Alessandra's Craft Room

Come behind the scenes at Homemade @ My Place for a #KnittingNookTour and see Alessandra's craft room in Maputo, Mozambique.

I really love the big windows, which allow the natural light to light up the room, especially in the afternoon!

Tell us about your space

This room acts even as our dining room! Right in the center of the room there is a big glass table, which I use to select yarns and projects to work with. Even the laptop has its own space on it! Under the windows and along the other two long walls of this room, I put some clear plastic boxes and a couple of chests of drawers to store my yarns, while tools, magazines and other notions are kept in plastic baskets or other small containers, displayed on a couple of wooden tables and in cupboards. I have an extra small box room, adjacent this main room, where I keep fabrics, felt and material to be recycled in other stacked up boxes!

What have you done to make your space cosy, beautiful or inspiring?

I have hanged on the walls some colourful crochet panels, a couple of buntings, some glass jars with their own handmade cosies and some other small decorations all made by me!
I try not to fill the room to the brim, as I move very often from place to place , because of my husband's job!

How do you keep your projects, yarn and supplies organized?

As already said, I keep my yarns and fabrics into big clear plastic boxes, which are easy to displace and allow you to see their content. My hooks are all kept the same small box, divided into small groups by size, while my knitting needles are put into a tall metallic vase, where I can reach them easily! My notes and patterns are collected in folders, while the rest of my stuff is organized by subject : for example, all the buttons are stored in 3 big jars kept side by side, while the beads (divided by colour) are put in small transparent boxes in the same cupboard full of the other notions needed for beading !

Any tips & tricks for staying organising and untangled?

...quite hard to stay organized and with all your materials in their proper containers, especially when you are working on a new project... it's a real mess sometimes!!! But I have to try hard, as my crafty room is even our dining room!!!! I try to keep the table clear as much as I can and I have to put back asap all the things I don't really need for the ongoing project! Baskets and trays are really useful in these occasions, too!!!

Which are your favourite possessions and are there any of your own creations on display?

The blankets I've been crocheting in these years are all in use in our bedrooms and living room! On the walls both canvases and crochet buntings are on display and you can find some doilies and small table runners, too! Even coasters are on the kitchen counter, ready to use!

How do you organise your inspiration and ideas?

Very often, I need to write down just few notes for a new pattern or make a sketch of a new idea. For this reason I have always with me a small notebook and a pencil! I have even a lot of pieces of papers, which I try to keep all together in a plastic folder...

Where do you look for inspiration?

very often, when I feel my crochet flow is getting dry, I really enjoy to read some of my japanese crochet books, which can be very inspiring!
I must add that both Pinterest and Instagram are great places, too, where to find great inspiration, as you can fill your eyes and mind with wonderful makes from all over the world!

If you had three wishes, what would you do to make it your dream stitching space?

My first wish is to have,one day, my own craft room!
This room will have a huge window to enjoy the natural light during the day and I wish this can happen really soon!!!

xxxx Alessandra