Autumn Mushrooms, Giant Nebulas & Lots of Fibre

Agreed, it is getting cooler and cooler (and wetter I might add) but it had not really sunk in that Autumn is well on its way here. That is, until I came home last night and the headlights from the car illuminated a gorgeous setting that happens every autumn : huge mushroom parties as I call it. Last year there was an enormous Witches circle just outside and now there are heaps and heaps of mushroom formations exploding all around us. It is magical.

Just a little bite.......

Mushrooms, Autumn leaves, the full moon and the crispy misty air makes me want to curl up near the fire, knitting up a storm. I am actually doing some squares for a swap on the Over the Fence group on http://www.ravelry.com/ called Square dance and I am having heaps of fun with them. The first batch has been sent to my april swap buddy and now I am already working on the next set. I think I am still inspired by that awesome blanket of love I received from all my friends last month as a reminder how everybody was thinking of me when I was battling cancer. On that note: I have finally received my test results back from the first testing and poking sessions at the oncology department at the hospital and it all came up rosy! no abnormal cells found ! Yeah! It was such a nervous time waiting but thankfully all is well. Now the next testing fase is in August, after Bendigo sheep and wool show that I am now full on preparing for.

Bendigo sheep and wool show is going to be HUGE this year ! I am prepping lots and lots of new blends and fibres and spinning heaps again, because this year I am going to have even more space to flaunt my fluffy fibres and yarns than last year! You can find me in the Flowershed at the Bendigo Showgrounds with Mandie of EGMTK. It is going to be HUGE FUN! I am already having lots of fun creating art yarns with funky additions and corespinning some batts, making more batts with heaps of bling and clipping our bunnies who are producing so much fine gorgeous fibre ! Amazing.

This week has been super busy as well because of all the fibre and batt and sock it to me yarn clubs that needed dyeing, drying, labelling and posting. It is so funny when I have it all ready and show up at the local post office with my huge bags filled with all the club parcels. All the members should be receiving their club parcels very soon and there are some yummy extras included as always. I have posted some teaser pics on www.flickr.com/photos/ixchelbunny for you to have a look at as well. Not that I want to give too much away ofcourse but I was very happy the way all the clubs turned out. With the sock it to me yarn club comes an awesome sock pattern included as well called FAN and it is such great fun to knit. Even if you do not want to make the socks you can use the stitchpattern and the yarn for an awesome shawl ! hmmmm.

The Ixchel Fibre, batt and sock it to me yarn clubs are sent out every month and sign ups for the next three months (april, may and june) have ended 2 weeks ago. However, if you want to sign up for the next clubs (july-august-september) please let me know and I can put you on the list to secure a spot ! Better to secure a spot earlier than later because they are filling up fast !

Apart from getting the clubs ready I did do some dying for this weeks update and it is Autumn inspired with a little Outerspace as well. The Hubble has "posted"some awesome photos of nebulas (the Carina nebula) and the colours and shapes are very inspiring as well :)

Minne our REW angora bunny is getting on a bit as they say . With her 9 years she is eating fine and enjoys being with her kids Pippi, Max and Flopsy. She is suffering from breast cancer though and a bad case of conjunctivitis. We are keeping her safe and warm and happy and giving her lots of treats and lots of good care. She is eating like a pig and still bossing her kids around not letting anything fase her. She is such a brave good bunny mum ! Here are some photos of Minne with her bunny babies 4 years ago. Wow how time flies !

feeding the baby

Cuddling up

Here are this weeks fibre offerings: two coil yarns hand dyed and hand spun superfine angorino and Tencel on a variegated cotton thread and some hand dyed blue faced leicester Bunny blended with Seacell(=seaweed) tops.

I used natural dyes combined with food dyes for the autumn red combos and indigo-walnut natural pigments combined with Landscape dyes for the blue/green combos.

Have fun looking at this weeks photos and email or message me when you want to snaffle some of these new autumn fibre babies :)

Have a wonderful week !

((HUgs)) Charly

Blue Faced Leicester Bunny + Seacell hand dyed tops (65/5/30)

AU$21/100+grams

Equinox

Solstice

Pixies Party

Berry Harvest

Warm Fire

Mushroom feast

Saraswati

Autumn Leaves

Hand dyed and hand spun Coil yarns (Superfine angorino, Tencel, cotton)

AU$27/100+grams

Walnut

Happy