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Laying a Limecrete Floor – AGAIN

We laid a limecrete floor in one third of our ground floor as part of our renovation and restoration of our Portuguese farmhouse. We didn't plan to show the process again in other rooms but the people have spoken: here we lay another limecrete floor, for your viewing pleasure. This is the first two…

Making a Small Hole in a THICK Stone Wall

Progress is the name of the game in this episode of our Portugal renovation project saga. In order to continue the conversion of our ground floor (which was previously used as a wine cellar (aka. adega) and an animal shelter) we need to install some pipes to bring hot and cold water into the…

Cost of Living (Off Grid) in Portugal

How much does it cost to live off grid in Portugal? What are our living costs? What's the cost of living in central Portugal? What do we spend our money on? It's time for another Q&A session where we're talking all about what it costs to live our off-grid life (in a tent) here while…

How Did We Get Our Renovation “Skills”?

Our Portugal renovation project is our biggest yet – partly due to the size of the house and partly down to the added complexity of restoring the 3800m2 piece of land. However, this is not our first rodeo. Our renovation and DIY experience started (for Kylie at least) in 2005. Join us in this…

Why Does SHE Do All The Work?

She loves digging, math, problem solving, crochet and drinking wine. And while our Portugal renovation project, vegetable gardening and life admin are very much a joint effort, sometimes it doesn't appear that way on camera. In this video we explain how we approach dividing up the workload and show you a bit more progress…

DIY Limecrete Floor – Part 2: LECA and Sub Slab

After completing the excavation in part one of this series, it's time to start filling it back in again. First up is some geotextile, then an insulation layer of expanded clay balls and finally an NHL 5 and LECA sub-slab. Things went smoothly for the most part but of course there's always something that…

What Did We Do BEFORE?

What did we do for a living before moving to Portugal? Were we architects? Did we work in the building trade? What do we do for work? Do we still have jobs? How did our past careers help us with what we do now? All this and more will be answered in this video.…

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    In the Kitchen

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    Yarn Projects (crochet/knitting)

    Knitting Needles

    I've only just started knitting again and have had to upgrade from my original Symfonie needles (they tend to snap quite easily). I have a set of stainless steel needles from ChiaoGoo and also an ebony set from Lantern Moon.

    I like both! The stainless steel was a little hard to get used to but yarn really glides on them. I like the look and feel of the Lantern Moon set too, but unfortunately they don't come in all the sizes I tend to use so I now end up switching between the two sets.

    Crochet Hooks

    I've tried loads of different single hooks to find the 'perfect' hook. I finally found what I was looking for in the Clover soft touch range. The hook glides well and the thumb rest is really comfortable. Unfortunately they don't seem to be available in a set, so I have a jar full of all the sizes I like to use.

    Tunisian Crochet Hooks

    My favourites are these from Lantern Moon, they're super comfortable and glide really well, and the best bit is that they swivel. They are also compatible with the KnitPro Symfonie hooks (these seem less sturdy but also glide well).

    I also have a set from ChiaoGoo made from bamboo. These are very lightweight but I find that they can snag on some yarns (a nail file often helps to make the hook head better).

    Yarn

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