Stay Fluffy !

Happy Friday ! 

 I have put it out there earlier today on my Instagram and facebook accounts that “the Russians were coming” and I hope that everybody was totally aware I was talking about a new Russian rare sheep blend and not some novichok attack …lol Although, saying that, I do have a colourway named after that pesky nerve agent. In the case of MY offerings: you can wear my novichok proudly without any side effects whatsoever. I would advise against dabbing some REAL novichok on your body if I were you…. 

One thing is for sure: you have nothing to fear with these fluffy cuties , but more on the breed later! 

 It was another busy week here and even more so because of the rare sheep breed updates and the July clubs I have been blending up and preparing. I also have been participating in the Tour de Fleece again and so I have been at the wheel every night til about 2 am in the morning, following the cyclists into beautiful France! It is so much fun and if you have not been part of the tour de fleece/Tour de France this year: Please check it out. There are great facebook and ravelry groups to participate in and at the end of the day you will have lots of yarn spun while watching gorgeous landscapes. 

 Also, I have been receiving lots of messages, emails and calls,  asking me if I was going to be at the Bendigo Show. 

No, I am not going to the Bendigo show this year. I am very sorry to not be part of the fibre fun that may or may not be happening next week, depending on all kinds of lock downs and other Covid related phenomena. 

I explained everything on my blog update last week and also when I actually made my decision months and months ago. 

I know it is a tough time for lots of people and now more than ever, we need compassion and as always: I will be there for you no matter where you are, right here , every Friday on this blog. Not only that: you can find me on Instagram and facebook. I am always there for you: message me and I will always respond, not only to sell you my fluffy fibres or yarns, but those of you have followed me for years, know that I am there for them no matter what. We are all one community, one family. Especially in these times it is good to know someone you can chat to. I want you to know I am there for you as well.

I won't keep you with my murmerings; let's get on to the fun stuff : Sheep and fluffy fibres !  Here are some gorgeous Romanov sheep , who are in the spotlight this week ! Enjoy this weeks' update !

The Romanov Sheep hail from the Upper Volga area of Russia and were named after a town in the region. 

The breed first came to prominence in the 18th century. 

Mature male rams reach up to 80kgs in weight, with ewes averaging 40-50kgs. 

The Romanov sheep are a very early maturing breed, the Romanov can reach full sexual maturity as early as 3-4 months old! 

They can also breed at any time of the year and ewes are very prolific, sometimes having up to six lambs per birth. Multiple births are extremely common in this short-tailed breed.  

They are very hardy and very strong and are well adapted to harsh cold climates. They are generally black in colour when born, though this changes to grey as they mature. Their face and legs are usually black in colour as well, with large white markings common on the top of their heads. 

Their wool is famed for being very strong and resourceful and is double-coated. Their undercoat is about 16-22 microns and their outercoat is 40-150 microns. 

The average fleece shorn from a Romanov weighs 4.5kgs in total. 

From sourcing to dehairing and blending it took me about one year to get the base materials in. That is mainly due to the fact that the initial sourcing and administrative work, which took me 2 years last time, was already done…Phew ! It still took me Lots and lots of time to prepare all the fibres to get it into the absolutely luscious state it is in now. Lots of sourcing, lots of forms and administrative rules and regulations !  And, The wool needs a lot of creativity in preparation! 

Unlike most double coated breeds where the outercoat is significantly longer than the undercoat, the Romanov’s two coats are of similar length. This complicates the job of separating the coarse fibres from the fine undercoat! The right set of wool combs have done the trick but it takes a loooooong time. 

 You may know I love to dye over a base that is grey or brown: it makes the dye so much more interesting and deep. The colour of the Romanov is grey and absolutely amazing to dye and spin. There are no guard hairs in the blend at all and because I have blended it with Silk, lots of our Cashmere and Angora bunny : the softness is out of this world. As you can imagine I only have a very limited amount available: some natural and some dyed. Message or email me if you are interested in trying this fabulous sheep breed.

Russian Romanov Sheep Blend Tops  

Russian Romanov Sheep, Mulberry Silk, Cashmere, Angora Bunny 

 100+ gram tops AU$28

Kremlin 2     SOLD

Pussy Riot  SOLD

Frozen Siberian Lake    SOLD

(note: My absoluet fav coluorway this week. I seem to be on a lilac mood ...lol)

Kamchatka      SOLD

Novosibirsk
SOLD

Baltic Sea  sold

Tsarina’s Gold  SOLD

Sputnik  sold

Navalny’s Underwear SOLD

Novichok   sold

Natural sold

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.

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