Chai Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Find the recipe for Chai Chocolate Chunk Cookies here.

I love the decadent delicious recipes on Valentina's blog - perfect for chasing away those Monday blues.

Y Cate

a necklace named Sofiá

Do you ever name pieces born out of your creative efforts? I love words and finding just the right name to fit something is an enjoyable part of the creative process for me.

Meet Sofiá. A necklace made from hand-carved wooden beads,  threaded on a lustrous golden brown ribbon with white stitched detail. The ribbon is knotted between each bead. 

My favourite element of Sofiá is the finished ends. Each end of the ribbon is rolled and hand stitched with a brass charm: 

Queen Nefertiti on one end...

and a disk with concentric circles on the other.

You can peek at more of my necklaces here.

And too see more beauty therapy in action pop over here for a visit.

Y Cate

beautiful blue ball of yarn

I have pulled a beautiful blue ball of yarn from my stash. It is a soft warm denim coloured blend of aplaca and wool from the Bendigo Woollen Mills. Australia no longer rides on the sheep's back [do you remember that saying?] but we certainly still make amazing first class yarn.

I have cast on to circular needles and have made some fair progress on my cowl. I am writing up the pattern as I go so I can share it if it works out. Y

The little raspberry scrap of knotted yarn is my marker. I get a little excited every time I work my way around and it comes in to view. [yay - another 289 stitches completed!]

I am working an all-over simple seed stitch pattern and I'm really happy with how it's turning out. It almost gives it a spotted appearance.

This beauty therapy is so soft and warm and gorgeous. It's like the comfort food of knitting. Autumn is already a little chilly so I'm industriously click-clacking away to finish in time for winter.

Y Cate

perfect banana oat muffins

I baked for breakfast this morning and due to the success of my delicious Banana Oat Muffins I am a very popular Mummy!

recipe below

ok goodish good

ok - goodish - good are my current descriptors.
3 little words that I use to describe my photos [ok], my mood [good], the health of my children [ok], the state of my home [goodish], last night's chicken soup [good].


I have left out hellish and fantastic. Descriptors belonging on opposite ends of the scale. Words I would need to use if I was describing work or lovely Chocolate Cottage cappuccinos with a praline chocolate on the side. 


I have been indulging in a decent amount of beauty therapy at the moment. The the kind that requires the softest wool in graduating shades of blossom pink to raspberry to plum.

It's the kind of therapy that lifts me from my work induced [hellish] mood to that of a more serene-happy-mummy [good] mood.

I am using Attic 24's simple Teeny Tiny Flowers pattern to crochet a multitude of happy daisies and then stitching them together. I am envisioning a pretty scarf with lovely loooong woolly tassels at the ends. It's not the first time I've used this pattern with beautiful results.

Y Cate


p.s. I'm working on the work thing. Aiming for good.