Playing Catch up

It was Book Week in a lot of schools last week so
Bunny thought it was a good idea catching up on some literature

It was a super busy week catching up on so many things that were left undone last week when I was sick. I am still not a 100% right but all the august clubs have been prepped packed and sent out except the batt club which is going to get finished this weekend and that will go out Monday. Then ofcourse there were the custom orders: dyeing and spinning about 3 kilo’s of yarn ! and last but not least: the Valais Blacknose blending for the adventure a lot of you signed up for and which is on schedule : everything is  blended very very nicely and will get it’s magic dye bath on the weekend ! Phew! No rest for the wicked eh? lol

A teaser or the August clubs !

And then ofcourse there is the sudden PANIC that it is almost September !!! Time has flown by ! it seems I have just come back from Bendigo Show and the Queensland Mapleton camp ! Crazy, absolutely crazy!!!  But you know what they say: time flies when you are having fun ! Obviously I am having WAYYYY too much fun ..! lol

With all of the catching up and the clubs (and more) that needed to get finished this week there was no time to get anything dyed and dry for tonight’s update. It is time for the club sign ups again though ! So, I will open the signing up for the next clubs today. The next round of fibre and batt and sock yarn clubs start up in October and run , as usual for three months. So, that leaves everybody a month to sign up..unless ofcourse the quotas are reached before the end of the month September. I will keep everybody updated though so don’t worry ! Please let me know if you have any questions or requests: you know I love to enable !

There is also the petition waiting for your signature on change.org : https://www.change.org/p/andrew-wilkie-against-the-approval-of-k5-calici-virus-made-in-korea-for-use-in-australia
Please let your voice be heard! Speak for the Rabbits....and sign the petition .

IxCHeL Angora Rabbit Fibre

25-28grams/1 oz AU$10

A very soft luscious natural white fibre, great for spinning, felting or embellishing or… To cuddle and call George

Great to spin and wear !  Harvested by  a simple haircut on the grooming table after three months of growth .

Miracle Max

Mme Butterfly

Have a fun weekend Creating your Dreams! 

Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time if you have any questions okay? Always happy to enable.

All my contact details are to be found at the end of this weeks blog entry.

Have fun !!!

New IxCHeL Club sign ups are now open!

(til quotas are reached or until October 1st)

Clubs October, November, December 2015 !

For all our international club fans there is a possibility to ship all three clubs together to save on postage if you want :-) Just pm me and enquire about the options available.

IxCHeL Fibre Club October, November , December

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$24 or more

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 #26 and receive your special hand dyed top :)) for three months (Clubs October, November , December 2015) is AU$72 + postage (parcel post or airmail). AND there are good value double serves available !!!

For Australia : single serve $72+$28 postage (parcel post), double serve $136+$28 (save $8) or triple serves $204 (save $12!)

For USA + Canada: single serve AU$72+AU$51 (Airmail) double serve AU$136+AU$51

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$72+AU$60 (airmail) Double serve AU$136+AU$60

For Asia: Single serve AU$72+AU$45 (airmail) Double serve AU$136+AU$45

If you want to receive a fibre surprise every month then join the IXCHEL FIBRE CLUB #26 now. Numbers are strictly limited ! The October 2015 Club is going to be shipped out end of October. Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me your details

The IxCHeL Sock Yarn Clubs October, November and December 2015

Every month for three months (Clubs October, November and December 2015) 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+$28 postage (parcel post) double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +$28

For USA + Canada: single serve AU$78+AU$51 (Airmail) double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +AU$51

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$78+AU$60 (airmail) Double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +AU$60

For Asia: Single serve AU$78+AU$45 (airmail) Double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +AU$45

Numbers are strictly limited ! 

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 Funky Bunny Batt Clubs October, November and December 2015

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$40 or more .

The batts will range in weight from 140grams to 180grams with luxury fibres like camel , angora, cashmere, silk, yak, llama even wolf and bison and rare sheep breeds !!!! 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 October, November and December 2015.

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

For Australia : $108+$28 postage (parcel post)

For USA + Canada: AU$108+AU$51 (Airmail)

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: AU$108+AU$60 (airmail)

For Asia: AU$108+AU$45 (airmail)

If you want to receive a fibre surprise every month then join the IXCHEL FUNKY BUNNY BATT CLUB now. Numbers are strictly limited ! The first installment is going to be shipped out end of October :) Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me

Dates to put in your Calendar !!

Saturday , September 26th

Play day at Pascoe Vale

You can find all the info on this poster and for any questions you may have please contact Annet !

Sunday , September 27th   (9:30-3pm)

Sheep and Woolcraft Field Day , Cranbourne Public HAll (near KFC)

A perfect fibre and craft day hosted by the Black n Coloured Sheep association of Australia and an absolute MUST!

How To Order:

1. You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot au or ixchelbunny at yahoo dot com dot au
2. 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? Any custom orders for yarn or dyeing fibre? Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable.

Thank you so much for your help and support !

 RABBIT ON !

((hugs))

Charly

Rare breeds and The Fight Against Stupidity

So many big plans for this week and where did I wind up? …in bed….sick as a Dodo with a migraine from hell and a stomach flu to boot: a brilliant combo !..NOT!

So the August clubs didn’t get dyed and the batts didn’t get made and the custom orders slowly but surely piling up were not finished either. Today is the first day out of bed and feeling extremely woozy …but the battle goes on ! Because what was the first thing I saw on my phone today? : What is the DPI trying to get sanctioned ?
Yes: a brandspanking new calici virus even better than the previous successful ones .

This time it is lovingly called the K5 calici virus and hails from South Korea. Why?

Ever since an English nobleman in the early 1850s imported 24 rabbits into Australia for hunting purposes it kinda got out of hand with the wild rabbit population. The Gentry obviously overestimated its hunting capabilities and sucked big time at shooting rabbits or got tired of roaming the bush for bunnies and got another hobby and started looking for gold in them hills..who knows. The fact is that now..well for the last few decades, the farmers are seeing the countryside devasted and their livestock hurt by stepping in rabbit holes and warrens.

Another brilliant idea was hatched and they released a virus called myxomatosis , that any pet rabbit owner cannot vaccinate against because bringing in the vaccine is illegal in Australia! So yes, wild rabbits did die as predicted but so did (and they are still !) pet rabbits and rare breed rabbits. 
Then –ahem---ahem- by accident…nudge nudge wink wink....from South Australia..a virus was mistakenly let out…OOPS!...oh well: the calici virus.

We can vaccinate our bunnies against this virus, but the thing with viruses is..they mutate and the vaccine cannot possibly protect against all strains. We lost over 75% of our carefully bred stock of beautiful English angora bunnies in a huge amount of colours, about 4 years ago! We vaccinated every year. Still they died painfully and in large numbers…this was 4 years ago. We are still building up, But, bloodlines were lost and lots of colour variations were lost . Friends have lost more than 18 rabbits earlier this year. Others even more. It is a gigantuan heart ache for the rabbit owners to see their beloved pets die in such a horrendous way. And, there is nothing you can do about it. Yes, you can vaccinate, but there is now evidence that even the available vaccinaton once a year is not enough since the protection wears off in 6 months…and then there are the different strains. The least thing they could do, is to advice the population when a virus is getting released. They don’t. You can protect your bunnies keeping them locked in the house, fly wire screened and vaccinated and still they will not be a 100% safe. Why? Because viruses tend to get carried by lots of things and we are one of the carriers, as well as birds, pigs, flies, mosquitos, etc etc. The carriers do not die -, but we do have the virus stamp inside us .

However, At the time we had the calici virus raging through our stock it was very typical that the local wildlife was non existant either: we had a more than usual death rate of local wildlife birds and even wallabies around. Scary but true. So, the DPI , obviously under pressure by ?? farmers?? Government?? Are planning to get a new even more vicious calici virus approved for use: K5 RCD virus. Today in Melbourne farmers, scientists and landcare groups are meeting at a Victorian Rabbit Management Conference to prepare for the launch next april. Dr Tarnya Cox from the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre is asking farmers to contact Landcare to volunteer their properties for K5’s release. And, on the other hand , all the people with pet rabbits, commercial rabbit farmers, rabbit Fanciers ( the ones who breed bunnies and show rare breeds and basically keep the rarer breeds alive !) are not heard or asked to take part in any of the discussions.

On a side note: On ABC yesterday : Let’s not forget Senator Bob Katter , who protested the fact that his favourite Akubra hat won’t be able to be made from Australian Rabbits anymore….. The NSW Akubra hat industry cannot get Australian rabbits anymore? Well, hello!? Who would want to get into an industry that from one day to the next can get decimated with hundreds and thousands of dollars going down the drain and no way of recovery? and eh...why not organise a well functioning akubra hat company to get the Australian wild rabbits they need straight out of their back yard instead of risking so much by biological warfare? Some people are just highly illogical in their problem solving....

I wonder why, people are always making the same mistake: it is happening with the rabbits and the whole way they are dealing with the issue from the rabbit proof fence to myxo to calici. It happened with the introduction of the cane toad to get rid of a pest destroying the sugar canes not knowing?? -huh???-that the cane toads wouldn’t want to eat those particular bugs and now the cane toads are a problem. It’s like Australia has a life long love affair with throwing the baby out with the bath water.

There is a petition waiting for your signature on change.org : https://www.change.org/p/andrew-wilkie-against-the-approval-of-k5-calici-virus-made-in-korea-for-use-in-australia

Please let your voice be heard! Speak for the Rabbits....and sign the petition .


For this update I was planning on putting two fibres on: one of a rare sheep breed and one of our pure white absolutely lusciously soft white English angora fibre. One of the reasons I want to share rare breeds with you , whether it be rabbits or sheep or any other kind of animal, is to make sure that we know about the wonderful variety and biodiversity of nature and our Mother Earth and don’t let it get destroyed by stupidity and greed. The calici virus issue I raised earlier is just the tip of the iceberg. If you want something to fight for, please Speak for Rare Breeds. Too much has already been lost.

So what rare sheep breed is on offer tonight? : It is the Manx Loaghtan !
The Manx Loaghtan conjures up images of the movie “Hell Boy” but these sheep are the epitome of gentle awesomeness ! Here are photos illustrating the flow from little lamb to adult heroism:

The origins of these primitive sheep are not fully understood but their ancestors are thought to go back to the Iron Age.
They share many characteristics with other primitive sheep and are part of the Northern Short Tail group of sheep.
These related primitive sheep were spread round Scandinavia, Iceland, the Scottish Islands and the Isle of Man by the Vikings.
The Manx Loaghtan is still one of the rarest of breeds in the British Isles and since 1973 the Rare Breeds Survival Trust has helped promote these wonderful sheep.
Up to the 18th century these sheep covered the Manx hills in their thousands. Gradually they were replaced by modern sheep that mature quicker and are heavier. Obviously modern economics are far from romantic..lol
In the last 120 years the Manx Loaghtan came close to extinction 3 times and was only saved by the dedication and foresight of a few people.
In the 1950s numbers were down to less than a 100!!!
 Happily today there are just over a thousand and their future seems much brighter as people have come again to appreciate the wool which is naturally a dark tan colour, soft, light yet very warm.

The first thing that you notice about Manx Loaghtan sheep is their impressive set of horns. Both sexes have 2, 4 or even 6 horns!

As the name suggests, the Manx Loaghtan originated on the Isle Of Man. It is a small, ancient hill breed. Originally white with some grey and black sheep but few of the reddish-brown colour we see today (the word 'Loaghtan' comes from the Manx for 'mouse brown').

Like many other heritage breeds, the Loaghtan was once popular but declined in the early 20th century. The breed was rescued by enthusiasts both on the Isle of Man and in Scotland (where I got these beauties from) , and is now popular as a conservation grazer that will eat almost anything!

The breed is considered 'at risk' by the Rare Breed Survival Trust, with fewer than 1,500 registered breeding ewes.

Most Loaghtans have a medium staple length fleece, which in varying shades of brown getting paler with age, although they bleach to cream in the sun. The lambs are born black and generally achieve their particular shade of brown during the first year.

The fleece is very nice and soft witjh a staple length of between 70mm-100mm with around 22-28micron. It is great to spin for close to skin wear or for outerwear as well. I love this sheep. It has such an old world feel to it and so ancient in a way and ofcourse the fleece itself is just magic to spin up.

Please understand that I do not have a lot of stock of this exceptional rare breed fibre. Do not wait too long to pounce on this weeks update to avoid disappointment. I am offering you this all scoured and cleaned and pulled into luscious tops ready to spin in its natural colour. I will always be tempted to overdye grey fleeces (like you will see in later updates with the grey merino and silk blend I am working on as well) but there is no way I am tempted to overdye this luscious honey brown caramel coloured Manx Loughtan fibre. It is amazing just the way it is !

Manx Loughtan
Rare Sheep breed Tops - all sold sorry !!!-

A rare sheep breed that is a magical addition to your stash !

100grams (+/-3.5Oz); AU$21  

Manx Loughtan top

IxCHeL  Angora Rabbit Fibre

25-28grams/1 oz AU$10
A very soft lusciouis natural white fibre, great for spinning, felting or embellishing or… To cuddle and call George

Great to spin and wear !  Harvested by  a simple haircut on the grooming table after three months of growth .

Miracle Max

Mme Butterfly

Have a fun weekend Creating your Dreams! 

Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time if you have any questions okay? Always happy to enable.

All my contact details are to be found at the end of this weeks blog entry.

Have fun !!!

Dates to put in your Calendar !!

Saturday , September 26th

Play day at Pascoe Vale

You can find all the info on this poster and for any questions you may have please contact Annet !

Sunday , September 27th   (9:30-3pm)

Sheep and Woolcraft Field Day , Cranbourne Public HAll (near KFC)

A perfect fibre and craft day hosted by the Black n Coloured Sheep association of Australia and an absolute MUST!

How To Order:

1. You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot au or ixchelbunny at yahoo dot com dot au
2. 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? Any custom orders for yarn or dyeing fibre? Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable.

Thank you so much for your help and support !

 RABBIT ON !

((hugs))

Charly

Dive in and Spin

Doing some serious research into rare fibres and animals and guess what I came across? Seasilk. Now I always thought that term was used to describe the Seaweed fibres I have put into my Seasheep North Ronaldsay blend but apparently I Have been mistaken…it is also used to describe a super rare fibre I did not even know was being spun..by hand..and ..is amazingly rare.

A popular European summer destination, Sardinia is increasingly appreciated by in-the-know travelers. Although globalization’s waves have been striking the main cities, the island can still boast a remarkable resistance to the winds of change. The tangled past of this Italian island makes it a fascinating cluster of heritage sites and ancient traditions, proudly protected by its inhabitants, adults and children alike.
The region is imbued with an atmosphere that allows prehistoric spots to blend harmoniously with Moorish culture, Roman settlements and Aragonese architecture.  Sant’Antioco, the tiny island opposite Sardinia’s southernmost coast is very special. There is a  bridge connecting the two islands and the unfolding panorama calls to mind a smaller version of Montecarlo: a picturesque hamlet in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, that reflects itself on the calm lagoon dotted with sailing boats. At first sight, Sant’Antioco appears to be nothing more than a fishing village naturally fated to become a hot tourist spot in the high season. Looking deeper inside the town, however, it’s possible to track the connection with ancient civilizations.

The island has a rich tradition in spinning raer fibres and after I found that out  I really needed to know more about Mrs Chiara Vigo, the only woman in the world who still works the byssus, better known as the silk of the sea, the same way women in ancient Mesopotamia used to weave it in order to make clothes for their kings.

 “Ms. Chiara Vigo?” I asked.
“Yeah, that one would be me,” she replied, showing off her witty nature.
The first moments were decisive: “I would like to make clear that I’m not an artist, nor an artisan,” she clarified before I even had the time to ask, “I’m a master. Please let’s not mix terms up.”

 “Because the three professions are very different...,” ......
“ they are,” went on Chiara.
“An artist creates over inspiration, an artisan produces and sells, masters pass their art on and cannot sell.”

The lab where Chiara works is also the only Museum of the Byssus in the world, and it sits on top of a little hill in downtown Sant’Antioco.

“What do you know about the byssus?” she asked.
 “Nothing,” I confessed, fully aware that there was no way I could lie about it.
“Excellent,” she replied. “I can’t bear when someone comes here to teach me about the byssus.”

phew...

The ice was officially broken, and Chiara began telling her story, elegantly intertwined with this form of art, born in ancient Middle Eastern lands around 10,000 years ago.
“The Bible itself mentions indirectly the byssus,” explained Chiara. “Remember when it says that King Solomon appeared shining in public? " "Why do you think is that? He was wearing byssus-made clothes, that in the dark appear brown, but once in the light, they shine like gold.”

Chiara Vigo has also certified that the controversial St.Veronica’s Veil, also known as the Sudarium, that allegedly reproduces the Christ’s face after being used by St. Veronica to comfort him on his way to crucifixion, is, be it miraculous or not, made of this silk.

The byssus is a fine fabric produced from the velvety strand of the noble pen shell, or pinna nobilis, an endangered fan-shaped species of mollusc, native of the Mediterranean Sea bed.
Originally, the pen shell used to be fished in order to pull the byssus out, but Chiara has come up with a special cut so that she can take the secreted material without killing the precious animal.
“The pen shell offers us ten centimeters of byssus per year,” explained Chiara, who dives herself on the lookout for the rare silk.
 “To gather 200 grams of byssus, I need to go on 300 divings,” she revealed, pointing out to me that “it doesn’t grow on the bottom of the shell, like many people think, but right here, on the side.”

After collecting the byssus, the first step is to leave the raw material to soak in a mixture of eight seaweeds. Once dry, Chiara combs it with a wool card and finally twists the fine filaments together with a spindle made of oleander, forming the gilded thread.
The yarn is spun and plied quite a few times in order to make it strong enough to be woven. Chiara belongs to a family of artists: she was introduced to this ancient craft by her maternal grandmother, who taught traditional weaving for sixty years to Sant’Antioco’s women.
Her other grandmother taught her how to work gold and silver fabrics. Among all crafts she possesses, Chiara chose to devote her life to this legendary art.

Today her unique pieces are displayed in museums in Rome, London, New York and Paris’ Louvre and donated to presidents and popes. Their worth is estimated in the hundreds of thousands of euros. But Chiara lives out of the donations left by those who visit her workshop in Sant’Antioco. Due to the scarcity of this type of silk, the difficulty in finding and working it, the byssus has always been too expensive to be quotable, and in ancient times only pharaohs, Roman emperors, kings or high priests could afford such luxury..

“Why don’t you sell some of your work?” .......
“Because some things are more important than money, and one of these is the perpetuation of an art. Also there is the Sea Oath” she said, "the byssus cannot be used for personal advantage; it belongs to everybody, just like the sea, and things need to stay this way."

the precious Mollusc fibre

Sardinian women spinning the byssus fibres early 1900s

....and although the whole mollusc was taken in the early days, now preservation calls for a better more humane approach:
they are gently taken from the rock and the mollusc fibres are carefully cut and the mollusc put back. This type of mollusc can live up to 25 years!

byssus cloak St. Yves in Louannec.

precious seasilk gloves dug up at an archaeolical dig in Egypt

Chiara working carefully with the byssus fibres

Don’t get to excited!!!!!  No !!!!:  I did NOT go on 300 dives or more to get you some byssus fibre…eh…no…lol…..instead, I thought it would be nice to offer you some very special Flemish sheep with linen tops …it is a bit chilly here at the moment and I did not want to get into my wet suit….not yet..lol

 If you do want to know some more about the whole Byssus and the spinning of this magical fibre please go to : http://www.sardolog.com/bisso/english/ou.htm or plan a holiday to Sardinia !

About the Flemish sheep are sometimes mistakenly named milk sheep : they have a very nice feel and loft and spin beautifully. Because of the heritage I thought it would be nice to blend them with linen. Spinning this blend will produce a very nice tweedy kind of look and is very nice to work with and wear !

Flemish Sheep and Linen blend Tops

100+grams/ 3.56 oz AU$24
A very sweet sheep with very nice lustrous lofty fleece from the luscious pastures of Flanders

Great to spin and wear !

Wood Elves-sold-

Velvet-2 left-

Tequila Sunrise-1 left-

T -Rex Party-sold-

Rose Petals-sold-

Neptune Colliding-sold-

Mushroom DReam-1 left-

Love Heart-sold-

Lichen Forest-sold-

King Bob-sold-

Heart Echo-sold-

Happy-sold-

Glaciers on Pluto-sold-

Ghost in the Machine-sold-

Eucalypt Ghosts-sold-

Eggshell-sold-

Dark Velvet-sold-

Fibre Archaeology-sold-

Have a fun weekend Creating your Dreams! Just Dive in ! 

Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time if you have any questions okay? Always happy to enable.

All my contact details are to be found at the end of this weeks blog entry.
Have fun !!!

Dates to put in your Calendar !!

Saturday , September 26th

Play day at Pascoe Vale

You can find all the info on this poster and for any questions you may have please contact Annet !

Sunday , September 27th   (9:30-3pm)

Sheep and Woolcraft Field Day , Cranbourne Public HAll (near KFC)

A perfect fibre and craft day hosted by the Black n Coloured Sheep association of Australia and an absolute MUST!

How To Order:

1. You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot au or ixchelbunny at yahoo dot com dot au
2. 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? Any custom orders for yarn or dyeing fibre? Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable.

Thank you so much for your help and support !

 RABBIT ON !

((hugs))

Charly