all the family now. There are some missing uncles, aunts, cousins, and a grandfather, because they could not be there, but this is both of our families together.

Also, I don't know if I shared Malabrigo's Blog post about the Incense Route. I am still so pleased that they asked me to work with them and helped me bring this collection to fruition.

While I have read a little in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages and am still really enjoying it, it is still going slowly, because it usually happens at night and it requires more engagement of my mind than my exhaustion is permitting. The kids and I have been doing a lot of reading in Mansfield Park, however, and are close to finishing it. My Bible study of Romans is nearly at an end, which will have me finished with two more books!


Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:48 AM 0 comments

Sunday, March 03, 2024

Menu Plan: Third Sunday of Lent

Saints Perpetua and Felicity are two of my favorite saints. They were a married noblewoman and her servant who were brought to be executed for their faith. Felicity was pregnant and delivered while in prison. The image of her bleeding, recently delivered body being set against wild beasts in the arena was too much even for the Romans, who were so used to this kind of violence as entertainment, and seeing them martyred in this way was the beginning of the end for this kind of execution in Rome.

This has been a weird Lent for us. We are already kind of between the East and West because of Church affiliations in the family. It also just doesn't feel as much like Lent as it normally does for us. Also our re-entry week has been much less smooth than we expected. I was not able to spend as much time at home as is really necessary for things to go smoothly, so I am hoping this coming week will be easier.

We have feasts of some of our favorite saints this week, plus one whose intercession we need badly for our gardening this year. We are really between fruit seasons, it is the last of the winter fruit stores (citrus, mostly) and well before the summer fruit start coming, and last year we just didn't really have a chance to put up as much as I would have liked. We need to make sure we do more of that this year. It will need to be a priority for us. Between food prices, weird things going on in the supply chain, stores ordering only enough stock for the week, and frankly, the poor quality of the produce we have seen in stores over the past few years, we want to make sure we have enough of our own preserved so we know it is good and we have it for the family. We do have some canned fruit and a bit of dried fruit, but mostly it's frozen fruit now.

Rich has been planting things in our makeshift greenhouse and we are almost to the point that we can direct seed plants like peas and potatoes. We are really praying that we have the time and weather to produce quite a lot of our own vegetables this year. Our fruit trees look like they have survived winter fairly well, but where we live, we have had hard frosts as late as Memorial Day. We are praying for this to be a year without anything like that in it. If our garden and trees produce for us, I will be able to preserve a lot for us for the next year. My goal is not to have to buy any summer produce in the fall, winter and early spring, expect for perhaps eggplant, just because I haven't found a way to preserve it well. Perhaps if I preserve it as the foods that we eat and enjoy, that might be the better way. Anyway, Rich spends our miserable winter time planning the garden, and I plan the summer preserving. He is better at the garden part, and I just tell him the varieties we want to eat.

A few of the kids got to go to a teen retreat at a church a few cities away from us, and it was wonderful. We are so glad they got to go, and we are planning for them to go to the summer camp, too. They have made friends, and are really learning to know God in a better way. We are thankful. Please pray for them that the good words would embed themselves in them and that the darkness of our world would not overpower it.

Thank you for your prayers! We have had so many good answers to prayer this past week and are grateful. Glory to God in His Saints! Keep praying for us, and we continue to pray for you.

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:36 AM 0 comments

Saturday, March 02, 2024

Recipe Round Up: Dan Dan Noodles (plus a Vegan Version), Marinated Chickpea Salad with Herbs and Spices

Dan Dan Noodles

One thing I like about this recipe is that it permits me to feed at least eight people with a pound of pork. That is so unusual for most meals, and especially now that the price of meat is so high, this is a godsend for families. If you do not eat pork, ground beef or lamb could easily be used, though ground veal would probably taste closer. I don't really recommend commercial ground chicken or turkey, but if you can grind your own, that would work well.

2/3 cup sunflower oil
12 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
3 - 4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds

16 ounces Chinese egg noodles (or medium width rice noodles)

1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 - 4 tablespoons sambal oelek or sri racha
2/3 cup water

1 pound ground pork
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, chopped (reserving dark green portions for garnish)
1 large head green cabbage, shredded

Make chile oil: Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the oil, garlic, ginger and chile flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant, but not burned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sesame seeds and cook another 30 - 60 secondsm making sure they do not burn. Remove from the heat and pour into a heat proof jar or bowl and set aside.

Cook the noodles according to package directions.

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sambal oelek, and water in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Place the skillet back on the burner over medium high heat. Add ground pork. Season with black pepper and brown all over, breaking it up as it cooks, around 5 minutes. Add the red onion and the whites and pale parts of the scallions and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook another 2 minutes or so, until it softens. Slowly pour in the soy sauce mixture. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the meat is coated well with the sauce, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in the cooked noodles and 1/4 cup of the chile oil. Remove from the heat. Toss the reserved scallions with the noodles. Serve warm, topped with additional chile oil.

Vegan Dan Dan Noodles

This is such a quick and easy and delicious and vegan meal to make that is filling, too. Even if you don't observe Lent, it is a good meal and one that is handy to have in your back pocket when you don't have a lot of time to make dinner. It is also highly versatile. This picture shows it made with a bag of coleslaw mix, because we had it and didn't have the whole heads of cabbage or other greens. This recipe takes me about 20 minutes to make from start to finish, and will serve eight generously.

1 pound rice noodles (we use medium width)
1/4 cup sunflower or safflower oil
8 stalks celery
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
1/2 pound shredded cabbage, Swiss chard, kale, or spinach
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped, dark green parts saved for garnish

Sauce:
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced (or replace both with 1/4 cup of ginger garlic paste)
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
6 tablespoons natural peanut butter
1/4 cup chile oil (or 1/4 cup sesame oil and 1/4 cup Sri Racha)
2 tablespoons coconut, palm, or brown sugar

1/2 pound chopped cashews, for garnish (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rice noodles and cook for 7 -8 minutes, until al dente. Drain, leaving a little water on the noodles.

While the pot is coming to a boil, and while the noodles cook, prepare the other ingredients. In a skillet or wok over medium heat, add oil, celery, onions, cabbage, and the white and pale green parts of the scallions to the pan. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes, until the onions are just starting to brown at the edges. Set aside.

Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Add the noodles to the vegetables in the pan, along with the sauce, and toss well to combine. Sprinkle with remaining scallion greens and cashews, if using. Serve with mandarin oranges or another acidic fruit.

Marinated Chickpea Salad with Herbs and Spices

So Trader Joe’s sells about a 9 ounce can of a chickpea salad with parsley and cumin and lemon. They use soy bean oil in it, garlic, salt and pepper. I recreated it and made it better, using dried chickpeas that I cooked, fresh parsley, fresh garlic, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, cumin, salt and Aleppo Pepper. For $2.50 I make three times the amount of that can, which they charge $1.79 for in the store. If I used regular black pepper, and a lower grade olive oil, it would be cheaper still, maybe closer to the $1.79 - $2.00, for more than three times as much. It is very rare that making something from scratch is not a better price.

3 cups cooked chickpeas, drained (save the liquid for soup or cooking grains)
1 large bunch fresh parsley, finely minced (save those stems for stock!)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
juice of 2 large lemons, strained
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes
salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients, and taste to adjust seasoning.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 12:39 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Craft On: Weddings and More

More progress on both the baptismal gown and Dahha have been made. Neither is finished, alas. We had so much to do for Dominic's wedding, and besides the lack of time and opportunity, even when we had time afterward, I was so exhausted, or occupied with other things, that not a ton of knitting was done while we were away. This is alright. We helped them marry and they had a beautiful, reverent, glorious wedding.

Amira was best woman to Dominic and Shawn's brother Taylor was her bridesman. I love Orthodox weddings. This one was even more beautiful. Their choir sang so wonderfully and the church itself was heavenly. Their priest is fantastic, and I am so glad he is their spiritual father, and that this is where they will grow in their faith as a couple. There is no shying away from the fact that marriage is holy, that it is indissoluble, and that it is martyrdom and obedience. The liturgy states multiple times the prayer that their marriage bed would be undefiled, and that marriage is a crowning both as priests and as martyrs. Their priest didn't apologize for this. The only explanation he gave was that we know, as Christians, that there is an obedience that isn't slavery, as we all look forward to the heavenly kingdom, in which we will all be obedient to God, who is no slave master. We don't have pictures from the photographers yet, so I will share this of the bridal party.

I finished The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and am waiting on the second Poirot book from the library. I brought Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages with us on the trip, but only poked my head into it once. The kids and I are working on Mansfield Park, as you can see up there, and are more than half way through it now. It is one of two of her novels I'd never read all the way through in school or on my own, so this is fun for me, to read it a first time with them.


Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:23 AM 0 comments

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Menu Plan: Second Sunday of Lent

Be steadfast, brothers, and do the little things.

We took a week on the coast after the wedding to decompress, and I was able to bring most of the kids to a resort I used to visit with my family when I was growing up and have long wanted to share with them. It's not quite as fancy and fashionable as it was 40 years ago, but it was still lovely and comfortable and served us well. They had some great winter rates, plus a deal to get people to stay there, so it was quite a bargain, too, and like our rental we took for the wedding, had a full kitchen and washing machine and dryer, so we didn't have to pack as much clothing and we didn't have to rely on restaurants for all our meals. It was like a honeymoon for our family. I strongly recommend this for any parents or family who put on a wedding. This will definitely be part of our planning and budgeting for the other kids' weddings. Also, I can highly recommend Local Ocean in Newport as an exquisite place to eat. Everything we ordered was delightful, well made, delicious, and the staff was wonderful. Poor Amira had to come home the day after the wedding so she could go to work, and had to miss that part of our trip.

On a related note, we are also pulling back from our spending after the expenses of wedding and travel, and are back in the serious part of Lent. We broke the fast so we could feast with the bridegroom and bride, and then did the best we could with the restaurants and the kitchens we had in our rental places, and actually it was alright. It was more like the modern, Western abstinent rules, and it was fine. Now, we are eating out of fridge and freezers and pantries again, and cutting back on our expenses. That is good also. We are blessed with abundance and God looks after our large family in so many ways through the deals at the grocery stores, and the favor we have with the people who work there and farmers in our community.

We try not to eat much in the way of fake meats and dairy and so on during the fasts, though if we have any given to us or if we find it at an amazing price, we will get some things like the vegan butter. The only replacement foods we really get are to purchase almond milk or this fantastic blend by Silk, made of almond, coconut and oat milks that actually tastes like milk enough that I was able to drink it with some graham crackers and it felt and tasted like the real thing. That is getting hard to find, though, and I'm nervous that it has been discontinued. It was great, though. It had the creaminess of coconut milk, the flavor of almond milk, and the smoothness of the oat milk, so I hope to find it again. In the interim, Fred Meyer had a coupon deal that made half gallons of almond milk $1.99, so we bought our limit of that and will use it in cooking and with coffee and such. We do try to avoid soy substitutes entirely, and don't really trust the fake meat. We'd rather rely on legumes and nuts and other sources of protein during the fast, so you will see mostly meals that include those.

Because of wedding events and schedules and our lack of schedule on the coast, we have some repeats this week. After the wedding, we had almost three quarts of the bean liquor and some of the black beans with onions, garlic and tomatoes leftover that we froze. When we got home Saturday, we were able to chop up some more garlic and onion, sauté them in some sunflower oil, add our thawing black beans, and season up some more with ancho chile powder, cumin and oregano, and made a fine soup with a garlic crusted bread we found in the used bread section at the store, and some apples that were given to us, and had a meal for eight, with a little left over, for all of $3.42. Not bad for our re-entry.

Please pray for us, and we will pray for you. Jerome's skin is giving him quite a bit of trouble, and now he has a weird cyst on his ear that is swelling. We will be seeing the NP this week, but he just needs some relief.

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:35 PM 0 comments

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Menu Plan: First Sunday of Lent

There are many beautiful icons of the Temptation of Jesus, but this painting by Duccio captures the essense of our Lenten journey with Christ in the desert. After being driven to the desert to fast for 40 days and be tested (not as a trick or pop quiz, but to model for us and to teach the way we make our spiritual battle), He commands Satan away, with the angels waiting to attend Him.

Our first full week of Lent is upon us, and it is good. The bright sadness has begun. This week began with Dominic and Shawn's wedding, though, which was full of unmitigated joy. The wedding went off with a hitch, and we have a new daughter in the family. We are so happy to join our family with hers and welcome her to our family.

This week is a relaxation week for us, a little decompression for everyone after all the busy-ness of the wedding. Rich even took the week off so we could all be together. This week, we are able to enjoy much more seafood than is normal for us during even Lent, and we are taking advantage of that as we take this break. We commemorate two of our favorite saints this week, saints from the earliest of the Church, from whom we learn so many of the things we still observe today. May we grow to be like them.

Please pray for us, and we will pray for you. May you have a holy and blessed Lent.

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:17 PM 0 comments

Friday, February 16, 2024

Finished Object Friday: Resurrecting the Past

It has been some time since I posted one of these, but I thought it would be a good way to present my completed items here.

So far this year, I have finished seven projects out of about 50 planned this year.

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Menu Plan: Quinquagesima, Mardi Gras, and Ash Wednesday

These are the last moments of meat for us. Quinquagesima is the 50th day before the Paschal feast for us in the West. Sadly, the East and West are as far apart as is possible this year, but one day, we continue to pray, that both East and West will unite to celebrate together every year. The practices of Ash Wednesday are so profound, as are those of Forgiveness Sunday, and I hope that eventually the Church will get her act together and find a way to bring them together in all ways. At present, the next time we will celebrate together is 2025. Glory to God!

In the meantime, we are continuing to eat up meat and fish and dairy to empty our fridge and freezer a bit to make room for our Lenten discipline. Because of the difference between East and West and the upcoming wedding events, our fast is a little weird this week and next. We have a lot of preparations to take care of for the wedding, so we are not hosting our traditional doughnut Mardi Gras party. There are wedding goings on, and we will not be fasting this weekend because of that. We are also trying to eat up any perishable non-Lenten foods before Wednesday. Any non-Lenten foods we have left after Mardi Gras that can be frozen will be, and any that cannot be will be given to Nejat to eat this week. Then we will begin our xerophagy in earnest.

I've explained before that xerophagy is the accurate term for Lenten fasting. It means dry eating. We restrict meat, fish, dairy, eggs, oil and wine, which means our food is not as lubricated as normal. There are two strict fast days (no food or nutritive drink) in the West, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. There is an optional strict fast from the evening after the Maundy Thursday service through the end of the Paschal Vigil. In the East, the first week of Lent, from Clean Monday through their vespers service on Wednesday is supposed to be as strict a fast as possible, with the guidance of a spiritual father or mother, and they share the same Triduum fasting, I believe. Aside from that, the earliest rule of the Church is to eat no meat, no fish (with the exception of shellfish - and because of the expense, we eat them sparingly), no dairy or eggs, no olive oil (all oil in a few jurisdictions), no wine (or all alcohol in some jurisdictions). On Saturdays and Sundays, the rule is relaxed to include olive oil and wine, and on a few significant feast days we are able to eat fish, and one day caviar is permitted (Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday, with fish eggs acting as a shadow of the eggs associated with the Resurrection). None of this is to imply that eating or that any of these foods are bad. They are good things from which we abstain as a discipline to train ourselves, following the example and teaching of our Lord.

This is worship. Worship throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New, always means sacrifice. It is not prayer, though that usually accompanies it. It is not singing hymns and songs, though they may also accompany it. It is not homilies or sermons, though they are edifying. It is sacrifice. The sacrifice that Christ offered for us once for all that we join into in the Eucharist. The sacrifice of something good for our own good in fasting. In the West, penance is emphasized, and while this is absolutely a part of our Lenten journey, fasting, praying, and almsgiving, are seen more as a discipline Christ gives us through the Church to grow us spiritually. Young children, the elderly, those who have serious medical conditions, those who are hospitalized, pregnant and nursing women, are all exempt. There is no make-up required for these people. Their fast is considered complete. In all cases, fasting or not, we are to keep our eyes on our own plate. We are not to concern ourselves with how someone else is keeping the fast, unless that person is asking us for assistance or support. Because we serve an Anglican parish on Sundays, we will be relaxing the fasting on Sundays to permit fish, as the parishioners are not required to keep the stricter fasting rules, so you will see fish on those days sometimes. My posts here about how we fast are not meant to show off, they are meants to show the reality of how we live our faith, and to (I hope) give encouragement and meal ideas to those seeking them. Now that all of our children are old enough to keep most or all of the fast, we are trying to live out the Lenten Rule more closely. Nejat is still pretty young and not required to keep the fast, so we make sure we plan for her to eat on strict fast days, should she choose that, and she knows that she can eat foods that we cannot if we want to avoid wasting food or if she needs it. However, even she attempts to fast with the Church with us.

As we prepare for Lent, we must prepare for self-examination. So, in that frame of mind, if I have offended you or wronged you in any way, please forgive me and pray for me, a sinner. As for you readers, I pray that this will be a profitable and Holy Lent for you, however you observe it. Please pray for us, as well. Have a blessed fast.

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:37 AM 0 comments

Saturday, February 10, 2024

Recipe Round Up: Lamb Shawerma

Lamb Shawerma

This is a messy, drippy sandwich, and it is delightful and delicious. We make it for crowds, but it definitely can be made on a smaller scale. If you divide it in half, you can make it for a family and have a little leftover for lunches the next day. Baking this in the oven is quite good, but a decent fascimile can be made in a pressure cooker and I will give instructions for both. Lamb shoulder is the better cut and will make a juicier sandwich, but leg of lamb will work if you cannot get the shoulder, though it will be drier. If you cannot get Aleppo pepper, you can substitute red pepper flakes, but I would use a little less, and try to use the smoked paprika with it, because Aleppo pepper isn't quite as hot, and it has a depth of flavor that isn't found in red chile flakes.

10 pounds boneless lamb shoulder or leg of lamb
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
juice of 2 lemons, strained to remove seeds
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup ground coriander
2 1/2 - 3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground sumac
2 tablespoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons sweet paprika (smoked or plain)
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon turmeric

Place onions in the bottom of a thick bottomed roasting pan with a lid, place lamb on top of the onions and set aside. Make a paste with the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, coriander, 2 1/2 tablespoons salt, sumac, cumin, paprika, cardamom, Aleppo pepper, black pepper, allspice, and turmeric. Rub this paste all over the lamb and marinate at least four hours in the refrigerator, or overnight.

Remove the meat from the refrigerator at least two hours before you wish to cook it so it comes to room temperature and cooks more evenly. Preheat the oven to 325˚F and place the roasting pan with the onions and meat, covered with the lid, in the oven to cook for 2 to 3 hours, until the meat is extrememly tender and browning a little on the bottom.

Remove from the oven and slice the meat thinly, mixing with the sauce and onions. I do this in the roasting pan itself. Increase the heat in the oven to 475˚F and roast the meat until it crisps a bit, 15 - 20 minutes. You can also take your chances with the broiler on high for 3 - 5 minutes.

Serve as a sandwich with khoubz, crisp French fries, shredded lettuce, thinly sliced onions or shallots, thinly sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, briny olives, tourshi or tourshi makhloot, taratoor, toum, duqqus or sah'awiq or harissa or shatta.

For making in a pressure cooker:

You don't have to marinate it overnight, as the pressure cooker will press the seasoning into the meat quite efficiently. Place the sliced onions in the bottom of the pressure cooker as for the oven. When you make the paste, use the larger quantity of salt, 3 tablespoons. Proceed the same way for the meat, and pour about a cup of water over the meat. Seal the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 45 minutes. Allow to release pressure naturally and continue as for the oven method. You will need a separate pan to go into the oven to crisp the meat.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:59 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 07, 2024

Craft On: Progress and a New Start

This headband was supposed to fit an adult. Technically, it does. I can squeeze it onto my head, but I don't think it fits well. Also, while I hate to speak ill of another designer's work, I am not happy with the clarity of the pattern writing. It did give me some ideas for shaping for future designs of my own, though. I think this one will go to Amelia, if she will wear it. This makes me sad, because I actually love wide headbands for keeping warm better than I like most hats. I now have plans for a headband of my own design, which will use some of the shaping ideas and such from the way this was constructed, but working it in the round, and using different design elements.

The baptismal gown is going on apace, and I hope to have it finished soon. Actually, I am really hoping to have it finished before Dominic and Shawn's wedding. As you can see above, I also cast on for Dahha, and am working to try to have the pattern ready for beta knitting at the end of the month.

I am not actually finished with The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which is a surprise, but I will probably finish tonight. There will definitely be more of the Poirot books in my future. Probably part of why I am not finished is because I have been reading a bit, here and there, in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages lately.


Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:01 AM 0 comments

Sunday, February 04, 2024

Menu Plan: Sexagesima

It is now the second week of the pre-Lenten season. Sexagesima means 60 and simply refers to the fact that we are within 60 days of the feast. For us in the West, it is a week and a half until the Lenten observance begins. In the East, this year, it is not for another six weeks. We are far apart this year, which grieves me. The West still preserves the East's understanding of easing into the fast in Septuagesima and Sexagesima, and even with the Mardi Gras traditions of eating doughnuts or pancakes to use up the last of the eggs, milk and butter, which does point to the earlier and more authentic practice. One day, I hope that the observances of Forgiveness Sunday and Ash Wednesday can be joined in some way and I pray that one day we will all observe and celebrate together.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), this year, we will not be hosting our big doughnut feast on Mardi Gras, because of the upcoming wedding. Dominic and Shawn are officially converting to Orthodoxy, so their wedding will not be during Lent, so we will be suspending our fast for the Saturday and Sunday of their celebration. It is wrong to fast when the bridegroom is with us and we certainly are not going to put a solemn cast on their joyous day. As the fasts of the Church are a school given to us for our own growth, so we are prepared in body, mind, and soul for the spiritual battles of this world. It isn't a sin to neglect the fast, so much as it is a pity. It means we won't be so prepared. However, breaking it for celebrating a wedding with someone is neither a sin nor a pity and we rejoice to share with them. As I said before, because of our worshiping in the Orthodox mission here in town, we will be observing the Lenten rule on a few Saturdays after our Paschal feast, so it all works out in the end.

I know I have said this before, but neither Rich nor I grew up with this pattern of fasting and feasting (though with my Muslim upbringing, it was more familiar to me - just with one month of fasting, rather than three seasons of it and a biweekly observance), but now we cannot imagine our lives without it. What is foreign to us now is the idea that our every day, week, month, year, would not be marked by a remembrance of the events in Christ's life. Even though all of us are aware that doing so is not the norm for most Americans, or people in the West, it is always a surprise to the kids when they find that people are eating meat on a Wednesday or Friday, or when they wish someone a Merry Christmas or Happy Easter the day after the feast and have someone answer that it is over. It is a poverty that they don't mark the time this way, and for all the challenges the fasting and feasting can bring, it is such a gift to us, that we can make even what we put in our mouths part of our devotion and worship of God. It imbues meal times, weekly scheduling, all of it, with the spiritual. It is hard and good - perhaps more good because it is sometimes hard.

It is like the Old Testament admonition in Exodus and Joshua to do something specifically so your children will ask why and what it means. Talking about Wednesdays, Fridays, Advent and Lent, and why we eat differently then, brings the conversations up about Jesus, His betrayal, His Crucifixion, His Incarnation, His Resurrection. It makes every moment of our lives tied to the life of the Church and the life of Christ. In truth I am sad for Christians who don't do this out of a mistaken aversion to following rules.

We will feast well this week, though. The Anglican church where Rich serves Evening Prayer is hosting members of a Sudanese church that meets in the Tri-Cities, and we are preparing a feast for them. It will be glorious, with their choir joining our small parish, and joining us in singing praise to God and worshiping our Lord in the Eucharist. All week, our meals are going to be a little decadent, and we are using up the butter and eggs, milk and cream, sweets and meats, to make room for more Lenten fare. The Grocery Outlet often has good deals on foods that are appropriate for the Lenten fast (aside from the basics of fruits, vegetables, grains, and so on), and as the rule does not insist that the food we eat taste bad, only that it involves certain sacrifices (worship), we will take advantage of those good deals. While we should not focus all our attention on the food, because those guidelines are a training, and not the end of the training, I do find that planning it out ahead of time does help me keep my focus on prayer and charity, because I don't have to spend so much time thinking of what to make. Again, there is a balance to be struck.

This week Metropolitan Saba of the Antiochian Orthodox Church will be here, so we are having liturgy Friday night instead of Saturday morning. We have loads of events this week, actually, which makes our preparing for the wedding a little more busy. East and West are not fasting and feasting together this year. We will one day pray and feast together always. Pray with me for the reunification of the Church. Glory to God!

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:33 AM 0 comments

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