I wanted to knit a lot more this weekend than I did. However, Rich wanted to give me a birthday weekend with nobody to carry, as he said. We filled it with excellent food and cooking demonstrations at the Bite of Seattle (two days before the shooting, and we are praying for all the victims), a gorgeous day of dancing salsa and bachata on Alki beach, a phenomenal meal at Driftwood, walking on the beach, quiet conversation, raucous laughter, and lots of rest. It really was what I needed after the past five months we've been enduring. So, I don't really have a progress photo for you.

However, I do have a new pattern for you that is a great quick project for the summer, as a card or framed picture for a special occasion. A beta knitter even made it as a face cloth. Warda is available on PayHip, Ravelry, and will shortly be available on LoveCrafts. As an introductory incentive, there is a coupon code, valid on both PayHip and Ravelry, WardaIntro, for 25% off the price through the end of the day August 5, 2026. Also, for the next couple days, as my 50th birthday gift to you, you can use the code HalfaCentury on both PayHip and Ravelry to receive 50% off of ONE pattern available for individual sale. That coupon is available through the end of the day, July 31, 2026.

Though I only got into the Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge for another few pages, I finished Last Wool and Testament!

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.

Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns, Romance and Relationship, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 6:27 PM 0 comments

Our quiet weekend away for my birthday turned into something a little bigger. We were heading over to dance on Alki Beach, at an organized salsa and bachata on the beach event, anyway. Besides Nordstrom holding their annual sale to coincide with my birthday each year (thank you!), Bite of Seattle was going on, so we were able to go eat lots of cool foods, watch cooking demonstrations and listen to music while we were over there, too. We were not at Bite when the shooting happened, and we are praying for the victims and all the people who were there and terrified. Rich rented a cute little beach bungalow, and we got to ease into our mornings, and walk along the beach or to restaurants, and since our church has liturgy in the evening, we could even take Sunday morning much more quietly. Some dear friends here in town took the kids who are still at home so they could be with friends instead of alone, and that made it a fun weekend for them, too.

We have a couple dinners out this week, one without the kids, and the other including them. They get to come to the survivor dinner after airshow, and be appreciated for all their hard work, too.

We are approaching the Dormition Fast, and with having the granddaughters over more and all the stress in our lives, I think we are going to be more lax this year, as we were with the Apostles' Fast. We don't know if this is a season in which we need to be easier on ourselves, or if we would benefit from fasting more. The burden of what we are carrying right now feels like a big fast, all the time.

We are starting to reap the benefits of the growing season here, and had delightful salads from our own lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, and garlic, we've been cooking up arugula from our garden, have loads of peaches through our gleaning club that are just perfection, plus beets galore for salads and braises and gratins and pickles that Rich was able to glean from a local farmer with them. Our farmers' market has blessed us with lovely tiny zucchini, pie cherries (which we pitted and froze for later, not having time to cook them up right now), plums, tomatoes, eggplant, tomatillos, and raspberries. It is the best time of year here.

Our 250th Anniversary of our country Melting Pot-Luck is this weekend, and I am looking forward to that. It is fantastic to taste the foods of other people's heritage and get to know the people in our area more. Yet again, our parish family is taking care of the meal for tonight. We told them of our birthday plans, and they all stepped up to help. We could not be more grateful for them.

• Sunday - Feast of Saint Anne, mother of the Theotokos
  Breakfast: Leftover Cake, Bacon, Mixed Berries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pot of Beans with Chard and Turkey, Shrimp Ceviche with Tortilla Chips, Garlic Bread, Fruit
• Monday
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Milk, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Smoked Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese, Butterflied Tempura Shrimp, Meatballs, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Milk, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Airshow Survivors' Dinner
• Wednesday - Feast of Saints Mary and Martha
  Breakfast: Toast with Peanut Butter and Honey, Plums and Pluots, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Tomato and Eggplant Sauce with Pasta, Garlic Arugula with Lemon, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Cinnamon Nut Raisin Bread with Cream Cheese, Pears, Milky Coffee
  Dinner: Cafeteria Pizza, Salad, Fruit Plate
• Friday - Feast of Saint Joseph of Arimathea
  Breakfast: Potato and Vegetable Hash Breakfast Burritos with Salsa, Peaches, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetarian Waraq 'Ounab, Rice, Duqqus, Strawberry Sorbet*
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Syrian Rice Pudding, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Leftovers from Melting Pot-Luck

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Romance and Relationship, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:50 PM 0 comments

I am basically finished with the base on the coffee cozy, but now I am a little worried I won't have enough yarn to finish it. I might have a UFO that I wanted to frog anyway in this yarn, though. If I can find that, I will be fine.

There should be a lot of knitting time for my birthday, because we are going to get quite a bit of driving when we go dancing. I'm super excited for the dance and the time with Rich in the car while I knit and we talk (and he drives).

Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge is sitting on my nightstand, but I am hoping to get inside it tonight. I'm nearly finished with Last Wool and Testament, which is another happy, little, knitting murder and I'm waiting for the library to bring me Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle. I started reading the series before Rich, and now he is ahead of me in this book because he listens to it and got the audio version quicker than I did the print version.

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.

Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Birthday, Books, Design, Family, Homemaking, Knitting, Romance and Relationship, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:50 PM 0 comments

They say it's your birthday! It's my birthday too, yeah!

My 50th birthday is this week. Rich wanted to do something big for it, but we are both so exhausted, and it just sounded like a lot of work, no matter how fun it might end up being for me. So, instead, he took the day off for my birthday, and we are going to go to a salsa dance on the beach and spend some time window shopping at cute, kitchsy places, and having a fun, easy going time. I'm not huge on big gifts or big parties for my birthday, I really just want people who know me well to remember and wish me a happy birthday.

This week begins with a neighborhood picnic where we will grill all sorts of meats and delicious things and share with our neighborhood. Besides my birthday, though, we have a fairly low key schedule, which is much needed. There is so much to catch up on here, with all the extra things going on in our lives. Please keep us in your prayers, still. It's been a little discouraging lately.

A set of friends from church is coming with pizzas for us this week, as they said they could see we needed blessings and rest. God bless them. We are grateful for all the support we've had. We are all so exhausted from all these challenges, and it feels like we are always tired.

Again, I have reason to bless my parish family this week. One family is taking care of the bulk of dinner for church, and the rest of the parish are bringing things to go with that meal.

• Sunday - Feast of Saint Vincent de Paul
  Breakfast: Sausage, Egg and Cheese English Muffins, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken Fajitas, Sides/Salads/Fruit/Desserts brought by Parish
• Monday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Peaches, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Friends Bringing Pizza, Green Salad, Zlevanka
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Chilaquiles Rojas, Cubed Canary Melon, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Chile Verde Pork, Salsa Rice, Flour Tortillas, Plums
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
  Breakfast: Potato and Vegetable Hash Breakfast Burritos, Sliced Melon, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Zucchini and Scallop Stirfry, Rice, Sliced Oranges
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Cinnamon Nut Raisin Bread with Cream Cheese, Plums, Milky Coffee
  Dinner: Broiled Bratwursts, Jalapeno Corn Pudding, Sautéed Arugula with Onions and Lemon, Sliced Peaches
• Friday
  Breakfast: 'Ijja, Khoubz Araby, Duqqus, Mixed Berries, Sahlab and Coffee
  Dinner: Fried Fish, Tartar Sauce, Coleslaw, Potato Wedges, Mascarpone Berry Cake
• Saturday - Feast of Saint James the Apostle
  Breakfast: Sweet Potato, Pepper, and Onion Hash, Fruit Plate, Milky Tea with Honey, Mint and Rosewater
  Dinner: German Sausage and Potato Bake with Sauerkraut, Leftover Cake

Labels: Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Romance and Relationship, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:50 AM 2 comments

The base of the Margaret Tie-Top Tea Cosy is nearly finished, and I think once I get past the basic part of this, the rest of the cozy will go relatively quickly. I hope to have it finished by the end of next week. I want to have this ready for Rich to use with his coffee press at work, since he has to leave it so often. It would have been lovely to have it completed today, which is the 32nd anniversary of our first meeting, but alas, it will be my project with me when we get dinner.

Unfortunately, I had to back track a little on Keese, but it should be correct and on its way in a day or so.

I've been able to read a little more lately, and I think I can finish Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge within the week or by next week, at least. I've read two books since last week. First, I finished Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha, which was exactly what I needed, a light, fun, and silly story.

I also read The Jinn Daughter which is a fairy tale told in the style of the traditional hakawati stories. First, the negative, I wish the author had not chosen to use scatalogical language in the story at all. It was one word, repeated only four or five times in the entire book, but it was so out of place with the rest of the story that it drew you as the reader out from being a participant to being an outsider. She could have used the Arabic word, which would have gotten the point across without the vulgarity, as she did with many other words (not vulgar or crass, just words like nahr instead of river and mote instead of death, etc.). It's not even the word itself that bothers me, but its entire lack of necessity. It had no place in the story - it was just sprinkled in for some reason. Now, the wonderful, the author examines the question: What story would your life tell? This is not the same as what is your life story, and she shows this different question throughout the book and causes the reader to ask the question of herself, as well. I love the use of Arabic storytelling. I love her inclusion of Arabic words instead of trying to find a close approximation in English. I love that she eventually includes kan, كان ياما كان (ya ma kan), the once upon a time of all Arab fairy tales; It was, or it wasn't. Ultimately, this is a fairy tale about motherhood. Like all fairy tales, the monsters aren't real, but the fears are. Rania Hanna is a neuroscientist, and her story is intelligently written. I do not know if she plans to write more fiction, but I hope she does.

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.

Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, Family, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:21 AM 0 comments

We get to do some fun things this week, which makes up for a lot of hard weeks over the past couple months. It is also the 32nd anniversary of Rich and my first meeting on Wednesday. We're going to get some seafood and drinks, and celebrate. The place we are planning to go often has live music, though I doubt they will in the middle of the week.

You will see that leftover cake features on our menu quite a bit this week. Who knew that with four kids out of the house we would have leftover cake? Even bringing it to church Sunday, and sharing with others, we are still eating the remainder of three cakes. Three. Cakes. I'm going to have to start sending baked goods to Rich's work now.

The problem is that I want to bake more things this week. Our freezers are full, and we are not eating as much as we used to eat. So, I need a new plan. I should start serving bread with each meal, like we did when I was a kid. There wasn't a meal without bread and butter. Then, we have the issue of the cost of butter. On the plus side, our freezers are also full of butter, so we bought it at a lower price and it will free up freezer space. Hmmm. . .

Thanks be to God for our parish family. They have been so wonderful about either supplying or supplementing the meals at church, to lift the burden on us while we are going through such a hard time. I could not be more grateful for them.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Leftover Cake, Strawberries and Raspberries, Ham, Pink Lemonade
  Dinner: Turkey Vegetable Soup with Rice, Arugula Salad, Sides/Salads/Fruit/Desserts brought by Parish
• Monday - Feast of Saint Veronica
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Ham Sandwiches, Pickled Asparagus, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Battatas ou Bayd, Toast, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Meatloaf, Scalloped Potatoes, Steam Sautéed Peas and Carrots with Garlic and Dill, Leftover Cake
• Wednesday - Feast of Saints Bonaventure and Swithun
  Breakfast: Breakfast Potato Hash, Sliced Apples, Mint Tea with Rosewater and Honey
  Dinner: Oven Sesame Vegetable Chow Mein, Mandarin Oranges
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Mana'eesh bi Za'atar ou Joubneh, Sliced Oranges, Tea with Mint and Rosewater
  Dinner: Baked Pork Chops, Sautéed Arugula and Garlic, Lemon Pasta, Leftover Cake
• Friday
  Breakfast: Lenten French Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey, and Coffee
  Dinner: Kusheri, Green Salad, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Best Coffee Cake, Bacon, Hard Boiled Eggs, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Leftovers

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Romance and Relationship, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:35 PM 0 comments

This design was sparked by some remarks in the SAL last year and inspired by designs I saw while in Saudi Arabia, and I'm hoping to have it ready to release before the SAL is over this year.

I'm also making Rich a little coffee press cozy for his coffee at work. The Margaret Tie-Top Tea Cosy is one of the delightful designs from my fellows designers. I love the construction she uses, and if you know me, you know I am a sucker for interesting construction.

Not much progress in Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge, but I am about two thirds of the way through Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha. I did, indeed, finish The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield last week. The author managed to keep most of her modernisms out, which is an improvement, but explained the Bingleys and Netherfield, as though the people reading this book weren't doing so because they already love Jane Austen stories, and then created three new sisters for Mr. Bingley. That is insupportable. The stories are still delightful, so I shake my head and roll my eyes a little at the author's ideas of what needs to be changed/added to these people and places and move along.

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.

Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, Family, Homemaking, Knitting, Prayer Requests, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:42 PM 0 comments

It is another family birthday this week. We have to postpone the party so we are having a smaller family dinner this week.

A lot of this past week was quite upside down, as we had the granddaughters while their cousin was born and coming home. It's been quite a while since we had two little people living here, and we are tired. It was delightful to have them here, but we are well aware why it is that young people have babies.

Because of that shift in our week, we moved some meals to this week, and some to later times this summer. Sadly, we won't have the girls here most of this week, but we will go back to our frequent visits, rather than having them live here with us. The recipe round up will be finished this week.

There have been a few disappointments this week, with the other issues going on, and that has been a little discouraging. We continue in prayer, and try to remember to give our burdens to God whose yoke is easy and burden is light.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Egg and Sausage Burritos, Raspberries and Strawberries, Coffee and Tea
  Dinner: Herb Roasted Turkey with Bourbon Gravy, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Cherry Pie and Brownies brought by Parish
• Monday
  Breakfast: Syrian Rice Pudding, Pluots, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Turkey Tetrazzini, Arugula and Cucumber Salad, Ice Cream
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Sliced Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Mahshi Kousa bi Laban, Basmati Rice, Croatian Apple Cake
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Fluffy, Vegan Peanut Butter Pancakes with Raspberry Syrup, Coffee and Tea
  Dinner: Ladenia, Persian Chopped Salad, Greek Honey Cake
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Toast with Labneh, Hard Boiled Eggs, Raspberries and Cream, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Thai Chili Garlic Chicken, Jasmine Rice, Cuban Lime Cookies
• Friday
  Breakfast: Lenten French Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey, and Coffee
  Dinner: Ethiopian Cabbage, Basmati Rice, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Benedict of Nursia
  Breakfast: Cheese Potica, Bacon, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Kabuli Pulao, Duqqus, Laban bi Chiyar, Persian Love Cake

Labels: Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:09 PM 0 comments

The Around the World Stitch Along is here! I am looking over projects to make over the next six weeks. That yarn up there is a pile of possibilities. I'm narrowing down my choices right now.

Do you want to make a cute little greeting card using lace weight yarn? Please e-mail me, and I will send you the information to beta knit this quick design.

Since I'm attacking Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge at the rapid rate of half or one page every few nights, I may finish by the end of the year. However, I finished Salt Houses and found it beautifully written. There is more profanity and vulgarity in the language of the characters than I would like, but it is understandable in most cases. The only sexuality in it is pertinent to the story, and not done pornographically. I started Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha, but The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield arrived for me from the library, so I think I'm hopping to that.

As I said, the Around the World Stitch Along on Ravelry has begun! I have a sale bundle of patterns on both Ravelry and PayHip that are 25% off with the coupon code SAL2026 through the end of the day, PDT, July 7, 2026. Our event goes through August 14, 2026, though, and we have 34 designers, from 16 countries and five continents, thousands of amazing patterns, and loads of crafting fun! This is the first year we have approached equal amounts of knit and crochet patterns, which thrills us.

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.

Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, Family, Homemaking, Knitting, Prayer Requests, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:29 PM 0 comments