house update {final}

  Here are the photos as promised in the last post. This will be our last house update too. Back to some craft on this blog. 

 The kitchen area overlooking the desk area - something I really like and is important to us, as I can keep on eye on computer homework while doing dinner duties, especially if internet is involved.

My favourite part of the kitchen would be the big island bench, which lets the children sit and help prepare meals, roll meatballs, do their homework, or craft activities while they natter to me.

The odd tall cupboard next to the fridge is a stand-alone broom cupboard which can be easily removed to make room for a double fridge when our current one decides to call it a day. 

Down the passage, first door on the left is my pantry, which was originally the old bathroom. Then the toilet and followed by the under stair storage room.

The stairway with under stair storage. This is a great cupboard that actually swings all the way back around under those carpeted stairs. It houses the kids school bags and shoes, boxes of sorted toys and other stuff. This room isn't quite finished so no photos of it!

   The dinning area and the door to the laundry off the kitchen - the only room that hasn't changed in this renovation - though the ceiling still needs replacing.

The desk area. We have reused my old pantry as the kids activity cupboard. More of the old kitchen cupboards have been used in the sewing room. Part of the benchtop has ended up in my pantry as a workbench.

The entry and lounge. Formally bedrooms, passage and a linen cupboard!

There is a quick-access sliding door from the lounge that opens up to the bottom of the stairway.

Still playing horses. :)

And that completes this post and all house updates. There are still numerous things that need finishing off, outside especially, and the walls are still bare as we decide where to hang what.

We have been richly blessed to be able to expand our home to hopefully cater for the needs of our growing family for years to come. We have thoroughly enjoyed doing majority of it ourselves, even though it has taken some time and we have lived in mess and dust. Would we do it again. Not me in a hurry. I think I will enjoy doing housework that makes a house look clean afterwards!

Special thanks to Arnold from Arnold Schiebaan Building designs, who scrunched up our original hand drawings and designed for us a beautiful and functional family home, just right for our family.

Also to WA Spantruss who built and delivered our pods, the second storey. Even though it was a nerve wracking day, it all went very smoothly.

And Ringma's for my lovely kitchen, especially as it was built in stages.

Thank you for sharing our journey with this project. I look forward to sharing more craft projects as time allows.

L.

house update {thirteen}

It has been a while since the last house update. The blog has also been quite. I just didn't feel right sitting behind this screen when there were walls calling for paint.

We are almost there. Well inside, that is. That has been our main focus the last while. Part of the school holidays (October) saw the lounge and entry way get painted and carpeted, and our furniture moved in. It really was a family affair. The boy was my off-sider and moved the ladders around so I could continue stepping my way around the wall with the cutting in. The girls were great and had free range of my kitchen, while I dared not look. Baking in the morning and decorating in the afternoon when they had cooled. They sure made some sweet sugar-packed cupcakes for their RESTARAUNT. Spelling please miss muffet! :) 

ah. clean-ness. you are welcome here.

The school holidays weren't all about painting. Thankfully. We celebrated a birthday and took a day trip (1 hour drive) to Lake Leschanaultia to see the camping grandparents. Absolutely beautiful and a wonderful day.

a t-wigwam

so many beautiful orchids

desk area getting a make over

The dining, kitchen, passageway, and desk area ceilings and walls are also painted. We have five doorways and doors to paint along with thirty pieces of skirting that needs about four coats of paint.

The end is so close. We look forward to saying good bye to our paint-splattered concrete floor and look forward to adding mopping floors to my chore list. Do I really??!

And just when you thought that the horse jumping business doesn't happen any more in this house, I really don't know what she is going to do when the house is finally back to normal.

...tape measures, sanding blocks, sticky tape and a paint stirrer...

...the step platform with the dogs leash makes a great horse...

But now, after many hours of painting skirting, and finishing the walls, we are pretty well done inside. The photos you have all been waiting to see:

wait... I will save that for a new post!
See you back soon. :)

Scheepjes CAL {crochet} week one to four

Out in the crochet web world, there has been a CAL that has many people madly crocheting away. Wink, from A Creative Being together with Sheepjeswol put together this Crochet-A-Long. While curiosity for another mystery blanket got the better of me, I really didn't want to purchase another whole pack of yarn, and have to try and complete six squares per week to keep up. With the house still requiring lots of attention during my week, and the general run of the house to keep up, I couldn't do it. I opted to use cotton from my stash, Bendigo 8ply in Latte, using a 3.25mm hook, and do one square of each pattern and go from there. A nice evening project.

Today, I share with you the first four weeks squares. After a simple block, the cotton squares have come up beautiful.

week one:

oops.

week two:

popcorn stitch. I have not really used this stitch before, but very effective.

week three:

week four: 

a flower square. always fun and fiddly to do. 

Have you joined in? It's a great way to learn new stitches and techniques. Check out the link to her web page at the top of this post, where she has all the patterns released so far.

L.

Spaghetti Yarn Baskets {crochet}

Something I have been wanting to try for a really long time. And with a daughter's birthday just looming around the corner, there was no better time to try.

Spaghetti yarn is often made from up-cycled t-shirts, especially those with out sideseams. As I didn't have surplus t-shirts lying around waiting to be cut up, I purchased 2m of stretch material from my local sewing shop. I found a tutorial online - now that I want to link it, I can't find it back. Don't let that stop you, there are lots of others out there! It didn't take long to cut it up using my green mat and roller cutter. I cut strips of 1&1/4 inch wide, and stretched it out, helping the yarn edges curl, as I rolled the lengths into manageable size balls. 

Then I found my 6.5mm hook and loosely* using this pattern I crocheted the two baskets up with a little yarn left over. I used some dotti cotton and lined both baskets, using a big button hole for the handle to be able to go through.

While it isn't so gentle on your hands to crochet, I found holding the hook in a knife position and using movement from my shoulder and elbow, it wasn't too bad to crochet. And it works up quick!

Verdict? She loves them, and they are currently home to hair-tie goodies. 

* I say loosely, I pinned this pattern via pinterest but wanted a more open basket. I have modified the pattern.

Love to know if you have made spaghetti yarn and what you have made. 

Jar Cosy {crochet}

A nice simple stitch-up. Two jar cosies with more to come. A really easy and adjustable pattern to suit any round jar size.  Follow this link to the free pattern from bec @ handmade and home. 

Jar Cosy Pattern

  

These two were worked up in 8ply bendigo cotton with a 3.75mm hook. 

L.

Lucy Bunny {crochet}

Last week I posted the WIP of Lucy Bunny. Today I share with you the finished Lucy. She has worked up so well directly from the pattern. It sure was a delight to see her come together. She has been passed on to the little girl it was promised for. Just a year later...  Here are some snapshots of Lucy. She comes in on my favourites list for amigurumi crochet at the top with Froggy (on my banner at top of the page.)

  

 Lucy's Designer: Amigurumi Barmy

Printed in Inside Crochet magazine, issue 53

Yarn used: Patons Big Baby 8ply

Hook: F/5 - 3.75mm

L.

WIP Wednesday

Hello! It has been a while. We enjoyed some family time away during the school holidays, and the kids have all started school again. Life has gone back into some routine, we have dealt with the winter cold's and flu's, and have occasionally managed a bit of crafting. (sadly, the sewing machine is not accessible.)

A holiday treat is picking up a crochet magazine and curling up in the van while it rained and blew a gale outside, to read it. This one had this super cute bunny. I think it was the fabric ears that sold me on making it. Over a year ago I promised a handmade softie for a little girl that was born. She has just turned one, and it still hadn't been fulfilled. I knew the house would really cut into my craft time and that is ok. But I found some yarn, and started it. I couldn't put it off any longer!

And there is good news. The designer shared her blog and you can find Liz's blog here, for a whole lot more cute amigurumi patterns. For the link to her blog post about the bunnies she makes click HERE. The pattern available in her Etsy store.

I took the stripey-as-you-go blanket from my last WIP post along on our holidays, but it just didn't progress as much as I thought. Since being home, I have enjoyed picking it up from next to my chair and completing a few more rows.

 

Lastly, there is our family WIP. After two days this week of sanding the gyprock, we have the stairway, passage and kitchen/desk area ready for painting. And once that painting is done, we look forward to the carpet on the stairs and some floor coverings. (yes we are on bare, unpolished concrete!)

And then we get to tackle the dinning and lounge.

L.