A Noble Fibre Feast !

A Noble Fibre Feast

Finally I have come to the realization why I am always feeling I am late, like the white rabbit from Alice in wonderland: It is because I can think of at least 6 impossible things before breakfast and want to make them all come true, preferably on the same day.

Time, however, has other plans. A phenomenon that either catapults me into realms of procrastination or wild and ultimate panic. As you may know I have been wanting to create an online shop since 2009..even had everything set to go (well almost …lol) in 2011 and actually paid for 4 years of hosting etc etc and in the end that all went down the torrential drain of “cant do it now, there are so many other things to do, like either staying alive or sticking with the true and known of writing my blog…..

Why go through hell to change things that seem to work..or rather, work semi okay? Well, with one part of my brain craving the status quo of the known, the other part of my brain said “ it doesn’t work ..it is not enough!”. And, of course my other part of my brain was totally right.: the blog  never seemed quite enough to show all that I wanted it to show....and what I had.

So, there will be a whole new world opening up for you when the shop goes live!!!! It will be very VERY VERY soon now. The count down timer has it ticking away at less than a day now! Yes, LESS THAN A DAY !!!! If you would like to know when exactly it is opening and get a newsletter sent out to you with all the info and something special, please go to www.ixchel.com.au. I have already sent out one newsletter to those who have subscribed before yesterday, but a second ultimate one will be sent out tomorrow morning !

Anyway..I digress… I was going to explain why I was so excited and why this whole online shop idea was so hard to get my head around and what adventures await !!! So let me explain:

If you have ever been to one of the big wool shows (see photos above) where you can literally wool dive to your hearts content, see an overwhelming amount of hand dyed fibres, yarns, special unique products, spindles and much much more, well, this is what I wanted the IxCHeL shop to be: kind of like falling into the wonderful, magical world of crafty possibilities and wonder and fun ! 

To reflect a bit of an “Alice in Wonderland” vibe, but obviously without the menacing Queen of hearts or the terrifying Jabberwocky. Although, saying that !!!! There is be a Dragon to be found in the IxCHeL online shop: The Bearded Dragon aka Paul, who makes the most wonderful spindles, bowls and fibre tools !!

To make a long story a tiny bit shorter: There are exciting things afoot! Every week I will still be doing my blog with ravings of my weekly excitements. It will be a bit different, but there will still be stories and back ground stories of rare breeds like I normally do. The selling part will , after todays update, move to the online shop.  YOu can still contact me if you need any custom dye or spinning requests and I will still be hereof course ! Contact me and I can stiull enable. It is not going to be like a computer or robot has totally "replaced"me ....lolol

There will also be a very fluid situation with the online shop: remember that line “think of 6 impossible things before breakfast?” ??? Well, there are always going to be new items , products, dreams and more added to the website on a weekly basis at least. And maybe sometimes even when you least expect it. I like to keep everybody on their toes…lolol even myself…lol

All the August clubs have been shipped last week and I will put photos of the August fibre , yarn and batts club on my Instagram and facebook pages. I just did not have the time to do that because, yes, you guessed it: website stuff but also dyeing of heaps and heaps of exciting (there’s that word again !) new fibres and blends. No rest for the wicked they say and how true! 

 For tonight’s special blog update I planned a new fibre I haven’t offered you before and it is quite special and I have to say super amazing to work with: French Rambouillet !!!!!

Strangely enough …ahem ahem…my weird brain did find the time to paint and design a label for the fibre (YES! No wonder I do not have enough time !!!!lolol) and can I just say : I think I am in love….lol 

What a fantastic looking specimen the Rambouillet is. Also known as the French Merino. And, here is their story:

During the 16th century, England’s frequent rival Spain began to develop a new breed of wool, one that would turn the global wool market upside down. Sheepologists differ in their theories of the Merino’s precise origin, though most believe that its ancestors came from North Africa. Whatever the source, Spanish shepherds recognized the potential of this emerging breed of sheep. They began to refine the breed, amplifying desirable traits like the wool’s fineness. In time, they had developed their own sheep breed: the Merino. As the quality of Spanish wool improved, so did its fame. Aided by Ferdinand and Isabella, who issued land reforms that favored shepherding over food crop production, Spanish Merino became the premier quality wool in the European market. 

Not surprisingly, Spain jealously guarded its monopoly on Merino wool. Exporting Merino sheep was a criminal offense, punishable by death. While Spain permitted a small quantity of Merino wool to be exported, it was only because Spanish factories couldn’t process it all. And oh boy, did France covet Spanish wool! In 1783, France’s king, Louis XVI, purchased a large property near Versailles from one of his many cousins. Louis XVI intended to use the Chateau de Rambouillet to expand his hunting grounds. (Fun fact: When his wife, Marie Antoinette, first saw the chateau, she reportedly burst out with “Comment pourrais-je vivre dans cette gothique crapaudière!”—which translates as “How could I live in such a gothic toadhouse!”) A few years later, Louis XVI built an experimental farm at Rambouillet, the Bergerie Nationale, to study animals, plants, and trees from other countries.

A request was sent in the king’s name to another cousin, Charles III of Spain, offering to purchase some Spanish sheep. In 1786, Charles agreed to sell several hundred heads from his prize flock to France. A total of 366 sheep, accompanied by Spanish shepherds, survived the trip and were settled at Rambouillet. 

One source proudly notes: “Observe that this flock, obtained for the king of France, was not a gift. These sheep were selected by the best experts, and all the best qualities of the finest races were represented.” Score one for la France! After a rough first winter, the flock began to multiply. In the meantime, political heads began to roll—literally. A devoted scholar named Professor Gilbert protected the flock from the ravages of the Revolution. Gilbert later set out for Spain in search of more Spanish sheep, but his attempts were less successful this time. Political relations between France and Spain had deteriorated. 

Many Spaniards were hostile to the idea of selling more prize Spanish sheep to their political rival. Gilbert persisted but became ill in 1800 and died while visiting a Spanish shepherd. As the Spanish Merino industry began to deteriorate, the French went flocking wild. They kept their newly acquired sheep at the Rambouillet farm under tight control and got to work. They refused to allow other sheep breeds to mingle with their flock and closely regulated the breed’s availability to other farmers. Some say that a few particularly fine English long wool breeds were carefully crossed with the Rambouillet to improve the wool, although we don’t know for sure. By 1870, the Rambouillet breed was the star of the show at the Paris Exposition, leading one jury member to describe it as “the most perfect type of fine wool sheep in existence.”
So exactly what makes the Rambouillet such a fine figure of a sheep? That depends. From a sheep farmer’s perspective, Rambouillet are larger and sturdier than their Merino cousins. Their wool is more plentiful, too, with a fine and soft hand. Rambouillet are a dual-purpose breed, providing high quality meat as well as beautiful wool. They also adapt well to harsher conditions and can thrive even with relatively sparse vegetation. From a knitter’s standpoint, though, the best thing about Rambouillet sheep is their wool. Rambouillet wool is next-to-the-skin soft—some knitters describe the hand as “cotton-y.” It takes dye beautifully and has excellent elasticity, giving it bounce and spring. Its loftiness gives it an airy feel and makes it cozy-warm. These tops are the direct descendants from this royal flock from France and are 19 micron. Rambouillet is very bouncy, fluffy and is next to skin soft with a very nice handle for hand spinning, happy to be spun woollen or worsted. 

Whether you just started spinning or have spun for years, Rambouillet is perfect. There’s something about this wool that inspires joy. Rambouillet sucks up the dye and yields rich opulent colours. Rambouillet just begs to be spun into a fabulous rich yarn. If you love felting: Rambouillet felts very easily.

The IxCHeL Art Journey club sign ups for the next round starting in October are open now ! So, if you want to be part of some awesome fun and receiving a yarn, batt or fibre lovingly hand dyed and inspired by a unique artwork : Please sign up ! You will receive a fluffy parcel every month with an extra surprise too ! All the information on all the clubs you can find further down on this blog. 

And : don't forget there is TWEED YARN too !! some amazing colour that can be used to make fabulous colour work magic.

Have some questions? Please let me know and email or message me ! Always happy to enable !

Also , like I said before, there are some amazing behind the scene stuff happening to get the IxCHeL Website up and running ! 

Better show you everything about tonight’s offering !

Have fun !!!

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. 

Rambouillet Tops

Pure French Rambouillet

100+ gram tops      AU$25

Natural

Magic Forest

Indigo Dream SOLD

Happy Autumn

Forest Nymph

Unicorn Feast

Midnight Blues. SOLD

Wuthering Heights

Queen Bee

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 club sign ups for 

October, November and December 2022

 are now open !

Here are some photos of the previous clubs: 

January 2022 Batt Club

January 2022 Fibre club

January 2022 Yarn Club

June 2021Club

June 2021Club

November 21 Yarn Club

Note to all International club members:
All international club parcels are now being shipped with tracking and expedited. 
There is an option if you want all three of your clubs to be shipped together to save on shipping cost:  Just ask me for a postage quote !

IxCHeL Fibre Club October, November, December 2022

The subscription is for a period of three months and you will receive one special hand dyed and special blended top/roving per month

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 #53 and receive your special hand dyed top :)) for three months (October, November and December 2022) is AU$78 + postage (parcel post or airmail). AND there are good value double and triple serves available !!!

For Australia : single serve $78+$30 postage (parcel post), double serve $150(save $6) +$30m postage or triple serves $225 (save $9!) + $30 postage

For New Zealand : single serve $78+$45 postage (parcel post) double serve $150(save $6) +$45 postage

For USA + Canada: single serve AU$78+AU$60 (Airmail) double serve AU$150+AU$60; triple serve $225 (save $9) + AU$60postage

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$78+AU$78 (airmail) Double serve AU$150+AU$78; triple serve $225 (save $9) + AU$78postage

 For Asia: Single serve AU$78+AU$57 (airmail) Double serve AU$150+AU$57; triple serves $225 (save $9) + AU$57postage 

If you want to receive a fibre surprise every month then join the IXCHEL FIBRE CLUB #53 now. Numbers are strictly limited ! Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me your details.

 The IxCHeL Yarn Clubs October, November, December 2022

Every month for three months (October, November and December 2022) 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 sock weight yarn (a 4ply/fingering weight yarn); 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 $96+$30 postage (parcel post) double serve $177( save $15!!) +$30 postage

For New Zealand : single serve $96+$45 postage (parcel post) double serve $177( save $15!!) +$45 postage

For USA + Canada: single serve AU$96+AU$60 (Airmail) double serve $177 (Save $15!!) +AU$60 

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$96+AU$78 (airmail) Double serve $177 (Save $15!!) +AU$78

For Asia: Single serve AU$96+AU$57 (airmail) Double serve $177 (= Save $15!!!) +AU$57

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 Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me your details

IxCHeL Funky Bunny Batt Clubs October, November and December 2022

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 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 2022

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

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

For New Zealand : single serve $114+$45 postage (parcel post)

For USA + Canada: AU$114+AU$60 (Airmail)

For UK,Europe, rest of the world: AU$114+AU$78 (airmail)

For Asia: AU$114+AU$57 (airmail)

If you want to receive a fibre surprise every month then join the IXCHEL FUNKY BUNNY BATT CLUB now. Numbers are strictly limited !

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 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 +  

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

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!!

Show the Love and Follow me on Instagram 

 RABBIT ON !

((hugs))

Charly