Hook me up.
Caravan living is all about the space.
The space to stow your clothes, books and food. The space to put things right away so they don't fall out when you are driving. The space to keep that neat yet homey feeling. And most importantly of all, the space to enable a family of five to hang out and be together without being on top of each other.
One of the things we love most about our 1982 Viscount caravan is the double bed that comes down from the wall and then folds away to maximise space. When it comes down at night it is a snuggly, cozy mama and papa bear bed and when it folds away in the morning, it becomes a roomy lounge, kitchen or dinning room.
Ours is not the most modern or fancy van in the park, but we are pretty proud of the fact that it is one of the most spacious.
BUT, the problem with buying an old van is that things have been used and loved and are wearing and need repairs.
Three sides of our bed are supported by the frame and the couch it rests on, but there is nothing to support our weight in the middle and the wood the mattress sits on is sagging and buckling.
PROBLEM: How to support the weight of the bed without using up precious floor space.
SOLUTION: One day in Carnarvon my farmer boy went into town to work on a solution and came back with an esky and a chunk of foam. When the foam rests on the esky, it is the exact height to sit under the bed and support it's weight.
THE BEST PART: The best part of the problem is that crochet was part of the solution. There is nothing like feeling that one of my favourite things to do is also an important part of the fixing.
So I pulled out what was left of my wool stash...
And one dark night in Coral Bay, we sat at Chris and Trish's caravan for drinks and I borrowed Ally's head torch and figured out how to crochet a rectangle.
In Coral Bay and then Monkey Mia I hooked my way around and around and around.
In Geraldton and Dongara I darned in the ends.
In Perth I hooked the back to the front.
And then in Busselton we put it to the test.
It is brilliant to have another spot to stack books and magazines.
It is great to have another esky to store food in.
When the days get cool and we have to eat inside it is wonderful to have another chair.
And a comfy foot rest is always fun and fancy.
I love how crafty projects from this trip will hold the stories of when and where they were made. How this one will always remind me of beautiful beachy days on the Ningaloo reef. Of sand and turquoise water, of friends and dolphins, of family and time.
Raveled here.
And now in Busselton the days and nights are cool and a new project is winding its way onto my fingers. A rug to snuggle under when reading a book, watching a movie or having a family game of Rummy Tiles.
This rug will be my Southern Western Australia project. This one will hold memories of long talks and plans for our future, of a beautiful week spent with my parents, of thoughts of going home.