Like Alice in Wonderland

  It’s been three weeks now..three weeks of yucky flu-iness..not fluffiness..no! FLU.. I hate flu with a vengeance..if there is anything the pharmaceutical companies could do to make a pill that WORKS to get rid of any kind of flu, they would make millions!  ….oh well…I guess I will just have to “suck it up”just as a matter of speaking and go with the flow..pardon the pun.

 I went outside for the first time in two weeks and a bit to get some much needed shopping done and pick up my awesome sewing/overlocking machine I ordered wayyyy back when and was too sick to get. It is all sitting in my studio now, all I have to do is get the two meter tables ready and in place, set up the work stations, the power supply and presto! More work for me ..lol…very exciting work I tell ya!

I don’t know if you know this, but those of you who have known me for years and years, know that I started out selling ready made garments and weaving…all the cancer crap has side tracked me completely and I have been spinning and dyeing full time in the last 3 years. I miss weaving, I miss the draping and making of garments, the figuring out how clever placement of simple shapes can create a one of a kind style. Ofcourse it is not only that, I think that by combining what we know in different fields of the fibre world as a whole, our imagination can just go wild and combine so many things. It’s like, the more you know, the more ideas you get to combining all different kinds of craft and come up with something fresh and exciting.

These three weeks with the flu and Paul demanding I’d stay in bed last weekend, made me dream of new things, so it is all very exciting . Now all I need to do, is find the time to make all those dreams come true. I have set myself a totally unrealistic goal of getting new things ready for Bendigo, but as you all know, it’s the making of our craft that takes time and it just doesn’t happen in 5 minutes. It’s easy to get the ideas, but it is harder to make them work.

I am very excited about the future though and to finally have cleaned up the studio as well..it’s like a fresh start, a neat place to experiment and make things, rather than having to climb over cones and cones of yarn and fibre in despair, looking for just that shade to work with. Instead, all the yarn is safely confined to a wall cabinet behind doors in colour combinations. And I have space! Yes space! It makes so much difference to have space to lay out things and work and have a clear look at what you are doing. And I know, I am extremely lucky to have the studio I have, looking out over the forest behind us, filled with wild life and birds and beautiful trees. It is a gorgeous place to create and I am so lucky !

 

Photos to show you what it all looks like now will come soon ! in the meantime here is what the view looks like :

the studio view

Because I was so sick I had to do something I hate doing and haven’t done in a long long time: I had to cancel en event! I feel very bad about not making it to the Gembrook spin in last Monday but I was simply not able.

Things are going to be in full swing from next week on, once this flu has left the building which will hopefully be sooner than later. My brain is still foggy and swampy if you know what I mean but at least I have some energy back, which I will need to get all the pigments started and the dyepots roaring again. It will be Bendigo Show before we know it !!!!!

So what is on offer this week that is so special?? Well! I have some amazing Luxury No5 tops for you !!! Filled to the brim with angora, cashmere,tencel, bison and yak and just out of this world to spin !!! You may not even want to let it oout of your hands because if is so soft!!!! Its really nice to spin it on a support spindle by the way ..just a hint there…lol
Apart from that I have spun up angora bunny and fox !! yes, you heard it right. When I was offered some fox I couldn’t help myself and comined it with bunny into this yarn that is …well…it will leave you speechless. I did not dye it ..it is gorgeous white..a combo of white angora bunny and snow fox down. I am also working on some wolf down at the moment !!!!! YUM!!!! But that is next week ! ah and a funky bunny batt is also available for snaffling! Have fun and a very happy fluffy weekend to all !

How To Order from this Shop blog and support the IxCHel Fibre Farm:

You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot au or Ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au or message me on facebook or ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny. I will email you  or message you right back with all your order details and payment methods. Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable. an yes, I do custom orders as well !

Payment : direct bank deposit, card or paypal ! easy !

(((HUGS)))

Charly

Luxury No5 Tops

An absolutely amazing , super Super special rare blend of white Bison, angora, cashmere, tencel and yak .

50grams+    for  AU$22

Ocean Kelp

Master of the Universe

 

Andromeda

Dreamtime

Dreamy

Funky Bunny Batt

 filled with angora, alpaca, cashmere, Angelina, super fine merino, yak, mohair and yak

130grams+    for  AU$34

sold

Bunny Fox yarn

174 grams , 4 ply spun extremely fluffy lustrous rare yarn made with angora bunny and snow fox down.
An absolute one of a kind yarn. I have 4 skeins available.
I would rather sell the four as one lot to a lucky snaffler, but there are 3 skeins of 50grams available and one skein of 24 grams.
 

174grams+    for  AU$88 (normally $105) or per skein of 50 grams it is $30.

sold

IxCHeL Club sign ups are Open !



The IxCHeL clubs sign ups are starting as of today for the fibre, yarn, mini skein and batt clubs for July, August and September 2013! Here is all the nitty gritty:

 

IxCHeL Fibre Club July, August and September 2013

The subscription is for a period of three months and you will receive one special hand dyed top/roving per month to the value of AU$22 , and as all of you past members know you get tops that are usually around $24 ! so it is a great deal!

All the tops will be hand dyed and will be especially made for the members of Ixchel Fibre Club ! Price to join the Ixchel Fibre Club #17 and receive your special hand dyed top :)) for three months (may-june-july) is AU$66 + postage (parcel post or airmail). AND there are good value double serves available !!!

 

For Australia : single serve $66+$24 postage (parcel post), double serve $120+$24

For USA + Canada: single serve AU$66+AU$45 (Airmail) double serve AU$120+AU$45

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$66+AU$58 (airmail) Double serve AU$120+AU$58

For Asia: Single serve AU$66+AU$36 (airmail) Double serve AU$120+AU$36

If you want to receive a fibre surprise every month then join the IXCHEL FIBRE CLUB #17 now. Numbers are strictly limited ! Deadline for signing up for fibre club #17 is July 8th! And the first instalment is going to be shipped out end of July. Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me your details

 

The IxCHeL Sock Yarn Club July, August and September 2013

Every month for three months (July, August and September 2013) you will receive: enough hand dyed luscious yummy yarn to make a pair of socks or a lush shawl or scarf ofcourse! (the hand dyed yarn will be exclusive for the Ixchelbunny SOCK-IT-TO-ME Yarn CLUB and will range from a sockweight yarn or a 3ply or a 4 ply); Every month a new sock pattern, tips and instructions ! Now is that GOOD or is that GOOD ??!

I will even offer a double serve for those of you who like their socks extra long

 

For Australia : single serve $78+$24 postage (parcel post) double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +$24

For USA + Canada: single serve AU$78+AU$45 (Airmail) double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +AU$45

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$78+AU$54 (airmail) Double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +AU$54

For Asia: Single serve AU$78+AU$36 (airmail) Double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +AU$36

 

Numbers are strictly limited ! Deadline for signing up for the Ixchelbunny SOCK-IT-TO-ME Yarn CLUB! is July 8th.

Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal . Just PM or email me your details 

  By the way: you don’t HAVE to knit socks if you don’t want to.. the hand dyed yarn is amazingly nice for scarves, cowls, beanies and even tops ! Anything goes .

 

IxCHeL Mini skein Club July, August and September 2013

Every month I will be offering a monthly exclusive IxCHeL mini skein selection for Club members. In that monthly selection there are 12 hand dyed miniskeins that are hand dyed and or even hand spun and awesome to add to your mini skein projects.

Here are all the details for the sign ups for the IxCHeL Mini Skein Club:

For Australia : single serve $69+$24 postage (parcel post) double serve $130 (=even a better deal!) +$24

For USA + Canada: single serve AU$69+AU$45 (Airmail) double serve $130 (even a better deal!) +AU$45

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$69+AU$54 (airmail) Double serve $130 (even a better deal!)+AU$54

For Asia: Single serve AU$69+AU$36 (airmail) Double serve $130 (even a better deal!)+AU$36

 

Numbers are strictly limited ! Deadline for signing up for the IxCHeL Mini Skein Club is July 8th. The first Club mini skeins will be sent out end of July. Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me your details

 

IxCHeL Funky Bunny Batt Club July, August and Septmebre 2013

Here are all the details and just pm me when you have any questions or want to be part of the funky bunny batt club Movement ;-) Welcome to the blingy dark side ;-D

The subscription is for a period of three months and you will receive one special hand dyed funky bunny batt per month to the value of AU$32 or more .

The batts will range in weight from 100grams to 150grams with luxury fibres like camel , angora, cashmere, silk, yak, llama even wolf and bison this time ! All the batts will be hand dyed and will be especially made for the members of Ixchel funky bunny Club ! Every month you will receive a HUGE luxury funky bunny batt !

Sign up now and you will receive an Ixchel Hand dyed , super luxurious funky bunny batt for July, Augsut and September 2013 !

Price to join the Ixchel Funky bunny for three months is :

For Australia : $96+$24 postage (parcel post)

For USA + Canada: AU$96+AU$45 (Airmail)

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: AU$96+AU$54 (airmail)

For Asia: AU$96+AU$36 (airmail)

If you want to receive a fibre surprise every month then join the IXCHEL FUNKY BUNNY Batt CLUB now. Numbers are strictly limited ! Deadline for signing up for the funky bunny batt club July 8th and the first installment is going to be shipped out end of July 2013 :) Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me

Dates to Remember

BENDIGO SHEEP AND WOOL SHOW!

Friday 19th of July, Saturday 20th of July and Sunday 21st of July

This is the Ultimate Fibre and fun mix of them all! There will be lots of new things on offer at my IxCHeL stall ofcourse, with prizes to be won and lots of fun to be had!

This is the place to support farmers, fibre producers and independant "Indie" dyers and crafters and have some great fun discovering new things and even win prizes !

In the flower Power Bunny Shed there will be some extra surprises and new things happening as well !!! new fibres, blends, colours, soft fluffy things to spin, weave, felt, sew!, embellish! And there will be our delish Buddhas tears tea again as well ! And badges! and buttons ! and…Pre Felts ready to embellish or make into your special garments ! Its all happening !!!!
There is a woolcraft schedule available at the farm or you can email Dot : Dotv5@optusnet.com.au. 

Entries for your fiber art closes on June 14th and there are lots of prizes to be won!
Our little IxCHeL fibre farm is sponsoring sections 24 and 25 so get started on your entry to win some very yummy stuff !

Any questions or requests?
Contact me on Ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny, message me on facebook

or email me on Ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au or ixchel@rabbit.com.au

RABBIT ON !
 ((hugs))

Charly

Survival of the fluffiest

 It has been raining constantly now for two days..the weather feels like my head…cold, fluey and dripping wet..and the second watertank Paul recently installed is nearly full. Water overflow again.

It's an everlasting dilemma isn’t it? When there is no rain in summertime we desperately need it for our veggie garden and when its winter and all the tanks are full, the veggies get enough water naturally..more than enough actually…

 

I do think we are on top of our infestation of slimey snails and slugs who were decimating our precious bunny food ! Did you know that putting copper thread or copper of any kind around your veggies or on top of your raised beds will deter slugs? as soon as they want to slime over them to reach your yummy vegetables , they get tiny shocks! Kind of like walking on hot coals for us humans…Unfortunately we didn’t quite have the outlay to invest in a huge amount of copper so we hand picked them instead. A terrible night time occupation but it had to be done. In one session at the start we found over 400slugs and snails! We might just as well started a slug farm! NOOO! NOT going there ! As soon as it has no hair, Im not interested..lol

Gardening with copper….. a posh way to prevent snails and slugs eating your precious bunny greens

Last Saturday I had a wonderful time at the handknitters guild Show day in Brunswick. I love doing that gig and meeting so many new and old fibre fanatics.
The venue this year had changed due to the fact that the Brunswick Town Hall was getting renovated and I must say it kind of felt we were all squeezed in a can like sardines..You could have just walked in and did a wool dive and all would be right ..lol.
I do hope that next year we will be back at the Brunswick town hall with its lovely atrium (providing they haven’t demolished that! ) and the spacious surroundings. As we all know Fibre needs space and room to “puff” lol.

I want to thank all of you who came and supported our little fibre farm and especially a big thank you to Wil Villareal and Felicity Clark who won the IxCHeL fibre raffle ! Congrats and have fun with your parcel ! I know you will..wink wink nudge nudge.

My hand knitters guild set up , well ...some of it….lol

Last Wednesday I was struck down with something and couldn’t move nor get out of bed..so after I struggled to get the animals fed ..I slept til nightfall…made dinner..and went back to bed..

This Wednesday (after the handknitters guild show) I again was struck down ..(the curse of Wednesday is coming to a theatre near you soon..lol) this time with a nice "little" flu…YUK!

Well, no flu can keep me down I said, so I still fed the animals, cleaned the studio out, organised the yarn, made the studio draught proof (as much as I could by hanging a tapestry ! and fixing the door) and made a new villa for Bear, after which I proceeded to dye the sock and fibre club (yes it is that time of the month again) made the funky bunny batts and then my body said ..I had enough of this …give her another bout of incapacitating flu and fuzzy head syndrome, see who wins eh?

Well, nobody won, it was an impasse…you see, when you TRY and have your own business and animals to take care of there is no such thing as retiring to bed unless it is really really REALLY impossible to get out of it.  

So, yes, Im struggling at the moment.. the workload….the constant flow of amazing ideas and design…the processing of fibres and dyeing of yarns..the spinning…the trying to make sense of it all….and…flu and…the list goes on..lol.  Look, I’m not complaining, A lot of people who are looking for a job or are sick and tired of the ones they have, they have it rough. And yes, it is nice to be your own boss, although at times, I feel I have to give her a big smack in the face! Ouch!

Being your own boss means you have heaps of stuff to deal with, not only what you want to do and what your business says you do, but it is all the “little” things too: book keeping, accounting, marketing, PR, networking, paperwork, selling, designing, production, labelling, packing, and the list goes on. Again, I am not complaining here, Im just stating the fact of small business and small farms: it is a tough gig !

 

It is hard to find a balance between living the dream and passion of what you do and still do all the other stuff. No wonder that small business and small farms have to give up sometimes…the pressure is too great..the demands are too big. Again, not a whinge but it is true: Paul and I haven’t had a holiday for over 10 years… Somethings gotta give sometimes…so instead of production overload I am giving you a super special bunny bison bliss blend (because it is so special) and some art yarns and ofcousre the announcement of the new IxCHeL Clubs !!!

 

Why not more? Well, because it is just me. Me and my two hands... and when Im lucky, I can get Paul to help me skein up yarns and prep some fibre after his heavy workload.

 

At the Hand knitters Guild show a woman stepped up to me and honestly –not lying here- ,with a very serious, non confrontational voice asked me : “eh, can you please tell me why your yarns are so expensive? Like..eh..$20 to $25 dollars per skein?” I was kind of flabbergasted and was searching for a humane way to respond seeing that she was obviously serious.( Although I must say I would never in my dreams, walk up to anybody , asking them why I think their stuff is priced as it is…).

 

Anyway, I tried to explain to her that every skein is hand spun and hand dyed. It did not even take into consideration the work involved in feeding the animals, cleaning the pens, grooming them every day, clipping them, pouring all the love and commitment into it and thinking of colour schemes and weights of yarns, and the list goes on…also to spin a lace weight yarn or a 4ply it takes time! Its not like you start spinning and a 4 ply yarn is just popping out in an hour…no, it takes more …many more hours producing a hand spun and hand dyed yarn…...

Everything is done by hand,,,everything is unique…did she get the picture ? I don’t know….she shrugged and walked away….

 

The whole world is gone nuts and has lost touch with reality it seems..because it is so much easier to buy things cheap at a supermarket at incredibly low prices, but I say this:

 

The more we drift away from the earth, the more we abuse her…;

The more we drift away from growing and making our own food, the more we abuse our bodies and the farms….;

The more we drift away from making things by hand ourselves, the more we disregard the love and passion and quality that goes into the fabric of our society …
 

 

How To Order from this Shop blog and support the IxCHel Fibre Farm:

You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot au or Ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au or message me on facebook or ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny. I will email you  or message you right back with all your order details and payment methods. Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable. an yes, I do custom orders as well !

Payment : direct bank deposit, card or paypal ! easy !

(((HUGS)))

Charly

Bunny Bison Bliss tops Tops

An absolutely amazing , super special rare blend of Bison, angora, cashmere, tencel and yak

50grams+    for  AU$17

Retro Geek

It’s all good -sold-

 

Escape by Sea Turtle

Hurricane Wine

Catching a Wave

Bunny Bison Bliss in its natural beautiful state

IxCHel Zombie Bunny Art yarn

 

Retro Zombie bunny art yarn..

two skeins available, 115grams and 118grams each $55

Bling! Zombie bunny art yarn -sold-
128 grams of pure zombie bunny awesomeness $60 one skein available

IxCHeL Club sign ups are Open !

The IxCHeL clubs sign ups are starting as of today for the fibre, yarn, mini skein and batt clubs for July, August and September 2013! Here is all the nitty gritty:

 

IxCHeL Fibre Club July, August and September 2013

The subscription is for a period of three months and you will receive one special hand dyed top/roving per month to the value of AU$22 , and as all of you past members know you get tops that are usually around $24 ! so it is a great deal!

All the tops will be hand dyed and will be especially made for the members of Ixchel Fibre Club ! Price to join the Ixchel Fibre Club #17 and receive your special hand dyed top :)) for three months (may-june-july) is AU$66 + postage (parcel post or airmail). AND there are good value double serves available !!!

 

For Australia : single serve $66+$24 postage (parcel post), double serve $120+$24

For USA + Canada: single serve AU$66+AU$45 (Airmail) double serve AU$120+AU$45

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$66+AU$58 (airmail) Double serve AU$120+AU$58

For Asia: Single serve AU$66+AU$36 (airmail) Double serve AU$120+AU$36

If you want to receive a fibre surprise every month then join the IXCHEL FIBRE CLUB #17 now. Numbers are strictly limited ! Deadline for signing up for fibre club #17 is July 8th! And the first instalment is going to be shipped out end of July. Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me your details

 

The IxCHeL Sock Yarn Club July, August and September 2013

Every month for three months (July, August and September 2013) you will receive: enough hand dyed luscious yummy yarn to make a pair of socks or a lush shawl or scarf ofcourse! (the hand dyed yarn will be exclusive for the Ixchelbunny SOCK-IT-TO-ME Yarn CLUB and will range from a sockweight yarn or a 3ply or a 4 ply); Every month a new sock pattern, tips and instructions ! Now is that GOOD or is that GOOD ??!

I will even offer a double serve for those of you who like their socks extra long

 

For Australia : single serve $78+$24 postage (parcel post) double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +$24

For USA + Canada: single serve AU$78+AU$45 (Airmail) double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +AU$45

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$78+AU$54 (airmail) Double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +AU$54

For Asia: Single serve AU$78+AU$36 (airmail) Double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +AU$36

 

Numbers are strictly limited ! Deadline for signing up for the Ixchelbunny SOCK-IT-TO-ME Yarn CLUB! is July 8th.

Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal . Just PM or email me your details 

  By the way: you don’t HAVE to knit socks if you don’t want to.. the hand dyed yarn is amazingly nice for scarves, cowls, beanies and even tops ! Anything goes .

 

IxCHeL Mini skein Club July, August and September 2013

Every month I will be offering a monthly exclusive IxCHeL mini skein selection for Club members. In that monthly selection there are 12 hand dyed miniskeins that are hand dyed and or even hand spun and awesome to add to your mini skein projects.

Here are all the details for the sign ups for the IxCHeL Mini Skein Club:

For Australia : single serve $69+$24 postage (parcel post) double serve $130 (=even a better deal!) +$24

For USA + Canada: single serve AU$69+AU$45 (Airmail) double serve $130 (even a better deal!) +AU$45

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$69+AU$54 (airmail) Double serve $130 (even a better deal!)+AU$54

For Asia: Single serve AU$69+AU$36 (airmail) Double serve $130 (even a better deal!)+AU$36

 

Numbers are strictly limited ! Deadline for signing up for the IxCHeL Mini Skein Club is July 8th. The first Club mini skeins will be sent out end of July. Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me your details

 

IxCHeL Funky Bunny Batt Club July, August and Septmebre 2013

Here are all the details and just pm me when you have any questions or want to be part of the funky bunny batt club Movement ;-) Welcome to the blingy dark side ;-D

The subscription is for a period of three months and you will receive one special hand dyed funky bunny batt per month to the value of AU$32 or more .

The batts will range in weight from 100grams to 150grams with luxury fibres like camel , angora, cashmere, silk, yak, llama even wolf and bison this time ! All the batts will be hand dyed and will be especially made for the members of Ixchel funky bunny Club ! Every month you will receive a HUGE luxury funky bunny batt !

Sign up now and you will receive an Ixchel Hand dyed , super luxurious funky bunny batt for July, Augsut and September 2013 !

Price to join the Ixchel Funky bunny for three months is :

For Australia : $96+$24 postage (parcel post)

For USA + Canada: AU$96+AU$45 (Airmail)

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: AU$96+AU$54 (airmail)

For Asia: AU$96+AU$36 (airmail)

If you want to receive a fibre surprise every month then join the IXCHEL FUNKY BUNNY Batt CLUB now. Numbers are strictly limited ! Deadline for signing up for the funky bunny batt club July 8th and the first installment is going to be shipped out end of July 2013 :) Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me

Dates to Remember:

Gembrook Spinners and Weavers Guild Spin in day

Monday May 20th, Gembrook Town Hall  !!!!
10.30-3pm
A wonderful get together with heaps of spinners and weavers in the beautiful Gembrook.

BENDIGO SHEEP AND WOOL SHOW!

Friday 19th of July, Saturday 20th of July and Sunday 21st of July

This is the Ultimate Fibre and fun mix of them all! There will be lots of new things on offer at my IxCHeL stall ofcourse, with prizes to be won and lots of fun to be had!

This is the place to support farmers, fibre producers and independant "Indie" dyers and crafters and have some great fun discovering new things and even win prizes !

In the flower Power Bunny Shed there will be some extra surprises and new things happening as well, including …this is so exciting!!!!: you can see and try out new unusual spinning wheels adn spinning related goodies like andean plyers and nore from a wonderful new fibre fanatic fiberific! vendor ! Don’t miss seeing these new beauties! And ofcourse there will be lots more demos and wheels and spindles on offer as well in the flower power Bunny shed !
There is a woolcraft schedule available at the farm or you can email Dot : Dotv5@optusnet.com.au. 

Entries for your fiber art closes on June 14th and there are lots of prizes to be won!
Our little IxCHeL fibre farm is sponsoring sections 24 and 25 so get started on your entry to win some very yummy stuff !

Any questions or requests?
Contact me on Ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny, message me on facebook

or email me on Ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au or ixchel@rabbit.com.au

RABBIT ON !
 ((hugs))

Charly

Zzzzzzzzzzz

 

See that sleeping bunny up there? Well ..that was me yesterday…I couldn’t get out of bed…over exhausted I was. Which is apparently normal because I didn’t have a good sleep for a looong time and I’m not taking care of myself while working hard all the time. Put those three things together and all of a sudden my body tapped me on the shoulder and when I looked around who tapped, BANG!!!!..and I was out cold.

I slept all day yesterday..couldn’t stand up and was nauseous and my head was fuzzy and fluey. So, I stayed in bed although I had to do batts and art yarns and label and pack and organise everything for this Saturday hand knitters Show. I feel a bit better today and going to do some batts and yarns ..oh and pack the car ! but that is the extent of my activities today I’m afraid.

I hope you will accept my apologies..but there is not going to be anything in the Ixchelbunny shop this week! BUT there will be a very very fluffy shop update next week Friday again and some exciting new stuff too ! So stay tuned and don’t worry about me..my body just needs a rest ..I will keep telling my brain I need to rest every now and again…oh, and sleep… In the mean time, Have a fibery fabulous time and I hope to see you this Saturday at the hand knitters guild show day !! It is going to be so much FUN!!!!!! Yeah!!!!

(((HUGS)))

Charly

Dates to Remember:

Hand knitters guild Mini Wool Show

Saturday May 11th, Bardin Centre Hall at Christ Church, 8 Glenlyon Road, Brunswick
10am-3pm
this event is a MUST and an absolute fabulous way to catch up with fellow fibre fans ! I will be there with heaps of new hand spun, art yarns, lace weight, sock yarn, bunny mink and angora yarns and much much more...!!!!
also a special pressie for all who come dressed as a bunny....ofcourse!.. and ...a chance to win a very special IxCHeL basket full of goodies to be drawn at 3pm at the venue !!!! yeah!

Gembrook Spinners and Weavers Guild Spin in day

Monday May 20th, Gembrook Town Hall  !!!!

10.30-4pm
A wonderful get together with heaps of spinners and weavers in the beautiful Gembrook.

BENDIGO SHEEP AND WOOL SHOW!

Friday 19th of July, Saturday 20th of July and Sunday 21st of July

This is the Ultimate Fibre and fun mix of them all! There will be lots of new things on offer at my IxCHeL stall ofcourse, with prizes to be won and lots of fun to be had!

This is the place to support farmers, fibre producers and independant "Indie" dyers and crafters and have some great fun discovering new things and even win prizes !

In the flower Power Bunny Shed there will be some extra surprises and new things happening as well, including …this is so exciting!!!!: you can see and try out new unusual spinning wheels adn spinning related goodies like andean plyers and nore from a wonderful new fibre fanatic fiberific! vendor ! Don’t miss seeing these new beauties! And ofcourse there will be lots more demos and wheels and spindles on offer as well in the flower power Bunny shed !
There is a woolcraft schedule available at the farm or you can email Dot : Dotv5@optusnet.com.au. Entries for your fiber art closes on June 14th and there are lots of prizes to be won! Our little IxCHeL fibre farm is sponsoring sections 24 and 25 so get started on your entry to win some very yummy stuff !

Any questions or requests?
Contact me on Ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny, message me on facebook

or email me on Ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au or ixchel@rabbit.com.au

RABBIT ON !
 ((hugs))

Charly
 

Carrots everywhere !

 

It’s getting closer and closer ! It’s exciting and scary!! (for me anyway) at the same time…what is it? ………The Handknitters Guild Show next week Saturday, May 11th, (the day before mothersday..hint hint!) and Bendigo Show , in TWO months TWO weeks and TWO days !!!!!!!!

Still so much to do for both shows but I can tell you this much: there are heaps of new products planned for the Bendigo Show and yes, there are going to be Bunny Art Yarns at the hand knitters guild and heaps of lace, 3 ply, sock yarns and ofcourse tops for spinning and felting..not to mention Funky Bunny Batts ! The up side of being creative is that there are aways new projects and ideas popping up in my brain..the down side of it is...how to make it work in  a given time frame a..more importantly...how to organise it all !

I have a week of utter chaos to deal with first and then I am determined to make my studio a better working space. To get that going I got myself two 2meter long tables..unfortunately I have to empty the studio out first to be able to declutter and make the studio a better ..eh..work space, instead of the creative jumble it is now.
Paul is so much better doing that than me..leave me in a room to work with fibre and in no time it is filled to the brim with all kinds of pretties but no system….well, no system that is logical to anybody else than my brain that is.

I do need to organise a bit better though because of new projects I will be working on, on a new medium and as you know, every new medium, whether it be spinning or weaving, needs its own space and way of organising. I will get there…slowly but surely and no, Im not telling you what it is yet, you will just have to wait two months, two weeks and two days to check it out at the Bendigo Show in the Flower Power Bunny Shed there !

So, what have I got in store for you this weekend? Well, it is a blend that I have already offered before but with a twist…instead of blending the shiny bits throughout the top I have bended it less, and it now glistens like a river in a beautiful landscape. Take a good close look at the photos and you will see what I mean. These Magic Bunny Tops are 17micron merino, cashmere, angora bunny and a bit of rainbow dyed glitz !!!! It is wonderful to spin or felt or embellish with! Have fun browsing, and snaffling!

Enjoy this new Magic bunny blend and know that there is only a very limited supply!

How To Order from this Shop blog

 until the website www.ixchel.com.au is up and running –which will be sooooon-ish!-yeah yeah start laughing will ya.....You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot au or Ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au or message me on facebook or ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny. I will email you right back with all your order details and payment methods. Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable.

Payment : direct bank deposit, card or paypal ! easy !

(((HUGS)))

Charly

NEW Magic Bunny Tops

A new wonderful blend of super fine merino with angora bunny, cashmere and a teeny bit of Rainbow dyed glitz.

100 g .......AU$24

Autumn in May

Ice fields

 

Geronimo !

Jungle Fever

Plum Berry Bliss

Dates to Remember:

Hand knitters guild Mini Wool Show

Saturday May 11th, Bardin Centre Hall at Christ Church, 8 Glenlyon Road, Brunswick
10am-3pm
this event is a MUST and an absolute fabulous way to catch up with fellow fibre fans ! I will be there with heaps of new hand spun, art yarns, lace weight, sock yarn, bunny mink and angora yarns and much much more...!!!!
also a special pressie for all who come dressed as a bunny....ofcourse!.. and ...a chance to win a very special IxCHeL basket full of goodies to be drawn at 3pm at the venue !!!! yeah!

Gembrook Spinners and Weavers Guild Spin in day

Monday May 20th, Gembrook Town Hall  !!!!

10.30-4pm
A wonderful get together with heaps of spinners and weavers in the beautiful Gembrook.

BENDIGO SHEEP AND WOOL SHOW!

Friday 19th of July, Saturday 20th of July and Sunday 21st of July

This is the Ultimate Fibre and fun mix of them all! There will be lots of new things on offer at my IxCHeL stall ofcourse, with prizes to be won and lots of fun to be had!

This is the place to support farmers, fibre producers and independant "Indie" dyers and crafters and have some great fun discovering new things and even win prizes !

In the flower Power Bunny Shed there will be some extra surprises and new things happening as well, including …this is so exciting!!!!: you can see and try out new unusual spinning wheels adn spinning related goodies like andean plyers and nore from a wonderful new fibre fanatic fiberific! vendor ! Don’t miss seeing these new beauties! And ofcourse there will be lots more demos and wheels and spindles on offer as well in the flower power Bunny shed !
There is a woolcraft schedule available at the farm or you can email Dot : Dotv5@optusnet.com.au. Entries for your fiber art closes on June 14th and there are lots of prizes to be won! Our little IxCHeL fibre farm is sponsoring sections 24 and 25 so get started on your entry to win some very yummy stuff !

Any questions or requests?
Contact me on Ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny, message me on facebook

or email me on Ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au or ixchel@rabbit.com.au

RABBIT ON !
 ((hugs))

Charly
 

An Ancient Fibre and Vampires

 

I will just tell it like it is…I’m exhausted. Not because I have been standing at the dyepots til 3 in the morning or even spinning yarn til dusk..no, I can handle that. Ask me to work, dye, spin, knit, weave, do farm work without any sleep and I will not be bothered at all, in fact , I will feel energised and have a smile on my face feeling tired but happy. No, what is doing my head in and making me feel unhappy exhausted is this: I have been sitting at my desk doing book work and tax stuff all week, with an afternoon of relief doing some very nice dyeing of what I can offer you on this weeks blog. I now have a huge admiration of book keepers and accountants and want them to know they will never..ever..ever..ever…!!.. see me wanting to become an accountant.  The number crunching has really sucked the life out of me so to speak..lol Well, it is almost done now, Paul will do the double checking and then…I can concentrate on what I love doing: Spinning, Dyeing, Designing , dreaming up new blends and new ideas for fibre, felt and sewing. Yes, sewing! I have always made my own clothes and other crafty things, but I lapsed when my sewing machine died on me…Paul finally said to me..you know what..buy a new one ! yippee! So I have put one on layby and can’t wait to work with that new baby: A Viking no less ;-)
..I have so many plans for Bendigo Show it is driving me insane, especially this last week, because I had to do that “other stuff”..but all will be revealed just before Bendigo show and it is going to so much FUN  !!!!

So, what have I got in store for you this weekend? Well, it is a new blend that will rock your world: my vampire tops. It is a wonderful blend of 17micron merino, cashmere, angora bunny, a bit of black bamboo and wait for it: Flax !!!! Flax or linen, is an amazing fibre, you just have to get to know it better to totally appreciate its history and beauty. It has been spun up and made into cloth since the dawn of time and the beauty of linen is that it becomes softer and more beautiful with wear and age. A truly amazing fibre!

 

Flax is the common name for an annual herb of the Linaceae family, especially members of the genus Linum, and for the fibre obtained from such plants. The stem varies from 60 to 120 cm in length and consists of fibre bundles lying between the outer bark and a woody core. The individual fibres, 10 to 40, are held together in the bundles by pectines. The bundles lie around the core and are attached to it and one another by pectines. Flax requires a temperate, moist climate and good soil to flourish. It is sown around the end of March, and the plant starts to bloom at the end of May. Because it is a 'heavy feeder', it cannot be grown on the same land year after year and so it is be rotated with other crops. It must be weeded often. There are two main types: the blue-flowered and the white-flowered flax. The latter produces coarser fibres and more seeds than the blue flax. The fibres, after processing, are spun and woven into linen cloth. Harvesting flax: Most flax matures in 90 to 120 days and usually is ready in August. There are three degrees in the ripening of the flax grown to make linen: green, yellow and brown.

The yellow has proved to be the most suitable for fibre production. Flax that is pulled too early -green - produces very fine but weak fibres. On the other hand , in overripe flax - brown - the stems are strong but brittle but produce too high a proportion of undesirable short fibres ('tow'). When the flax is yellow, the fibres are long and supple, and therefore ideal for further processing. The mature yellow stems were harvested by careful pulling from the soil by hand (flax pulling) to avoid damaging the fibres in the stem.

The pulled flax was stacked in bundles in the field. The next steps in the processing described below are those used for centuries before the industrial revolution, early in the 19th century, introduced mechanization and destroyed the home-based flax industry. The stems were walked repeatedly or beaten with a flail ('swingle') to remove the seed bolls. More commonly their top ends of a bundle of stems were pulled through a 'ripple', a comb-like tool consisting of a row of 20-30 vertical steel pins fixed in a piece of wood which looked like the 'heckling' comb shown below. This process was called 'rippling'. The seeds were then released from the bolls by walking over them or beating with a flail. The stems were then 'retted' by the action of molds and bacteria which removed gums and resins. Retting sometimes was done by simple exposure of the stems to the weather in the fields for 2 to 8 weeks, the time required depending on the weather. This process dissolved the pectins holding the bundles to the central core of the flax stem and to one another.

Care is needed to stop the process before the pectins holding the individual fibres in the bundles together were dissolved. It was important to keep the bundles intact for later spinning. During this period the dew and rains washed away the digested pectin, leaving the bundles lying within the stems. More commonly, retting was done by soaking the stems in a nearby stream or river. Elsewhere the retting was often done by soaking the flax, covered with mud, in water-filled pits for 1-2 weeks. The stems were then rinsed and dried. Retting loosened the bark (flexible fibrous bark) from the bundles, facilitating the next step, 'scutching' by beating with a stick a shown to the left or with the tool to the right. Both crushed the inner woody core of the stems leaving the desired bundles of long fibres intact. This produced about 60% linen flax (long fibres -60 to 90 cm long) 33% tow (short fibres - 10 to 15 cm long) and 'shiv', woody waste formerly used for fuel, nowadays to make chipboard. The stems were then drawn through a 'heckling' comb shown below to remove remnants of the fibrous core and outer bark and aligned the bundles of fibres ready for spinning. Except the planting and weeding, all the above labour-intensive steps began to be replaced in the early 1800s by mechanized processes associated with the industrial revolution.

Harvesting machines replaced manual labour. Nowadays water retting in streams is rarely used because of its cost and the pollution it causes. It has largely been replaced by soaking the harvested flax in tubs of warm water for about a week. Scutching by hand was replaced by mechanical beaters called swinging machines; hackling was mechanized and, of course, hand spinning and hand weaving were replaced by adaptations of the English-designed 'Spinning Jenny'.

For more information on falx and processing and its fascinating history go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax.  It even has a link there to a video on processing flax.
 

 A close up of the heckle..a very nast instrument really and cause of lots of injuries in the flax processing before industrialisation. In Dutch it's called a "hekel" and one of the origins of the word to dislike something (Dutch: een hekel hebben aan...).

Enjoy this new Vampire bunny blend and know that there is only a very limited supply! So if you wat to try spinning some flax without having to heckle and scrunch…grab a vampire bunny . I promise it won’t bite ..lol

How To Order from this Shop blog

 until the website www.ixchel.com.au is up and running –which will be sooooon-ish!-yeah yeah start laughing will ya.....You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot au or Ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au or message me on facebook or ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny. I will email you right back with all your order details and payment methods. Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable.

Payment : direct bank deposit, card or paypal ! easy !

(((HUGS)))

Charly

Vampire Bunny Tops

A new wonderful blend of super fine merino with angora bunny, cashmere and a teeny bit of black bamboo and merino. A wonderfully “evil” addictive spin ! Aalso extremely feltable which will give you a wonderful texture 100 g AU$24

Black Lagoon -sold-

dracul

 

Goblin

happy vampires

Mount Doom

a Naked Vampire

Orc

Outback Vampires

The Kraken -sold-

Treebeard

Voodoo

Werewolf

Vampire after a drink -sold-

Dates to Remember:

Hand knitters guild Mini Wool Show

Saturday May 11th, Bardin Centre Hall at Christ Church, 8 Glenlyon Road, Brunswick
10am-3pm
this event is a MUST and an absolute fabulous way to catch up with fellow fibre fans ! I will be there with heaps of new hand spun, art yarns, lace weight, sock yarn, bunny mink and angora yarns and much much more...!!!!
also a special pressie for all who come dressed as a bunny....ofcourse!.. and ...a chance to win a very special IxCHeL basket full of goodies to be drawn at 3pm at the venue !!!! yeah!

Gembrook Spinners and Weavers Guild Spin in day

Monday May 20th, Gembrook Town Hall  !!!!

10.30-4pm
A wonderful get together with heaps of spinners and weavers in the beautiful Gembrook.

BENDIGO SHEEP AND WOOL SHOW!

Friday 19th of July, Saturday 20th of July and Sunday 21st of July

This is the Ultimate Fibre and fun mix of them all! There will be lots of new things on offer at my IxCHeL stall ofcourse, with prizes to be won and lots of fun to be had!

This is the place to support farmers, fibre producers and independant "Indie" dyers and crafters and have some great fun discovering new things and even win prizes !

In the flower Power Bunny Shed there will be some extra surprises and new things happening as well, including …this is so exciting!!!!: you can see and try out new unusual spinning wheels adn spinning related goodies like andean plyers and nore from a wonderful new fibre fanatic fiberific! vendor ! Don’t miss seeing these new beauties! And ofcourse there will be lots more demos and wheels and spindles on offer as well in the flower power Bunny shed !
There is a woolcraft schedule available at the farm or you can email Dot : Dotv5@optusnet.com.au. Entries for your fiber art closes on June 14th and there are lots of prizes to be won! Our little IxCHeL fibre farm is sponsoring sections 24 and 25 so get started on your entry to win some very yummy stuff !

Any questions or requests?
Contact me on Ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny, message me on facebook

or email me on Ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au or ixchel@rabbit.com.au

RABBIT ON !
 ((hugs))

Charly
 

Death and Taxes

 

Last week I told you about “things”getting the way of doing (fun) stuff or remembering what is important in life.. Well if this week isn’t a wake up call I don’t know what is….

 

Who would have known that the horrific events at the Boston Marathon was  part one of another horror event that happened just yesterday in Texas? I must admit my heart stopped when I heard about the explosion of the fertiliser plant in West, Texas. At first I thought they said George West you see….. I lived in a small town called George West, Texas in the 70s/80s and went to the elementary school and the gorgeous junior high / high school there. I have a step-uncle and nieces there, we don’t really keep in touch, but still. I wouldn’t say there was a sigh of relief when I heard that it was West , Texas and not George West, Texas , that would be harsh and insensitive, but it did put into perspective how we experience things. Is it more of a shock to the system when you have a personal connection ? And if yes, why does it have to make a difference whether you have personally been there or not? It shouldn’t really in my book, but there you go.

 It did make me go down memory lane and remember the wonderful Mrs Richards, my elementary school teacher and a wonderful inspiration, my times horse riding (bare back..ouch) with my uncle rounding up the long horn cattle in the cactus ridden fields and burning the sharp needles off the cacti so the cattle would at least have some green and liquid in the dry (I saw on a church sign online they still do pray for rain there…)… and playing the clarinet in the school band, hey I even won 6th place in the George West Olympics (6th place sounds so much better than last, lol.but then again I never was any good at running..lol) and I bet I drove my mum crazy practicing on the porch outside..enough reminiscing…

My heart goes out to all the people who are experiencing so much trauma and loss in Boston and West. Sending healing vibes and love to all.

And then, if all of that horror wasnt enough trauma for the week, I got a letter from the tax office yesterday reminding me I had to do my taxes…..oh joy!..so in short that is why the title of this blog is “Death and Taxes”..the only two things sure in life..

I know what I will be doing this weekend….number crunching and taxes….which I must admit I’m not good at. Give me a paint brush, a spinning wheel, a loom, sewinng machine, fibre, a pen and paper, fabric but please do not expect me to be an Einstein when it comes to book keeping. I cannot thank my hubbie Paul enough: without him I’d be wrangling through boxes and boxes of receipts and bits of paper , at least he has done all the hard work and computerised it all.
That’s another thing: Why do I keep on putting hard things off to do later? ( bashes her head on the desk repeatedly!!!) : It’s much better to get the crap out of the way first and THEN do the fun stuff…but nooooooooo, I didn’t do that , did I ? Again, there was always something better to do first (like keeping alive, taking care of the animals, producing blends and yarns…) …..lesson learnt……maybe….if not, I hope you will visit me in prison..I wonder if they let me take my spinning wheel and fibre?
 

 Female convicts in Australia making clothes….(1900s)

This week there are some more new pure angora 3ply yarn with appr 400m per 50grams!!!!!!. My friend Lindy made me an absolutely gorgeous Jolly Roger shawl from that yanr and I can tell you it feels super soft, is light and is so warm!

And... Also a new IxCHeL blend tops: Magic Bunny with hand dyed glitz in beautiful jade gemstone colourings. It is a blend with super fine 17micron merino and a dash of super fluffy angora bunny and cashmere with a streak of glitz !  and last but certainly not least a fresh batch of newly blended Bunny Bison Bliss !!!!!! Have fun !!! ( the other stuff can wait......just a little while longer......)

How To Order from this Shop blog

 

 

the pure angora 3ply  (huge!!!) Jolly Roger shawl! A work of art !

 until the website www.ixchel.com.au is up and running –which will be sooooon-ish!-yeah yeah start laughing will ya.....You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot au or Ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au or message me on facebook or ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny. I will email you right back with all your order details and payment methods. Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable.

Payment : direct bank deposit, card or paypal ! easy !

(((HUGS)))

Charly

Angora 3ply hand dyed yarn

400meters per 50grams+ for AU$22
4 skeins per colour available

faded jeans

forest adventure

 

Holiday

Indigo

Misty Mountain

Rose

Tranquillity

Velvet

Wombat

Magic Bunny Tops

An exclusive IxCHeL blend with 17 micron merino and English Angora bunny, cashmere and a streak of hand dyed glitz! . Super soft and very easy to spin or felt.

100gram+ tops, hand dyed with love for AU$22.

Gemstone

Gemstone close up

Bunny Bison Bliss Tops

An exclusive IxCHeL blend with 17 micron merino and English Angora bunny, cashmere, baby camel and pearly tencel ! . Super soft and very special.

100gram+ tops, natural colour for AU$30 or,       50g for $17.

Bunny bison bliss tops

Dates to Remember:

Hand knitters guild Mini Wool Show

Saturday May 11th, Bardin Centre Hall at Christ Church, 8 Glenlyon Road, Brunswick
10am-3pm
this event is a MUST and an absolute fabulous way to catch up with fellow fibre fans ! I will be there with heaps of new hand spun, art yarns, lace weight, sock yarn, bunny mink and angora yarns and much much more...!!!!
also a special pressie for all who come dressed as a bunny....ofcourse!.. and ...a chance to win a very special IxCHeL basket full of goodies to be drawn at 3pm at the venue !!!! yeah!

Gembrook Spinners and Weavers Guild Spin in day

Monday May 20th, Gembrook Town Hall  !!!!

10.30-4pm
A wonderful get together with heaps of spinners and weavers in the beautiful Gembrook.

BENDIGO SHEEP AND WOOL SHOW!

Friday 19th of July, Saturday 20th of July and Sunday 21st of July

This is the Ultimate Fibre and fun mix of them all! There will be lots of new things on offer at my IxCHeL stall ofcourse, with prizes to be won and lots of fun to be had!

This is the place to support farmers, fibre producers and independant "Indie" dyers and crafters and have some great fun discovering new things and even win prizes !

In the flower Power Bunny Shed there will be some extra surprises and new things happening as well, including …this is so exciting!!!!: you can see and try out new unusual spinning wheels adn spinning related goodies like andean plyers and nore from a wonderful new fibre fanatic fiberific! vendor ! Don’t miss seeing these new beauties! And ofcourse there will be lots more demos and wheels and spindles on offer as well in the flower power Bunny shed !
There is a woolcraft schedule available at the farm or you can email Dot : Dotv5@optusnet.com.au. Entries for your fiber art closes on June 14th and there are lots of prizes to be won! Our little IxCHeL fibre farm is sponsoring sections 24 and 25 so get started on your entry to win some very yummy stuff !

Any questions or requests?
Contact me on Ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny, message me on facebook

or email me on Ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au or ixchel@rabbit.com.au

RABBIT ON !
 ((hugs))

Charly