PlantPure Nation

Anyone really interested in their health and that of those they love, should take the time to watch this video. It is not made so that anyone can make money,it is made to share the information that can help you improve your health

.

Veggie Gardening in Raised Garden Beds

Backyard Makeover

After 20 years it was time for our backyard to have a makeover. Weeds had grown wild - we do have a bit of a wild garden. A few years of ill health also attributed to the growth of the weeds. 

Mr F got his digging shoes on and dug out all the weeds. He was pretty ruthless. 

Mr F hard at work. Me having fun with the camera

Next he built some garden beds. I have never seen raised beds so artistically angled and designed to fit the space perfectly. They are so well made, they will not break down.

Building archetecturally designed raised garden beds

Next it was time to fill the beds. We had over two cubic metres of soil that we screened to get out all the weeds and stones. I could not believe we had so many stones. The veggies certainly would not have gained any nutrients from them. 

Pea straw as a base for the soil in a raised garden bed

First, in goes a layer of pea straw. This will rot down and give nutrients to the soil and attract beneficial critters to it. On top of that went the soil, manures, coir and mushroom compost. Within days, the bed was ready to plant. I had some old potato pieces that had grown shoots. I kept them with just this situation in mind. So in they went as out first planting. Here they are coming up a couple of weeks later. They look small now, but believe me, they grew to be over 60cm tall (2ft).

Our first potatoes

Mr F had to take out a tree that was causing problems and sending out shoots everywhere. He had to dig down 1 metre (3ft) to get rid of the root. he filled the hole with lots of stones we had screened from the soil for the garden bed. It was heavy and hard work. Note the resting chair and some of the roots.

The all-important resting chair

It didn't take long for this to happen. We collected a lot of zucchinis from here. 

Zucchini is all pervasive. It covered everything else in the bed. 

While in the garden nursery, I found a sweet potato plant. It went into the largest pot I could find.

Sweet potato growing in a large pot

 Here's a little bit of the produce we have been reaping, - zucchinis, potatoes, tomatoes, and beans.

Produce from the garden in less than three months

And the broccoli is growing really well. 

Broccoli with its blue green colour

Baby Slippers or Booties

I have had fun crocheting lots of little booties lately. I found a lovely pattern by Mamachee on Ravelry.

It is called Galilee Slippers. 

These little beauties can be worked in all colours of the rainbow and in different sizes too. 

I just love colour so have made them in different colours.

Galilee slippers in bright colours

Crochet slippers can have different coloured soles

Slippers can also be worked in plain colours

Premmie booties are tiny with a shell edging

Pixie booties are finished with crocodile stitch

Crocodile stitch is a complicated stitch to learn. Try this You Tube video to help you. It is quite easy once you get the hang of it. 

Join me on Instagram for lots more crochet photos  @tossyv

Other articles you may like are -
How to make a magic circle - a great article to help beginners

Vintage buttons for crochet

Variety in Crochet

Crochet is incredibly varied.

There are few stitches - 

• chain, 
• single crochet, 
• double crochet, 
• half double crochet and 
• treble crochet (all US terms), 

and yet with these, an incredible number of different patterns can be formed. 

From something simple, to something more complex,

Simple double crochet stitch

From a crocheted blanket ...

Hexagonal pattern blanket in crochet

To a three dimensional hat ...

Just what Spiderman needed - a cosy crocheted beanie

To s simple headband with a decorative flower ...

Sweet little Miss pink and white headband with flower

To some toys.

Mr Hoot Owl in Australian Indigenous colours

Why not pick up a ball of yarn and a crochet hook and learn to crochet something you are interested in. 

• The possibilities are endless.

Super Hero Crochet

Super Hero in Crochet

Crochet can take us many places we thought we would never go. 

For me it was 

I had three little boys that love their super-heroes. I decided to make something to keep their little heads warm for the winter. 

Minion Crochet Hat

First, there came the yellow one:

Bob the Minion in his bright yellow hat

I was reliably told that when you look at this Minion, His left eye is green and his right eye is brown. His name is Bob.  Apparently there are more minions floating around too. 

Bob the Minion has a green left eye

Super Hero Spiderman:

Spiderman to the rescue

Spiderman will have nice warm ears

I will have the pattern for this Spiderman beanie available soon. 

Batman:

Batman superhero beanie

Get your mask on straight Batman

Thanks for modelling boys.

Other posts you may enjoy:

Crochet: How to make a magic circle

Crochet Styles and Tension

Crochet: How to make a Magic Circle

The Magic Circle is useful when starting off a circular item, for example a beanie, hat or cloche, or a doily or round shawl. The circle ensures a nice, tight centre. You can control the size of the hole in the centre of this. 

Instructions for Magic Circle

1 Loosely wind yarn over fingers 2 times.

2 Push yarn through circle and make a loop.

3 Using the crochet hook, form loop and make 2 chain.

 

4 Make required number of double crochet into loose circle.

The number of double crochet can change according to your pattern.

5 There are 2 circles of yarn going through the double crochet. Test carefully to find the one that is directly attached to the tail of the yarn. Pull one side of this so that the other circle gets smaller. If you have the wrong side, stop and pull the other side of the same circle. When one circle is tightened, pull the tail of the yarn to tighten the second circle.

6 Slip stitch into 3^rd starting chain.

Other articles you may like:

Crochet styles and tension

Learning Crochet 

View more crochet on Instagram @tossyv

& On Twitter @tossyv

 

Vintage Buttons for Crochet

The Old Button Box

I inherited 'The Button Box' when my Mum passed on.

The old button box

Vintage Buttons

This is a treasure of wonderful buttons dating back beyond 70 years. There are lots of very old shirt buttons, ivory looking, now paper thin. There are buttons from my Dad's RAAF airforce uniform, and buttons from old cardigans that my Mum would have worn, and buttons from the clothes we children wore after they had seen the end of their life. Nothing was thrown away. 

Buttons over 70 years old

 Button Material through the Ages

Old buttons were made of celluloid, bakelite, lucite, vegetable ivory and metal, glass, china, mother of pearl, enamel, wood and casein. 

Oh, the stories they could tell, the bodies they have helped keep warm, the places they have been. 

I recycle these beautiful buttons to finish off the little crocheted jumpers, jackets and beanies that I make for toddlers. 

All about vintage buttons 

Broken Buttons

Buttons are tough, and they last a long time. It is rare to see broken buttons. When I was going through the button box the other day, I washed some and sorted them into new groups. There were only four broken ones out of a couple of hundred buttons. 

What stories they could tell. What beauty in these old buttons. 

 Well used vintage buttons at the end of their life

Crocheted Items Decorated with Vintage Buttons

Vintage pearl button on multi-coloured crochet girl's beanie

Vintage buttons on crocheted beanie

Vintage pearl button at the centre of a crocheted flower

Multi-coloured toddler's cardigan with various vintage buttons
 

Follow me on instagram for more crochet photos @tossyv  
 
Another article you may like:

Crocheted Beanies