Shows, new blends and heartbreaking decisions

It’s all “Go Go GO!” here with about ten thousand exclamation marks added!! 

There is spinning going, blending, skeining, labelling, dyeing , no let me rephrase that : LOTS OF DYEING ! and all for the handknitters and crochet guild show which is on the 15th and 16th of May. There will be lots of handspun and handdyed  yarns there and just so you know, for big shows like this it takes a long long time to prepare. I cannot whip the amount of yarns and fibres up in a week. .I spin, blend, dye and make things by hand, as you know, it takes time. So there is a lot a LOT of planning involved and time is very important.

What this is a bit of a pre amble to, is to explain some heavy duty gossiping that has come to my attention and this blog is to nip everything that is making my ears burn incessantly lately, in the bud, so to speak. Call it “coming clean” if you will…lol

You will be seeing me and Paul at the handknitters and crochet guild show , which has been planned very well by the guild and the communication in this difficult time has been excellent. And yes, I say “in these times” because whatever you may think, we are still in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. That obviously makes everything organizing wise extremely hard. Ask me how I know…lol 

 Anyhoo, I hope to see you at the Coburg town hall on Saturday the 15th or Sunday the 16th from 10am til 2pm on Sunday or for Saturday til 3pm. Please have a look at the handknitters guild site and book your tickets. Very important! All of us are asking everybody to be COVID safe to keep everybody safe and knitting for years to come ! Here’s the link: trybooking.com to book a timeslot to attend.

That is obviously the good news! Now get ready for the bad-ish news……

 
I have already told you that there is a huge amount of work involved I preparing for a big show. I have also been through quite a lot in the last few years. Especially the cardiac arrest just before the Bendigo Show in 2019 literally knocked me out and I have to say that the heart operation I had afterwards did not give me the SuperWoman powers back I was hoping for. 

Now, this is not a pitty party or anything like that ! I just want to come clean and tell you that , like everybody, when the pandemic hit in 2020, I did my best to provide an income for the farm to keep going (and succeeded thanks to you all !!!) and this meant that I basically have spent 24/7 , 365 days non stop working. 

I can feel it. It has taken its toll. The amount of work needed to keep everything going is astronomically high and I am feeling it. It’s getting harder and harder. Especially since I have not taken heed of the warning signs , like Paul telling me to take it easier and do less work. I can’t ! 

I have to admit it is a major flaw in my personality. Well, not really a flaw…it’s me, I am weird: I am extremely focused, can spend a large amount of time on what I love to do mentally and physically. Forgetting to eat, drink, I don’t mind being alone or in isolation, I have tunnel vision as far as my work is concerned AND my customers. 

I feel a huge amount of responsibility towards the people that have shown so much support over the last almost 20 years. I am there for them if they have problems, answer emails and calls personally and in details. I Try and help when I can. Because I know how important it is to have somebody listen and care. I care. I care a lot. 

This makes it extra hard to tell you that I have made the heart breaking decision to NOT be part of the Bendigo Sheep and Wool show this year. I have not had a definitive go ahead from the organisers, who are probably held hostage by the council and all the protocols as well. I cannot possibly commit at this point and time and produce the huge amount of stock needed for the show in such a short period of time. It’s not like I can just put everything away in cupboards and keep it for later. Everything needs lots of planning and , let’s face it, lost of money to invest prior to big shows. Not even talking about money but also time. And time is not something I have lost of extras of. 

For the last few months, I was making myself extremely stressed and sick just trying to decide what to do. And, I am still stressed out, because by not attending a big show like the Bendigo show, means a big loss of income for the farm. It also means that by saying “no” I will piss people off, alienate people I love and not seeing my customers. I was really really torn and heart broken. I hope you can forgive me (starting to cry here…) but I sincerely hope you can understand. I just do not have the heart power and the energy to make it happen. 

I hope that I will get right before the next show in 2022 !!! I will be there again with bunny ears on you can bet on that. 

In the meantime, you can find me doing my weekly blog updates. I have some pretty special rare sheep blends planned again for the next few months. My monthly clubs are going strong  and I really hope with all my heart that you understand.

So, This week I have a fab new blend for you on offer : 

A fine merino and bamboo blend that is soft and interesting , spins like butter and if you are into felting: It felts into amazing art works as well ! ! 

I have conjured up some new colourways for you as well, so, please enjoy this weeks offering ! 

 Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time if you have any questions or want to order 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 and Bamboo Tops (85/15)

AU$22               100grams

Happy Unicorns SOLD

Wuthering Heights  SOLD

Starry Night   4 left

Self Rescuing Princess 4 left

Moonage Daydream  SOLD

Zombies n Mermaids  2 left

Rose Velvet  3 left

Dragonfly in Amber   3 left

Dreamy Haze  sold

To order: email or message me on facebook or Instagram, quoting the colourway and the quantity you would like, together with your postal address and I will get right back to you with all the payment details.

IxCHeL Tweed Yarn  

Hand dyed

Super soft lambs wool 70% and Kid Mohair 30%

Spun singles, fingering or sock weight yarn

+/- 200meters/218yards

50grams      1.76oz

AU$18

Botanical dyes 

(dyed with Eucalypt, Madder root, Walnut, Elderberry, Indigo,Acorn)

Indigo

Jewels

NEW colours !!! 

 IxCHeL Tweed Yarn 

Super soft lambs wool 70% and Kid Mohair 30%

Spun singles, fingering or sock weight yarn

+/- 200meters/218yards

50grams      1.76oz

AU$16

Nephrite Jade 

 (A beautiful deep sage green colour with fun blue, lime and salmon speckles)

Grevillea + new ! 

 A vibrant raspberry pink tweed with deep purple, lime and soft pink speckles)

To order: email or message me on facebook, Ravelry or Instagram, quoting the colourway and the quantity you would like, together with your postal address and I will get right back to you with all the payment details.

IxCHeL Tweed fingering weight yarn

Super soft lambs wool 70% and Kid Mohair 30%

Spun singles, fingering or sock weight yarn

+/- 200meters/218yards

50grams      1.76oz

AU$16

Great Barrier Reef

Leafy Seadragon

Flying Fox

Airlie Beach

Sea Mist

Amethyst

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

Kata Tjuta           BACK IN STOCK !!!
(an intense pure red that goes well with the Kookaburra and the Wattle and the Amethyst colourway and soooooo  many 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)

Dusky 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)

Landscape dyes

 100g tubs   AU$12
250 g tubs AU$27

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.

All my contact details are here:

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.

Keep your eyes out for any news on the 

ixchelbunny Instagram feed and the IxCHeL facebook page!!

 RABBIT ON !

((hugs))

Charly