Friday, June 25, 2010

The Winning and Losing Games

Blue Eyed Babe

What a week it has been! Filled with lots of work, dyeing, spinning, bunny spin ins but most of all epic historic drama: the Socceroos won but are still out of the world cup and the big hot topic in Australia now is of course the win of our first Red head female politician to take the throne of prime ministership and the loss of Kevin our former Prime minister. This week more than ever has brought to the surface that although you might win or seem to have won, you can loose at the same time. Let’s figure this out: I have never seen more devastated looks on a soccer team after they have won the match than on the faces of the Socceroos when they beat Serbia at the world cup. This was understandable because the win was not enough to keep them in the world cup…not fair I say; the politics of FIFA. As for the Australian political scene…well I am far from a political journalist or very involved in the game, but I can say that I am thrilled that we have a first female AND red head at that ! as a prime minister, I am also sad that our intellectual well meaning Kevin had to go in that way. Obviously good intentions and some far reaching decisions were not enough to keep Kev in power. It’s not hard to figure out that the mining industry debacle probably was the last straw. Politics is tough: politics and Big buck industry fighting it out teaches us now that the big bucks seem to win…. You win you loose, whether it is in politics, business or health, in the end winning and losing equals LIFE. Hoorah!

The Saturday spin in was filled with fluff floating around : Babe our blue eyed white was clipped ! Chiara (Z twist art with a fabulous blog! And amazing fibre art to match) took heaps of photos of the clipping and Babe and Jazz and fleeting finches and other wild life visiting our fibre farm. Here is just a small overview, I will download more on my flickr photostream later this week.

"tested on humans not animals…"Chiara said, when I held up Babe to my face and whispered to him that he was getting a haircut not a dyejob..lol

making a partition

the first cut

the first cut ....with a bit left for winter


the saddle cut or should I say the Monk Cut? lol


a hand ful of Babe

sitting quietly at the hairdressers


clipping the sides while Babe is almost falling asleep ..

done yet? …


almost done …


hmmm punk look is the new black eh?



Also Firethreads just blew me away with her amazing hand spun and hand dyed and BEADED shawl! A fabulous work of art. I am just showing some details here and the photos hardly do justice to her gorgeous work. Well done Elizabeth!

Firethreads beaded hand spun and hand dyed shawl

Firethreads beaded hand spun and hand dyed shawl close up

I have been busy ..or should I say VERY busy trying to get things ready for the Bendigo sheep and wool show. This year I am going to be in the FLOWERSHED and since this spot is a bit out of the way from the rest of the hussle and bustle, I have made some signs, flyers etc to make people aware of where all the Ixchelbunny fibre and yarns can be found. I thought there was going to be a yellow line chalked on the road to show where all of us at the flowershed are, but apparently that yellow “brick” road is not allowed ?…so, please talk, rabbit on! About where we are to friends and fellow fibre fanatics !
Politics (be it federal or Bendigal) doesn’t keep me from doing what I do and that is dyeing and spinning : and that is LOTS at the moment! Lol Last week was full on with all kinds of fluffy fibres and yarns and I have some very special stuff for you right here!
Drool , snaffle and Rabbit On !


a clipped Gilderoy sitting outside enjoying some celery

Well, I won’t keep you waiting any longer , because I did promise to show you what I have been up to (amongst other things…lol) dyeing some amazing shiny SOFFFFT stuff !: Camelbunny silk! and some amazingly nice -even if I say so myself..lol- SOCK weight superfine merino and nylon hand dyed yarn!
Hand dyed lusciously soft, unique and shiny CamelBunny silk tops
50g/AU$19



Autumn Symphony

Grasshopper

Velvet Paradise

Cupcake

Mermaid Parade


Lollipops

Prairy Dogs


Hand dyed superfine merino nylon sock weight 4ply yarn
100g/AU$23
yardage 400-420m/100g
great for socks, scarves, shawls and more!


Autumn


Purr Purr


Kelp Forest

Autumn Sun

Coal


Slow night

Razz

Tropical

Velvet

RAVE


Dates to remember:

July 16-17-18 !!!.......Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show …..
Visit me at the Flowershed and get your bunny and super soft Fibre and yarn and BATT fix ! Lots of surprises too !!

23-25July .......Queensland Spinners Annual Craft Weekend @ the Mapleton Centre ……(I will be there with bells on, lots of bunny and other fluffy animal fibre, tops and yarns )

All clubs for this month have been sent out ! The sign ups for the new clubs have started and the deadline for getting your club membership secured is June 28th. All the information is available on my blog 2 weeks ago or on http://www.ravelry.com/groups/ixchelbunny-fibre-and-yarn . Email me or pm me when you want to know more or want to become or stay a member. Don’t miss out on the bunny Fun !



thanks to Chiara of Z Twist Art for her gorgeous photos of the bunny clip and Jazz !

Friday, June 18, 2010

The Power of Now ?

Slow Rain on a Cold Day here at the Ixchel Fibre Farm

Last year just before al the nasty cancer treatment hospital stuff started I was determined to get well in spirit, mind and body, so I did my QiGong healing practices (breathing and energy meditations), I meditated on calmness and healing, took heaps of vitamins to boost my bodies’ immune system and for the hospital ride I even bought a book that I heard of was so fabulous and amazing and powerful: the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I even bought the hard cover! That’s how important I felt it was…lol..you know..to keep my mind sane and healthy and nurturing it to cope with all the massive changes.
It was in my bag when I went to the hospital and then on my bedside table. I could not get myself to read it before I went into hospital and you know what? I could not get myself to read it IN hospital either…I knitted instead (the X marks the spot socks were created in hospital..lol). Amazing but true: the Power of Now still lies next to me on my bedside table at home, unopened and unread. I could not get myself to read it. It was as if, as soon as I read the title and wanted to open it , something BIG was holding me back! Being a book and reading freak , reading and opening a book is normally a very easy thing for me to do ! What was going on? I felt conflicted as soon as I read the title: the Power of Now! "I did not want to be in this NOW", I thought. "This “NOW”was just not nice being in", I thought. Nope, the power of now was not doing it for me, so I did not open the book. Maybe the "now"was too powerful.....?
Strangely enough, at this moment that book is winking at me from my bedside table to open it up and open my mind and read it. How hard can reading a book be? Lol I have not read it yet though..not yet…too much to do I say, too much on my mind,.... but there are glimpses of sunlight peeping through the pages of that book as if beckoning me to FINALLY open it NOW!…I think sometimes we only can open doors when we are ready. It doesn’t work when we are forced to open doors, although sometimes we need a push to force us out of procrastination or the comfy grip of laziness. The best decisions and choices are made when we feel the time is right and we are ready to hear the signals and follow the signs and then, only then, open the door with confidence.
Jazz censured…
Sometimes I wonder HOW on earth Jazz, our bunny dog, can sleep lying like that- or in other very weird poses-….but apparently she feels very comfy that way…lol


This week was a road to wholeness and healing and ..yes hard work. :-) but it was so awesome to not have to go to any doctors ! So I did do a lot of dyeing and spinning and getting stuff ready for Bendigo in July (I CANNOT believe it is going to be in 4 weeks!!!!! So much to do in so little time..as usual). I did get a chance to get some signage printed so you all can see where I am at at the Bendigo show grounds and here at the fibre farm as well. I must say: it looks pwetty darn COOL!
yes yes, the website is coming soooooon!...lol

Well, I won’t keep you waiting any longer , because I did promise to show you what I have been up to (amongst other things…lol) dyeing some amazing shiny stuff !: Kid Mohair! It is by far the softest shiniest and finest mohair fibre I have played with and now I am sharing it with you: some hand dyed tops and some boucle spun kid mohair yarns. Enjoy the ride and don’t be afraid to open the snaffle door, because you know you hear the signs and you want to ;-)


Hand dyed boucle spun Kid mohair yarn
50gram skeins/AU$11
Yardage: +/- 40-50meters/50grams , needles 7mm

Disco

Happiness in a Curl

Billabong

Autumn Whirl

Aquatic Dream


Seaweed

Coal

Hand dyed Kid Mohair tops
100grams / AU$24


World looking in


Trigger Hippie


Rome wasn’t built in a day

Blindfold -sold-

Way Beyond -1left-


Be Yourself


Dates to remember:
Bunny Spin ins at the Fibre Farm …….June 19 (THIS Saturday!!!) and June 24 (Thursday) 11am-5pm (last ones til August! )

Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show …..July 16-17-18 !!!Visit me at the Flowershed and get your bunny fix Lots of surprises too !!
Queensland Spinners Annual Craft Weekend @ the Mapleton Centre ……23-25July (I will be there with bells on, lots of bunny and other fluffy animal fibre, tops and yarns )

All clubs for this month have been sent out !
The sign ups for the new clubs have started and the deadline for getting your club membership secured is June 28th. All the information is available on my blog of last week or on http://www.ravelry.com/groups/ixchelbunny-fibre-and-yarn .
Email me or pm me when you want to know more or want to become or stay a member. Don’t miss out on the bunny Fun !