Spring has Sprung

Better get planting
For Bunny

I could easily say it was hectic and busy but I guess that is a given. The Clubs have been sent off and immediately it was back to the dyepots of custom orders and the very special Valais Blacknose adventure for all of those who signed up for this special rare sheep breed adventure end of July ! Everything has been blended and dyed and is cosily drying in front of the fire. Yes, fire, because although Spring has sprung it didn’t quite kick out the cold temperatures here in the hills. I will be making batts and getting everything ready to post over the weekend and then it is dyeing time again for all the September clubs to be sent out ! I don’t even want to think about the two big events coming up at the end of September yet because I know it will get here too fast ..lol…Yes, lots of dyeing and batting and blending this month for sure !

That doesn’t mean that we can forget about something that is extremely important for us here: planting our vegetables for us and the animals AND my dyeing!

We are very fortunate to have a huge walnut tree that provides a lot of dye materials and then there is the bush for foraging and collecting lots of wattles, eucalypts and much much more , Do not underestimate the value you can get out of vegetables you can plant in your garden. You do not need to dye with everything ofcourse , some of these veggies are excellent for your diet or the bunnies too!

Here are two examples of beautiful plants that are all rounders : beautiful, nourishing and great dyestuffs !

Take Comfrey for example (Symphytum). Comfrey is used as a herbal medicin as a healing poultice for sprains and bruises (in the old days it was called Knit Bone).
It has been known to heal wounds when all other remedies have failed. It is also an excellent green manure to improve soil conditions and the leaves also make a gorgeous mossy green. Comfrey grows best in moist conditions in both sun or shade and provides great cover under trees and shrubs. The plants can be divided in spring or in fall.
The good thing about your comfrey dyebath (as long as you have added no modifyers !) you can use it the same way as you would a liquid feed or tomatoes or you can use it as garden mulch. The make a dye bath with the Comfrey you simply cut up the leaves and cover them with boiling water and let soak overnight. Then you simmer the dyebath for at least one to two hours . Add your fibers. Turn off the heat and let it soak overnight. It gives your yarn and fibres a beautiful mossy green. If you want a darker yellow brown green just add some iron (old nails will do) . you do not need any mordant for protein fibres although it will make it more colourfast. For vegetable fibres you definitely need alum. Use the same amount of dyestuff to fibres for high saturation.

yarn samples dyed with comfrey

You love berries? Well so do our bunnies but more than that the leaves are also great ! yes your bunnies will love these ! The berries, the leaves and the fruiting canes all yield gorgeous colours ! The fall leaves and old blackberry canes give beautiful shades of grey, fawn and yellowy green. The berries give awesome lilac shades and even gorgeous pale pinks !

 All parts of the blackberry can be used dried and the berries can also be frozen before use. I tend to dry out all my natural dyestuffs because it will allow them to be kept longer. Make sure you dehydrate and dry out everything very well before storing. That way you will not get any mould mixed in with the dyestuff which can alter the dyeing process dramatically. Making a dyebath is easy: cut the leaves up , the canes and the leafy shoots. Simmer the plant parts for about an hour. For the berries, crush and simmer for half an hour. Strain off the dye liquid and when you want to dye vegetable fibres like cotton or hemp or flax only use a very low gentle heat for an hour. I leave them to sit and cool down overnight or even longer. Protein fibres can simmer for about an hour or longer, but again, leave them to cool down overnight. The more gentle and patient you are with your natural dye process the better the results are. As usual: ratio fibre to dyestuff is 1:1 for great saturation. Alum as a mordant works great and also enhances the colour fastness !

sample yarn skeins dyed with blackberry fruit (left) and canes/leaves (right)

There is still 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 .

Bunny Mink handspun 3 ply yarn

50+grams/ 1.75 oz AU$28
70% long hair mink, 30% angora. +/- 300 m / 50g. A very super soft yarn with an amazing meterage!

Great to spin and wear !

Natural

Indigo Fire -1 available-

Arctic Moss -2 available-

Berry Sweet-1 available-

Foxgloves-sold-

super Berry -1 available-

Tangerine-1 available-

Wallaby Dreaming-2 available-

Wombat Cuddle-2 available-

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