Fair week took more out of me than I thought it would. We are getting too old for doing as much as we do. The kids and we have worked in the booth since we moved here. The older kids have opened and closed for many years, Rich is in charge of scheduling workers, but last year and this year, we were also in charge of stocking supplies, and this year we were in charge of the money. That is a lot. We are hoping some younger folks in the neighborhood will be able to take on some of this for us, as we get older and our kids move on to other things and places. Anyway. Because of that I didn't get my pictures taken or my post written, and now, I don't even have a modeled photo for my cute fascinator, so that will have to wait until after we go to our dance in September.

Did I mention that here? We are going to be able to go to a hangar dance and dinner, and I am wearing a retro little black dress and my fascinator to it. It will be so much fun!

We are in the last two days of the Stitch Along, and I don't think I can finish any more projects (just the other demands on my knitting and life), but there is still time to squeeze in another project if you want to join in now. If all goes well, I will have a new pattern release tomorrow. That is really the only knitting I was getting done this past week, itty bitty bonnets. This is an older design that I finessed a little and reworked to make me a little more proud of it. It is great for leftovers, quick to make, and it's cute! There will be a great coupon available for it when it is released, so watch this space. I'll just post it here. Ghati is now available on PayHip, Ravelry, and on LoveCrafts. This is a pattern I started with when I first began designing, and I have rebuilt it to something much more elegant and I am really pleased with it. It is highly customizable and can be embellished or left as it is, made more masculine or more feminine as you wish. A typical 50 g skein of sport to DK yarn will make three or four of these, depending on which size you choose. The first 10 people to use the coupon code coverthatbaby on Ravelry will receive 50% off (I happen to know that there are still some 75% off slots on PayHip), and everyone else will receive 20% off. The coupon code is valid through the end of the day, PDT, September 1, 2022.

So, what have I read or been reading? I finished the Dormition Study, had a quick little jaunt with another happy little murder, Arsenic with Austen, and picked up Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages.

I enjoyed Arsenic with Austen, because the author is Orthodox and includes natural references to faith and prayer. However, I am a bit disappointed because she also references casual fornication, divorce and remarriage, and so on with a clear sense that there isn't much of a problem with it. There is something in the book from the main character's past which touches on this in a moral way, which was good, both in the way it wasn't celebrated, but acknowledged as a reality of the world we are in, and in the thoughts about how that situation could have been handled and ways that it was not handled. However, the other references to similar activity seem to put a more neutral spin, if not positive, and the reference to divorce is so flip, plus there is some vulgar language as well as profane taking the Lord's name in vain. I really didn't like that. I have read books with all of that and not been overly troubled, but this is a woman of faith, who lets people know she is a woman of faith, so I don't think it is the same. She didn't need to make a moral lesson or give a sermon, and I appreciated that some of the moral ambiguities of the story were treated as such without a lecture. However, there are points where it seems like she has moved past simple toleration or even general acknowledgement to acceptance or celebration of some moral ills. Were she a secularist or an atheist, this wouldn't have posed the same problem for me. I've started the next book in the series, and this issue actually gets worse, so while I really enjoy her writing and the story, this is making it difficult. I still haven't decided if I will read past the second book.

However, her writing is fantastic. She references literature in a way that the reader really needs to be familiar with those stories, rather than being didactic and explaining it to the reader. So, either you know her reference, or you look it up for yourself, and maybe find another book to read, as well. Likewise, there is a French character, and I love that the author never translates the French (she does not speak only French, a few phrases and sentences are sprinkled in with her speech). You have to know it or translate it yourself. It has helped me remember my French a bit more. Faith in the book is well represented, and in a very real and natural way (there are no altar calls or sermons directed at the reader). This is just undermined by the moral issues I mentioned above. In any case, I do like her writing, I'm just conflicted over the disconnect between her profession and her work.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

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Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, FOs, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Grandbaby, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:30 AM