Jingle, Jangle Creative Holidays

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That time of year is coming closer and closer: Christmas holidays. It’s the time where I feel extremely conflicted about whether to down tools, relax and start cooking and baking -a lot- or…feeling guilty about downing tools and not working. So, this year, I am compromising. During the holidays I will keep on working but at a much s.l.o.w.e.r. pace! What a brilliant idea! I have no idea how it will work, but at least I won’t have to battle my inner demons telling me it cannot possibly be right to just sit down and read a book, while sipping a cocktail.  Mind you, I may change tactics, depending on a lot of extenuating circumstances, like the ultimate heatwave hitting our shores, predicting over 40 to 45degree heat. I’m aiming to be eh..adaptable…and not get myself in a tangled mess. Maya Angelou said it best : “I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled yarn and Christmas tree lights.”

The absolute hectic mayhem of the twelve days of Christmas fundraiser event has passed and I have started cleaning up, organising dye pigments, plants, fibres and yarns, ready to create another bit of mayhem in the next few weeks.

I thought it would be a great idea to start something I have never really down before while having this website and that is create a “pre order”. I am not doing this lightly. Things like this can be fraught with danger, but since I have been doing clubs and been in business since 2004 I think the chances of me doing a “Bankman-Fried” will be highly unlikely. The most important thing the launch of this website, back in August, has taught me, is that it is tremendously important to plan ahead. Not only for myself and my dyeing schedule but also to minimise the amount of disappointment to all of you by not being able to offer enough. So,  the weather forecast saying that it is going to be warm and sunny, I thought it was a brilliant idea to start the natural dye process, which takes a long, long time. I normally only have time to do these natural dyeing and eco printing sessions once or twice a year. Since the last few years have proven to be super hectic, I thought I’d take the plunge this holiday season. All the leaves, bark, dye pigments have been collected, dye baths will start next week and they will take about two weeks to “ferment” and dye the yarns. 
I am offering you three types of yarn bases and all the information on which dye plants are going to be used are mentioned on the listing in the section “what’s new” and the pre order listing.

Here are some photos from previous dye baths, together with some knitted examples. 

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All the pre ordered eco printed yarns will be shipped out to all who ordered in early January ♥️

Which brings me to the next part: the art journey clubs for 2023! All the prep work for those will need to be done during my “holidays” as well 🤣 so club sign ups will need to be finalised by the 30th of December at the latest to give me much needed time.

Here is an overview of what the 2021 clubs looked like. Revisiting them and making these little compilations sure was fun. 2023 will be filled with lots of colourful, interesting and mesmerising art works as inspiration as well !

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 I hear what you’re thinking: well, that doesn’t sound like a holiday to me…lol.  If you had seen me running around like an absolute mad hatter out of Alice in Wonderland over the last year, compared to the more eh…gentle pace I am going to go at over the next two weeks 😉 

Now, before I let you go and browse the website and the pre order eco print yarns offer, i will take a short break from blogging til January 20th. The online  shop will remain open and more importantly, new items will be added at regular intervals to keep stock levels up and of course to tempt you.

2023 will bring lots of new fibre and yarn adventures, new colourways and fabulous new lair of the bearded dragon spindles, bowls and much much more! So exciting !!

I cannot thank you all enough for all the support and amazing friendship you have shown both Paul and myself this year! We are super grateful ♥️ Without you, we would not be able to do what we do. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Festivus, Kwanzaa and happy holiday season filled with lots of fun and creativity. 

May 2023 bring you lots of new adventures, colour, happiness;

May your yarns never tangle and everything you create be worn with a big smile ♥️

Keep making, keep smiling;  do what you love and do it often ♥️

Big Hugs,

Charly