It never rains but it pours .....

Drenched Rosella, asking for some lunch 

It doesn’t rain but it pours ! One day you are threatened by bush fires and sweltering in super high temperatures, the next you are bombarded by hailstones the size of ping pong balls and there’s so much rain, that now you are threatened by floods. Never a dull moment ! Luckily our veranda roof got punctured and looking lie swiss cheese by the previous hail storm and we did not have a chance to replace them yet with our brand spanking new roof !! Sometimes not doing all the chores right away pays off ! LOL

All the February clubs have been shipped off on Tuesday. I was a bit delayed by the fact that the power was off for a whole day because of “severe weather conditions and a whole line went down”…I did do a lot of spinning ! Because you know….sustainable leg power ! comes in handy !!!

 You have to know tat from the very moment Bendigo Show is over in July, I will start spinning angora yarns again. Spinning these fine yarns takes a lot of time by hand so I am on the go to get as many done as possible for the hand knitters guild show in May the following year. This year I am behind again, because of, well I am sure if you have been reading this blog, my heart kinda gave up last year and unfortunately my spinning won’t get very far without my inner motor. So yeah, that was a bit of a hiccup…. I am getting better and I am also pushing myself to get stronger by doing exercises (other than spinning): Lots and lots of walking and trekking. Anything to get my heart get stronger and up for the challenges ahead.
I am doing an Ifit program challenge which involves a lot of “virtual” trekking on a treadmill as well and surprise surprise I LOVE IT!   I have been to Easter Island, Mount Everest Basecamp and next, I will go to Scotland with no other than a guide called Graham McTavish from Outlander !!!  No really ! I am not joking..lol
So what happens is you start the program on your tablet and while walking / running/ jogging , you see the landscape in front of you on a screen of say Scotland and you are guided through it by a guide like Graham McTavish ! All of course while doing lots of walking and exercise yourself while seeing the landscape go by!   It’s so much fun AND I am getting fitter at the same time. I’m losing a bit of weight as well (which is a bonus) but most importantly, I feel like I am getting a bit of my health back. More time to dye, spin and live life !  Here's a bit of a look of what I am talking about and since I know a lot of my friends love "Outlander" Here's Graham :

I have been doing lots of dyeing as well, including some extra special dye sessions on the IxCHeL Lace weight cashmerino yarns, but because it has been so WET, I haven’t been able to get them dry in time for todays update. SO SORRY! But there’s always next week! And I am also working on some special kits in the next couple of weeks so look out for that coming soon !

Apart from the club sign ups  and the IxCheL tweed yarns, for tonight's update there is a luscious Merino Silk blend and it is something completely different. I’ll explain why:

When I offer you my hand dyed tops I blend the tops first and then hand dye them afterwards; that way you get short colour repeats and splashes of colour. All the different fibres are blended together first on a machine I call a Gill or a Pin Drafter. This aligns all the different types of fibres together and pulls them into a top that “blends” all the different fibres together into one top.

For the Merino Silk tops on offer tonight it works a bit like the other way around: First you have your already dyed tops, all different colours together in separate slivers or tops, combine it with whatever you like : silk or Tencel , and then gilling it all together to create a blended colour and fibre top. This will create a very soft blend and a colour mix that will create a heathered yarn when spun up.

Here are some photos of the awesome gilling or pin draft machine so you see what I mean: it is a very cute lil monster by the way, that will let you combine up to 6 different types of colours or fibres together. It’s like putting a recipe together and cooking a yummy meal 😊

the Gilling or pin drafting machine, 
used to blend different slivers of fibres and or colours together

Close up of the inner mechanisms of the “teeth” that separate and then push all the fibres 
together and aligns them into one top;
 it is very important to adjust everything to what type of fibres you want to blend. 
The end product has to weigh around a 25 to 28grams /meter 
(that’s what I love to work with anyway..)
and all the fibres will be evenly distributed throughout the top. 
You can gill once, twice or three or four times, actually as many times as you like. 
 You really have to know your fibres though : 
soft and super fine and short stapled fibres need to be handled very carefully:
you don’t want to overwork it and create nepps !

Here are some new colourways  of the super soft merino silk tops for you to play with: they spin up beautifully and laying them out for felting is so easy and magical !

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 week’s blog entry. Have fun !!!

Merino Silk Tops

19 micron merino (70%) and Mulberry Silk (30%)

100+gram top     AU$19

Sage

Autumn Leaves

Dream Cloud

Velvet Wine

Storm

Rose Cottage

Heather

Tequila Sunrise

IxCHeL Club Sign ups for the SECOND trimester of 2020 !! are OPEN!!! 

 Here is an overview of all the "Art Journey" themed clubs shipped out to all the members in 2019 and 2020.

Teasers of the latest clubs are always be posted on my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, so follow me there as well: I am ixchelbunny

 If you would like to join for the next round just PM me.

IxCHeL Clubs 2019

March Yarn Club

March Fibre Club

March Batt Club

April Fibre Club

April yarn Club

April Batt Club

June Batt, yarn and fibre Club

July Fibre Club

July Yarn Club

July Batt Club

August Fibre Club

August Yarn Club

August Batt Club

September Fibre Club

September Yarn Club

September Batt Club

October Fibre Club

October Yarn Club

October Batt Club

November Fibre Club

November Yarn Club

November Batt Club

December Fibre Club

December Yarn Club

December Batt Club

IxCHeL Clubs 2020

January 2020 Fibre Club

January Yarn Club

January 2020 Batt Club

IxCHeL Fibre Club April, May and June 2020

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$25

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 #43 and receive your special hand dyed top :)) for three months (April, May and June 2020) is AU$75 + postage (parcel post or airmail). AND there are good value double and triple serves available !!!

For Australia : single serve $75+$30 postage (parcel post), double serve $144+$30 (save $6) or triple serves $215 (save $9!) + postage 

For New Zealand : single serve $90+$39 postage (parcel post) double serve $165( save $15!!) +$39 postage

For USA + Canada: single serve AU$75+AU$57 (Airmail) double serve AU$144+AU$57; triple serve $215 (save $9) + postage

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$75+AU$69 (airmail) Double serve AU$144+AU$69; triple serve $215 (save $9) + postage

 For Asia: Single serve AU$75+AU$50 (airmail) Double serve AU$144+AU$50; triple serves $215 (save $9) + postage 

If you want to receive a fibre surprise every month then join the IXCHEL FIBRE CLUB #43 now. Numbers are strictly limited ! The April 2020 Club is going to be shipped out end of April, the May club mid May and the June club early June. Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me your details. 

 The IxCHeL Yarn Clubs April, May and June 2020

Every month for three months (January, February and March 2020) you will receive: enough hand dyed luscious yummy yarn to make a pair of socks or a lush shawl or scarf of course! (the hand dyed yarn will be exclusive for the Ixchelbunny SOCK-IT-TO-ME Yarn CLUB and will range from a sockweight yarn (a 4ply/fingering weight yarn) or an 8ply / DK weight enough to make a pair of socks ; Every month a sock or scarf 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 or scarves extra long ! 

For Australia : single serve $90+$30 postage (parcel post) double serve $165( save $15!!) +$30 postage

For New Zealand : single serve $90+$39 postage (parcel post) double serve $165( save $15!!) +$39 postage

For USA + Canada: single serve AU$90+AU$57 (Airmail) double serve $165 (Save $15!!) +AU$57 

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$90+AU$69 (airmail) Double serve $165 (Save $15!!) +AU$69 

For Asia: Single serve AU$90+AU$50 (airmail) Double serve $165 (= Save $15!!!) +AU$50 

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 . The April 2020 Club is going to be shipped out end of April, the May club mid May and the June club early June. Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me your details

IxCHeL Funky Bunny Batt Clubs April, May and June 2020

Here are all the details. 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 170grams with luxury fibres like camel , angora, cashmere, silk, yak, llama even wallaby 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 April, May and June 2020

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

For Australia : $114+$30 postage (parcel post)

For New Zealand : single serve $90+$39 postage (parcel post) double serve $165( save $15!!) +$39 postage

For USA + Canada: AU$114+AU$57 (Airmail) 

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: AU$114+AU$69 (airmail) 

For Asia: AU$114+AU$50 (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 April 2020 Club is going to be shipped out end of April, the May club mid May and the June club early June. Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me your details.

To become a member just email me on ixchelbunnyart at gmail dot com or message me on facebook or Instagram. More on how to order the clubs and anything from this update later in the blog in the section “how to order”

IxCHeL Aran Tweed Yarn

I have two colourways available at the moment: Both with the most colourful speckles and pops of colour you can think of and both in pure wool, spun with lots of love

50 grams AU$16 , appr 80 meters per skein.

IxCHeL Aran Tweed Coral Sea

IxCHeL Aran weight Tweed Coral Sea with bright pops of colour

IxCHeL Aran Tweed Coral Sea 

IxCHeL Aran Tweed Opal

IxCHeL Aran weight Tweed Opal  with bright pops of colour

IxCHeL Tweed fingering weight yarn

Super soft lambswool 70% and Kid Mohair 30%

Spun singles, fingering or sock weight yarn

+/- 200meters/218yards

50grams      1.76oz

AU$16

NEW Colours !!!

Leafy Seadragon

Flying Fox

Airlie Beach

Sea Mist

Amethyst

Great Barrier reef

Wattle
(A beautiful sunshine yellow that goes so well with the kookaburra the silver grey)

Kata Tjuta
(an intense pure red that goes well with the Kookaburra and the Wattle and the Amethyst colourway and soooooomany others)

Kookaburra
(a beautiful silver grey with ochre accents that complement the dingo colourway)

Dingo
( A beautiful warm honey ochre with pops of royal bluebell, kingfisher and kangaroo paw)

Grevillea
(a gorgeous raspberry base with pops of royal bluebell, flowering gum, grey and daintree)

Flowering Gum
( a gorgeous medieval warm red with bright red, kookaburra and fern forest accents)

Fern Forest
( a deep forest green with accents of bright red, dusky purple and daintree) )

Jacarandah 
( a fabulous deep purple with accents of royal bluebell, daintree, grevillea and kingfisher )

Wombat
( a fabulous deep walnut brown with accents of dingo and kookaburra)

Kangaroo Paw 
( a fabulous warm orange with accents of fern forest, royal bluebell and grevillea and dingo )

isn’t it gorgeous how the Kangaroo paw knits up?! )

Royal Bluebell 
( a deep blue with accents of flowering gum, kookaburra and fern forest )

Wallaby
( a warm light brown with accents of soft blue and kookaburra)

Daintree ( a soft green with accents of fern forest and dingo)

Kingfisher 
( a fabulous Turquoise blue with accents of fern forest, kangaroo paw, Jacaranda and Grevillea)

Pm me if you would like to give some of these amazing new IxCHeL Tweed yarns or the Buddhas tears tea a good home or if you want to sign up for the IxCHeL Clubs ! Enjoy looking and have a fun weekend !

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 week’s blog entry. 

IxCHeL Buddhas tears tea

carefully packed and presented in a special organza gift bag

50g/ AU$19

Two organically grown superior green tea leaves and a jasmine bud are plucked from the best quality tea bushes and mixed with delicately smelling jasmine blossoms, then sieved and hand rolled on bamboo trays, into small balls while the leaves are not quite dry. 

The leaf captures the fine jasmine aroma and releases it during brewing, giving a champagne coloured cup. 

 Brewing: 1-3 minutes 75-80degC , 

 4 pearls/cup, 

you can reinfuse 3-4 times so those 4 pearls last a looong time

Carefully handrolled tea

Enjoy the tea over and over again, by adding hot water again and again

Landscape dyes

100g tubs   AU$11 
250 g tubs AU$26

Want to dye your own with easy to use acid dyes? I have been selling these Landscape dyes at my workshops and shows for a long time :  They are extremely easy to use and come in great shades.
Just contact me with the name of the colour you are after and I will get right back to you.

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 week’s blog entry. 
Have a fun weekend !!!

How To Order:

1. You can email me on ixchelbunnyart at gmail dot com  or ixchelbunny at yahoo dot com dot au
2. Message me on facebook or 
3. Message me on www.ravelry.com  where I am ixchelbunny.
4. message me on Instagram 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.

Dates to put in your Calendar

keep your eyes out for any news on the 

ixchelbunny Instagram feed and the IxCHeL facebook page!!

 RABBIT ON !

((hugs))

Charly