S T T L

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Since Kylie Cat first got sick last December, she was a real fighter.

We finally had to put Kylie Cat down, and we were heartbroken. It was the kind thing to do, as she had become pretty miserable, and we had foreseen it, but it's a gut-wrenching experience nonetheless. She will be missed.  Every time I come home, I expect to see two sweet kitty faces at the door, happy to see me, and it's a very difficult adjustment to see just one. Such a funny little cat, full of personality.

sit tibi terra levis

may the earth rest lightly upon you

in Chaos' realm

Sorry for the radio silence... Chaos has been reigning chez Caffeinated Yarn for the past few weeks. We moved into our new flat amidst many renovations. The kitchen floor tiling was just completed today, and I'm very excited about getting back into the swing of things!

It's really a great space -- I'll post more photos once all the boxes are unpacked and the spice racks are up. Sewing some jaunty red-and-white checked curtains is on my (mile-long) to-do list.

Not only did we move, but I also got a big promotion at the Press. Hooray! It's a fantastic opportunity for me, even if it does mean that dissertation progress is on hold for a little bit while I settle in.  I have some sad news to share, too, but we'll save that for another post.

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A dear friend kindly sent me a photo of her cute little guy wearing a sweater vest that I knit:

This is the love letter baby vest that I posted about last spring. I'm not entirely thrilled with the neckline, so I'm not sharing the pattern, but it sure looks great on this sweet kid.

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I'm hooked on hexagons again...

 Crochet has magical soothing properties for me (much more so than knitting... curious).

Most of my yarn and knitting projects are still hidden away in boxes that can't get unpacked until the workers finish up around here. I'm dreaming of finding just the right yarn in my stash to knit this friendly-looking big snowy owl from the Purl Bee:

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in the kitchen

My mum's quick and easy recipe for apple walnut torte -- especially tasty served warm with a hefty dollop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream!

Apple Walnut Torte

1 egg
3/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
dash nutmeg (optional)
1 C. chopped apples (they do not have to be peeled)
1/2 C. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat egg and sugar. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and (optional) spices, and beat again. Add apple and nuts. Bake in a greased 8" x 10" glass pan, or a 9" glass pie pan for 30-40 minutes.

P.S. Cattywampus posted a variation on the cream cheese ice cream recipe that sounds amazing -- she added cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla extract, along with some crumbled graham crackers at the end. Yum!