May the Woosh be with you and other Twists

Master “Yoda” Bear in a starring role

It is all happening: spinning, dyeing, wooshing (yeah yeah more on that later), batt making, label making, braiding…everything is in full swing for the Bendigo Show starting on Friday the 20th of July ! The dryeing of the dyed tops and fibres are proving to be difficult because it is not only wet but also freezing cold here so all that is dyed up is hanging in the living room …everywhere: on clothes horses and acting as curtains, hanging colourfully on the curtain rods. Why need curtains when you have wool blend colourful tops ?

Standing still is going backwatds , somebody somewhere said, so I am going to introduce a couple of new products at the Bendigo show this year: a new bunny yarn blend that I didn’t have last year there, a FEW new wool blends! And ofcourse THE WOOSH ! I have had a lot of fun creating this wooshy fibre cloud that is going to be so much fun to spin and felt with ! and even more fun trying to figure out a way to capture the cloud and package it. I think most people do not realise this but when you are a small farm it is not only taking care of the animals and spinning and dyeing, it is making labels, shipping, printing, packaging, finding new ways of labelling and packaging , thinking up names for the products and every baby in the new fibre and yarn flock and I haven’t even started on the book keeping of it all. In this reality the word multitasking doesn’t even start to explain how my days here re filled and filled to the brim very easily I might add.

Ofcourse this time of year is always a more than mad dash to try and get lots of stuff done and I don’t kow about you, but I feel this year has just flown ! At the speed of light ! I cannot believe it is almost mid july already and the Bendigo show is happening this month ! Like I said a couple of Blogs ago: “Blink, and it’s gone”!

So, you wanna know about the Woosh eh? No, I will not give it away…yet…not all of it anyway, lol, but the packaging is all worked out, the labels printed , the Woosh’s almost all prepared ready to be woosh’d and presented at the Bendigo Show in their Star Wars Light Saber like packaging (hence the photo at the top of this blog..I was giggling so much when I was making that packaging I just couldn’t resist putting our Bear Bunny in the starring role of Yoda ;) yes, I’m just having too much fun…lol Anyway, If you already like batts, The Woosh’s are awesome ! Hand dyed and wooshed and so fun to spin ! Keep your eyes on this blog next week for another clue ! It is so much fun !!!!!!

I just discovered there is a Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde who creates clouds INDOORS! So kind of like a Woosh! Lol Seems like The Woosh is Everywhere !

The artist  carefully regulates the temperature and humidity of the space, ensuring that conditions are perfect. Then, he sprays a short burst from a fog machine to create a cottony cloud suspended in the middle of the room for just an instant before it collapses.

More on his creations here as well were posted in the online Washington Post and a neat video made by the Noordhollands Dagblad with the name “Wolk in de Kerk”(=Cloud in the Church).

He is calling these cloud creations “Nimbus”…Wooshy eh? ;)

Check out the video here:

Or here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/artist-berndnaut-smilde-creates-indoor-clouds/2012/03/13/gIQA7yAT9R_blog.html

And more on his work here: http://www.berndnaut.nl

I might try this at home, since the humidity is  super high and freezing cold...hmmm SNOW INSIDE ! Now that's a thought! ..:)

For this weeks blog I have dyed you up some Neutrals. Well , neutrals with a twist. For a lot of projects it is nice to have that gorgeous colour ALL the way through spun up and not interrupted by any other colours. It works especially well if you want to enhance the colours in an already spun multicolour braid by plying it with these “Neutrals with a Twist”or for that project you have in mind that calls for a beautiful tonal flow of colour .
Somehow Im always a bit disappointed by the machine dyed solids because the colour is well, just so perfectly flat. So I’ve come up with a solution: three different blended fibres together, each with a different uptake of the dye pigments and voila! There you have it: a lively tonal adventure that is fun to spin and ply with and is fun and exciting at the same time ! Well, Have fun looking at what I have been dyeing up this week for you !

How To Order:You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot 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.

Thank you so much for your help and support !

(((HUGS)))

Charly

GaGa! Bunny Tops

Blue Faced Leicester-Angora Bunny-Glitz (70-10-20) 100 grams AU$24

Hand dyed with passion , spins like a dream with softness, lustre and gorgeous new colourways! The glitz adds such fun to the spun yarn or felt and the blend of the three different fibres together makes for the tonal twist in these neutrals ! Amazing to spin and felt ! !

Rose-SOLD-

Nimbus-SOLD-

Cyclamen  -SOLD-
(sounds so like “Cybermen” if you say it fast..lol…y
es, warped Dr Who mind at work here..lol)

Raspberry Fields-SOLD-

Ocean -SOLD-

Indigo Magic-SOLD-

Forest Elves-SOLD-

Walnut-SOLD-

Dusky Heather-SOLD-

Strawberry-SOLD-

Dates to Remember:

Bunny Spin in at the Ixchel Fibre Farm (11am-4pm)
Every Third Saturday and every fourth Thursday of the month!

Saturday August 18th, 11am-4pm and

Thursday August 23rd,)   11am – 4pm

Bring a plate to share your wheel or spindle, knitting or crochet, yourself and a smile and have a fun day out amongst bunnies and friends ! Please contact me to secure a spot ! Bunny food like cabbage, bok choi or broccoli is always welcome as well ! : the bunnies will cuddle you more for it ;D

The Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show 2012
Friday 20th-Sunday 22nd of July

I will be in the Flower (bunny) shed again this year with heaps of new fluffy stuff and in full bunny regalia !!

This year it is even going to BIGGER and more HUGE than ever !!! Come join the Happy Fibre Family at the Flower Power Bunny Shed at the Bendigo Show grounds. You can found me and heaps of other super creative and interesting spinning and knitting and craft people there. The Flower Power Bunny shed is the shed right at the end of the woolcraft sheds. Just go left immediately after the entrance gates and keep walking straight to the end (follow the carrots and the bunnies ! )

Join me in all the fun ! There will be a huge amount of new blends and fibres to choose from and lst but not least: There are prizes to be won!!!!! Spend over $75 and win a $150 fibre or yarn pack!!!  and more !!

DRESS LIKE A BUNNY AND WIN A PRIZE!

The woolcraft schedule is published and the IxCHeL Fibre farm is sponsoring a catergory this year in the handspun yarn classes in Natural Animal Fibres class 23 and 24 !!! We feel it is very important to get the word out . Angora fibre and cashmere and mohair and alpaca and baby camel is amazing to spin, felt, weave, embellish and crochet with! Start planning and working on your entry for the show and get your art work out there for everybody tot admire and win prizes !! yeah ! What could be better eh?

Check out the website here for more details : www.sheepshow.com and for questions relating to the woolcraft schedule and more contact Dot Vallence at Dotv5 at optusnet dot com dot au

Any questions or special 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