tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17968788573318840242024-03-18T14:02:31.462+11:00IxCHeL Fibres, Yarns & ArtIxchel is an Australian Fibre Farm in the Yarra Valley,Victoria, blending and dyeing all types of fibres and breeding fluffy animals. Charly McCafferty (ixchelbunny) does the painting, designing, spinning, dyeing, knitting and weaving,loving every second of it. Angora Rabbit, Cashmere, Mohair, Merino, Alpaca, Camel and rare breeds.Paul McCafferty is juggling his woodworking to make spindles and fibre tools and organising the farm harmoneously.
Email:ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.auixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.comBlogger785125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-81265011109158513032024-03-15T19:21:00.000+11:002024-03-15T19:21:28.025+11:00Spinning Pearls<p><a data-mce-href="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1722/27796972487_b022089083.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-href="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1722/27796972487_b022089083.jpg" href="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1722/27796972487_b022089083.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-mce-src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1722/27796972487_b022089083.jpg" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="500" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1722/27796972487_b022089083.jpg" data-sanitized-data-original-height="350" data-sanitized-data-original-width="500" height="280" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1722/27796972487_b022089083.jpg" width="400" /></a> </p><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br /></span></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">It’s been a roller coaster ride again as usual. I have been dyeing and blending and spinning lots of fibres and oh wait til you see what is in store tonight !!! </span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />The teaser label for the March club has been released but just in case you haven’t seen it yet, here it is: </div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/87DBADD1-7F09-41B2-B38A-5C7AB3285F62_480x480.jpg?v=1710488901" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/87DBADD1-7F09-41B2-B38A-5C7AB3285F62_480x480.jpg?v=1710488901" width="400" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;">I just love this painting from 1559 which apparently has about 140plus proverbs hidden in it. The more you look, the more you see. Can you find the woman holding the distaff and the woman spindling? What are they whispering to each other I wonder? </div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;">The March clubs will be ready to ship later next week.</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;">The next quarter starts in April and sign ups for the 2nd Quarter of teh art journey clubs will be closing at the end of this month, so if you haven’t signed up yet, hop to the club section of the shop to secure your spot! If you’d like a combo of two or three different clubs email or message me so you can save on shipping big time! Also, for those of you overseas: there is an option to have all three months shipped at once at the end of the 2nd quarter which can save you lots on shipping cost as well. Just email me if you have any questions.</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;">So if you don’t want to miss out on a monthly parcel of fun and excitement, please go to the club section on the website <a data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs" data-sanitized-target="_blank" href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs" title="ixchel clubs">here</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;">For this blog update I have something very special for you:<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><b data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Pearl Bunny Tops ! </b>lots of new colourways too like "Cherry Blossoms"<b data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> , </b>"Lotus Flowers", "Green Fairy” and "Botticelli".<br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;">You can find all the new colourways and this fab blend here: </div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new/products/pearl-bunny">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new/products/pearl-bunny</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">I am especially enthusiastic about this blend that has an amazing new and strange fibre: Chitin. That is pronounced KAI-tin btw, not Shit-in (yes...i am 5...lol)</span></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></span><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> Anyhoo, Chitin is one of those elements that I always am on the look out for , just like the stainless steel blend from years ago that I unleashed on all of you. I am always looking outside of the box to combine either technology, science, bizarness, call it what you like, into my special blends. </span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">This one took a bit of doing and literally years of combining science with the craft of blending different fibres together. But, let me start by explaining what exactly brought me to add shitin ..eh..i mean..Chitin... to my fibre blends ready for handspinning :</span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Chitin was discovered by the French chemist and pharmacist Henri Braconnot in 1811 and, after cellulose, it's the most important biopolymer in nature.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />In fact, it is made of the exoskeleton of insects, shellfish and Shells. Chitin is a polysaccharide. Chemically speaking it looks like a long-chain in which pearls are molecules of N-acetylglucosamine.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />The N-glucosamine is a very important substance for the human organism, in fact, it is the precursor of hyaluronic acid and it is used in therapies for the functional recovery of the joints.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Chitin is also widely used in the medical world to make suture wires because it can be degraded by enzymes present in human tissue. It is also used as wound dressing, enormously important to treat burn victims.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /> Chitin has a remarkable strength and it accelerates the healing of wounds. (want to delve deeper into some research?<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Here are some publications in the international journal of Niological Macromolecules:<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /> www.brommarin.com/blog-en/blog-posts/publications%20chitin%20scaffolds%20tissue%20engineering.php</div>As a medical anthropologist, the medical application of a fibre always peaks my interest and so I did some more research. So wait , there is more !<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Obviously I will not tell you to eat the Pearl bunny tops, but Chitin has many other applications than medical suture wires and wound dressing.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />It is also extensively used in food and pharmaceutical products. It is often used as a food thickener and stabilizer, and it can also form edible films.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Chitin is also used in supplements to manage healthy cholesterol levels and body weight. Additional uses of chitin include the support of kidney function.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Some early research shows that Chitin supports the body’s natural ability to heal skin damage and nerve regrowth.</div><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><em data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></em><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50095980553_9efd523407.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50095980553_9efd523407.jpg" data-sanitized-em="" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50095980553_9efd523407.jpg" width="336" /></strong></span></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Now something that really alerted me to the oddity of this fibre is based on , well, is it a protein or cellulose fibre? The chemical answer to that question is , well, interesting to say the least.</div></div><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Chitin, being derived from shells, made me think it was more like a protein than a cellulose fibre since there is obviously no cellulose in a crab. So I looked deeper into the chemical structure of Chitin and here it is: </span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><div class="separator" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><a data-mce-href="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/933/43818522201_061a40e6ae.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-href="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/933/43818522201_061a40e6ae.jpg" href="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/933/43818522201_061a40e6ae.jpg"><img border="0" data-mce-src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/933/43818522201_061a40e6ae.jpg" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="471" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/933/43818522201_061a40e6ae.jpg" data-sanitized-data-original-height="365" data-sanitized-data-original-width="471" height="247" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/933/43818522201_061a40e6ae.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Chitin is a “polymerized N-acetylglucosamine.” The only thing you need to remember from that extremely long a word is “glucos” and “Amine” which opens a whole other box of contradictions, because Glucose is a cellulose and Amine is a Protein. Could it be the best of both worlds then? And the short answer of it is : YES! </span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">In my top notch dye laboratory (please note the sarcasm) I tested this odd fibre with both fibre reactive and acid dyes ! Bingo ! The fibre takes both acid dyes and fibre reactive dyes! Very odd isn’t it? </span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">In the chemical structure of the Chitin you can see the OH (hydroxide) Highlighted in pink , which is helpful in reactive dyeing , and the NH and NH2 , which are necessary for acid dyeing.</span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">So there you go: chitin is one of those bizarre fibres that will bind with both acid and reactive dyes. However, when you closely look at the structure you can see that there are way more hydroxide “binding sites” (just look at how many OH’s there are for short ). So after all that research I have to admit it’s like a cellulose/plant fibre that loves acting like a protein/animal fibre… I hope I satisfied your inner bio chemist and can't wait to do some of your own research..eh .. spinning.. </span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The blend spins up like a dream! It is a bit cool to the touch, has a gorgeous drape, feels very silky. Totally different from any blend with bamboo or soy or seacell (seaweed) or even tencel. I love working with it and it will make an excellent jumper as well (or socks) since the tensile strength is huge and it also has excellent anti bacterial properties (read that as : it is great for combating sweaty feet and armpits). </span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">So, here they are: Pearl Bunny Tops (I thought that was a better name than calling it Bunny Crabs....let's not go there LOL) </span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time if you have any questions okay? Always happy to enable.</div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Have a wonderful weekend !</div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Big Fluffy Hugs</div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Charly</div>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-75782977624681559502024-03-08T19:41:00.000+11:002024-03-08T19:41:00.199+11:00Get your dopamine fibre fix !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzfRuWih_N3SvgPJhIvIBO4Dp-cwAifChBjvZfTz5nKFtoDgZ7LuEYsMSgwojTDHyFDVe5-X7wZ2O95WISynyQf5P5T5ltWNEhC-cK5zrY6Ts01Iu6cbt4BI4pjMHijwJce7KDz5H-ggU90IQ_-dfLv7DO3vA_plDcjklsO3xCFY8-nI0f99XyH3NPEYC/s3464/EC8BD599-F52B-48C8-AAD4-8A63F9AC5C55.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3464" data-original-width="3464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzfRuWih_N3SvgPJhIvIBO4Dp-cwAifChBjvZfTz5nKFtoDgZ7LuEYsMSgwojTDHyFDVe5-X7wZ2O95WISynyQf5P5T5ltWNEhC-cK5zrY6Ts01Iu6cbt4BI4pjMHijwJce7KDz5H-ggU90IQ_-dfLv7DO3vA_plDcjklsO3xCFY8-nI0f99XyH3NPEYC/s320/EC8BD599-F52B-48C8-AAD4-8A63F9AC5C55.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>It’s official: I have officially lost track of all time… people tell me it’s March and the second week of March at that, but somehow my mind (and body) thinks it’s almost Christmas already…I know, right?! What a year…lol</p>
<p>i have been going non stop, not really taking a break over the holidays last year so maybe that’s it? I dunno.. also, it’s hectic: I feel like for some inexplicable reason there are less than 24 hours in a day, maybe because I keep on stuffing them with lots and lots of things to do. I should keep reminding myself that no matter what, there will always be more things to do, more things to go on my endless list of to do stuff and less time to do them in before my next big market is on (the handknitters yarn market at the Merribek aka Coburg town hall on june 1st and 2nd). I have never been one to say to myself…it is what it is, whatever I have will just have to do, always pushing myself to do it all and more. I’m not quite at the stage of total anxiety ..yet..but I am definitely at a point where my exhaustion shows signs of exhaustion…lol</p>
<p>as this little cartoon from last month tells it all…</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_4378_480x480.jpg?v=1709885773" /></p>
<p>Not to worry: I think I may have a day off tomorrow doing nothing else but spinning and reading while the temperatures are said to rise to about 40degrees Celsius (way too hot to hang over the dye pots..lol)</p>
<p>Therevis exciting news though: more possum merino silk cashmere batts are in stock again after some major carding and blending sessions</p>
<p><img alt="" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/68381C2B-8273-4A51-9078-41BE96CA460D_480x480.jpg?v=1709881047" width="400" /></p>
<p>PLUS fabulous new colour ways of Magic Tops, freshly dyed are available in the shop now as well! I love spinning these magic tops: soft and an amazingly nice sparkle of rainbow in every bit of fluff. <br /><br /></p>
<p><img alt="" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/A0F32D05-7AB3-4EE1-A962-FF793D7AB9F2_480x480.jpg?v=1709881047" width="400" /></p>
<p>It’s really hard to see the rainbow sparkle, but just get it outside and you will light up a room!</p>
<p><img alt="" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_4676_480x480.jpg?v=1709881047" width="400" /></p>
<p><img alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/B7911569-DE72-40DB-8E8A-B95E3585003F_480x480.jpg?v=1709881047" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/B7911569-DE72-40DB-8E8A-B95E3585003F_480x480.jpg?v=1709881047" width="400" /><br /><br />IxCHeL art journey club news: The March Clubs are getting their dye bath now and I will be revealing the teaser label on my social media pages over the weekend. It is going to be a very special one with a fun and fabulous back story as well! <br /><br /></p>
<p>wishing everybody a fun weekend and happy crafting !</p>
<p>big fluffy hugs</p>
<p>Charly</p>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-11163966542476935522024-03-01T19:10:00.000+11:002024-03-01T19:10:18.897+11:00New colourways, a freshly dyed blend and much more !<p> </p><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container mce-item-table" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 477px;"><tbody data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><tr data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><td data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);"><img border="0" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50361599886_24dd25603b.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50361599886_24dd25603b.jpg" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50361599886_24dd25603b.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr><tr data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><td class="tr-caption" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);"><i data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Romanov Sheep With Quadruplets </i><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></span></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Happy Friday ! <br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></span>It’s always super hectic..well, even more busy and hectic as usual I should say, because Friday is reserved to get everything organised on the shop with the freshly dyed tops and new products. And oh wow are there a lot of new products for you to feast your eyes on ! <br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><br />Apart from a re stock of some colours on cashmere fling and cashmerino silk tops, there is a new product line of merino tops in solid colours. I have been asked many times to offer some solid dyed merino tops for spinning and feating, so here they are! I will be offering more colours as time goes by, but I started off with the most requested: Fluro colours, deep dark blackest of black, silvers, purples and reds!</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/8A1F5BB0-198B-47C4-A946-A57CAED95210_480x480.jpg?v=1709274435" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/8A1F5BB0-198B-47C4-A946-A57CAED95210_480x480.jpg?v=1709274435" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">Also Niddy noddies are back in stock: yay! You can find them in the Yarn Tool section!</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_1132_480x480.jpg?v=1709274494" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_1132_480x480.jpg?v=1709274494" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">Do you ever find yourself totally in love with a new colour? Mine at the moment is a fabulous moss, lime, greens colour which is hard to define. These mossy and lime greens combine so well with browns! I think they’re my favourite new colourways at the moment. Maybe it’s because I am craving “calm”…who knows.lol</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_4653_480x480.jpg?v=1709274530" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_4653_480x480.jpg?v=1709274530" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">oh, and before I forget: it’s March and that means a new 20th anniversary celebration Sale product with 20% off ! This month it’s the awesome Flower Power. These merino/alpaca tops with their heathered look are amazing to spin, soft and fabulous to felt with as well !</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_1153_480x480.png?v=1709274681" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_1153_480x480.png?v=1709274681" /></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Now on with info about this amazing rare sheep breed : </span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Romanov sheep sourced from Ukraine ! As you can imagine it has taken quite a bit of doing to get my hands on this fibre to make this very special blend but it is so worth it. Not only to handle this fibre blend but also to support the small farms who are lovingly raising and caring for these animals in the middle of harsh war time conditions.</span></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></span><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container mce-item-table" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 477px;"><tbody data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><tr data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><td data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50361599966_07d872b4a5.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50361599966_07d872b4a5.jpg" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="324" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50361599966_07d872b4a5.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container mce-item-table" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 477px;"><tbody data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><tr data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><td data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50361764437_07b811466e.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50361764437_07b811466e.jpg" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50361764437_07b811466e.jpg" width="267" /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container mce-item-table" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 477px;"><tbody data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><tr data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><td data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50360905203_bcc5bdd641.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50360905203_bcc5bdd641.jpg" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50360905203_bcc5bdd641.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div align="center" data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">The Romanov Sheep originally 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. </div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div align="center" data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">The Romanov sheep are a very early maturing breed, the Romanov can reach full sexual maturity as early as 3-4 months old! </div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">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. </div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">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. </div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">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. </div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">The average fleece shorn from a Romanov weighs 4.5kgs in total. </div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">From sourcing to dehairing and blending it took me about two years for me to get this blend to you. Lot sof sourcing, lots of forms and administrative rules and regulations ! And, The wool needs a lot of creativity in preparation! </div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">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. </div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"> 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, Cashmere, Angora and the softness is out of this world. I wanted to incorporate a bit of that shine and shimmer that you see when a fresh coat of snow has fallen and the sun shines on it, so I added mulberry silk for that lustre and shine effect. As you can imagine I only have a very limited amount available: some natural and some dyed. </div></div></div></div><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Here are tonight’s exciting new offers !</div></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> </strong></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><h2 align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><span color="#ff0000" data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Romanov Sheep Blend Tops </span><span color="#f9cb9c" data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"> </span></span></h2><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Romanov Sheep, Mulberry Silk, Cashmere, Angora Bunny </strong></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">100+ gram tops</strong><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div>You can find all the new colourways on the IxCHeL shop here: <a data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/products/romanov-tops" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/products/romanov-tops" data-sanitized-target="_blank" href="https://ixchel.com.au/products/romanov-tops" title="Romanov tops">https://ixchel.com.au/products/romanov-tops</a><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><em data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></em><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></strong></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><em data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></em></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><p data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">IxCHeL club sign ups for the 2nd quarter 2024</strong></span></p><p data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">(APRIL, May and June) are open !</strong></span></p><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">If you want to receive a fibre, yarn or batt club surprise parcel every month then join the IXCHEL art journey clubs 2nd quarter now. <br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Numbers are strictly limited !</span></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Visit the IxCHeL shop here for all the details: <a data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs" data-sanitized-target="_blank" href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs" title="IxCHeL club sign ups">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs</a></span></div></div><p data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Note to all International club members:</strong> <strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">All international club parcels are shipped with tracking. </strong><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> There is an option of having all three of your clubs shipped together to save on shipping cost: Just ask me for a postage quote </strong><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> </strong></p><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Better get back to the dye pots! Something very special is brewing for next weeks shop update and the clubs are getting their dyebath as well ! I will post teaser photos of the March clubs early next week so keep an eye out on the IxCHeL posts on Instagram, threads and Facebook.</span></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Have a fun weekend !!! </span></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div align="left" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Any questions? Any custom orders for yarn or dyeing fibre? : Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable.</span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></strong></div><div align="left" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">To shop the new update and all things new on the IxCHeL website click here: <a data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" data-sanitized-target="_blank" href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" title="IxCHeL shop">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new</a></span></div><div align="left" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div align="left" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div align="left" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">To see what I am up to on a day to day bases, please follow me on Instagram where I am @ixchelbunny </span></div><div align="left" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></span></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></strong></span><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div align="left" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><span color="#cccccc" data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"> </span><span color="#cccccc" data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">RABBIT</span> <span color="#ffa500" data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">ON</span> <span color="#cccccc" data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">!</span></strong></span></div><div align="left" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> </strong></span><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">((hugs))</strong></div><div align="left" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> </strong><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Charly</strong></span></div></div></div></div>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-3571122835013227052024-02-23T19:07:00.000+11:002024-02-23T19:07:42.000+11:00Last week of the rare sheep breed month!<p> <img alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/B68F3FB1-4EAE-4045-ACFC-F49239F88343_480x480.jpg?v=1708670353" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/B68F3FB1-4EAE-4045-ACFC-F49239F88343_480x480.jpg?v=1708670353" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/B68F3FB1-4EAE-4045-ACFC-F49239F88343_480x480.jpg?v=1708670353" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Can you believe this is the last Friday of the month already?! Which means: last super special sheep breed shop update !</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsxGrzSGLjY4ZxFY5h_pLgJA1PUYqpBB4RlmJjlEYyVVUNU7RgDTKzaM5228umA5J6tjOFETGiQc2SKlJLIhyphenhyphen1xgwFnFfMfLp-VtXorNGASnaLLpS5xww5WU4Ua3uMGaPRdrjOErjVtj1JCpnOuTFN6VIJMXd_4JivVM39zY5Dlw7tujm8V1Kw5WR0cnt/s640/9A2ADCED-FB53-44ED-8A24-2875C478FB42.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsxGrzSGLjY4ZxFY5h_pLgJA1PUYqpBB4RlmJjlEYyVVUNU7RgDTKzaM5228umA5J6tjOFETGiQc2SKlJLIhyphenhyphen1xgwFnFfMfLp-VtXorNGASnaLLpS5xww5WU4Ua3uMGaPRdrjOErjVtj1JCpnOuTFN6VIJMXd_4JivVM39zY5Dlw7tujm8V1Kw5WR0cnt/s320/9A2ADCED-FB53-44ED-8A24-2875C478FB42.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span class="s1"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">This week is all about a super rare sheep breed, which lived on a sinking island. This is their story:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> What I am offering you tonight is one of those special stories that just grabbed my imagination. This blog is about ancient peoples, lands left by all and left to be roamed by once domesticated animals…. a story about rescue and …some very nice sheep.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1"><img alt="" height="300" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/22769598019_687b6d4a5a_o_db0ca484-399b-4a48-8795-bda227c1a93b_480x480.jpg?v=1708671512" width="400" /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">During the 16th century, explorers from Europe found a rich new continent, which had plentiful supplies of fish, lumber, furs and other goods: the Americas. People like Giovanni da Verrazano (1524) first met the Lenape people off the coast of , what is now called Virginia, but didn’t stay long. He did create the way to this new part of the world for a lot of European fishermen, whalers but also ..yes..slavers.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The ancient life of the Lenape people changed forever. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The Lenape people had no immunity against the diseases the Europeans brought in. By the time settlers came to find new homes and start their future farming a new land, 90% of the Lenape people had died. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The ones that remained were forced to “sell” the lands they had lived on for centuries..and moved to Canada and Oklahoma.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">One of the lands sold to the new settlers was a little island off the coast of Virgiania called Hog Island and with the settlers came their animals ofcourse. Before the settlers came to the Americas there were no horses and no sheep to be found there at all. The weaving and spinning that was done by the Lenape was done with plant fibres not animal fibres. They wore beaver furs and deer skin to protect them against the icy cold and the sticky heat in summer.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Of course the settlers brought a whole different set of “dresscodes” and way of surviving with them, so, sheep were part of the survival plan.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The settlers that came to the barrier island off the coast of Virginia, Hog Island, brought a British sheep breed with them. I have not been able to find which particular breed or breeds they could have been, but judging by the way the fibre behaves I think it may have been Hampshire Downs or Shropshire or Southdown. Anyway, I digress, I was still in the 1700s…</span> </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">It was in 1672 that a group of 22 colonists and their families went to live on Machipongo (Hog) Island, just a few miles above the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. What became of them is an impenetrable mystery. They disappeared so completely that no descendants are known. Despite their fate, it remained the consensus that living on the island was good.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The sea, the inlets and the marshes teemed with fish and fowl. As for flesh, the natural pastures were ideal for livestock, particularly hogs (hence the name Hog Island). There must have been an impressive number of these at one time to cause the romantic-sounding name Machipongo to be dropped in their favour. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">It wasn’t til the Civil War times that a second colonization began. The sheep ascendants from back in 1672 were still there and were thriving.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">he people lived truly on the fat of the land. Oysters, clams, crabs and fish or a superiority unchallenged in the rest of the United States were staples. Vegetable gardens yielded two crops a year. Aside from a few necessities like clothing and shelter, nothing required cash.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The hardy, self-reliant folk laughed at insurance agents. Their total taxes were a few cents a year paid on their real estate to the Northampton county treasurer. They did not even have to license their automobiles. They made their own roads. They enjoyed such health that a doctor would have starved. Though many of them were laid low by the flu epidemic of 1918, no one died.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Every man kept his money in his home, and in some cases this meant considerable cash. But no one ever reported it missing. There was one store operated by Sam Kelly. Like everything else on Hog Island, this store was different from what you would expect: No one ever was permitted in it. Every morning Mr. Kelly made the rounds taking orders. Every afternoon, after loading up in his forbidden precincts, he delivered. He kept this up until he was over 80. No one ever knew him to buy anything except to sell it. He was the secret topic of conversation: how much money did he have and where was it hidden? After he died in lonely squalor, his quarters were searched. Thousands of dollars were hidden away in nooks and crannies. But it was calculated that the amount should have been much greater. It was decided that he had buried most of it. It was never found….</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Slowly but surely the island was being swallowed by the sea. In the 1930s the sea started to move in…so the people moved out.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Whole houses were detached from their moorings and brought to the mainland. The whole community left but some of their heritage 1672 sheep remained. In 1933 a string of hurricanes and “nor’easter” storms washed across the island and discouraged the residents from continuing life in their island community. By 1945 all of the residents of Hog Island had migrated to the Eastern Shore of Virginia and had taken most of their livestock with them. Many sheep remained on Hog Island and continued to thrive as they had for centuries. The annual shearing and notching in the spring was generally the only contact between the owners and their sheep. The sheep roamed freely upon their “floating” pasture foraging for marsh grass <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and drinking fresh water from small pools that had been dug ankle deep into the sandy soil.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1"><img alt="" height="220" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/23137571755_ecec5baf1f_o_480x480.jpg?v=1708671822" width="400" /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The last sheep were removed from Hog Island in 1974 when the Nature Conservancy purchased the island. But, surprise!!! : Four years later, Virginia Coast Reserve agents found, to their surprise, a thriving flock of sheep on the island. This is a testament to the extreme hardiness of these animals.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <img alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/23173484241_cc6fbaccdd_o_480x480.jpg?v=1708671861" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/23173484241_cc6fbaccdd_o_480x480.jpg?v=1708671861" height="203" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/23173484241_cc6fbaccdd_o_480x480.jpg?v=1708671861" width="400" /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The Nature Conservancy removed the last of the sheep in late August 1978, to return them to full domestication. Ten rams and twenty ewes travelled to Virginia Tech for research into the breed’s parasite resistance.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The year-long study indicated that isolation, not resistance, had kept the sheep virtually parasite free on the island.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Following their stay at the University, the remnant flock found a new home at George Washington’s Birthplace National Monument. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">While private breeders hold some flocks, many Hog Island sheep remain part of the heritage landscapes of living history museums, including Plymouth Plantation, the Museum of American Frontier Culture, Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, George Mason’s Gunston Hall, George Washington’s Birthplace, and the National Colonial Farm in Williamsburg. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The Hog Island sheep look right at home at the Colonial Farm in Williamsburg considering they descend from and resemble historic sheep that existed in the New World during and after the colonial period.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> Hog island sheep sure can stand the very harsh conditions because of their extremely high lanolin content in their fleece.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">It is the most water repellent fibre I have ever worked with. Even with almost all the lanolin removed, it has this strange quality of soaking the water up and then spitting it out again almost immediately, which means getting dry after a heavy storm would have been a lot easier than being soaked to the bone for those sheep. I found their fibre extremely nice to work with: it traps the air beautifully, it is slightly crisp but very, very bouncy.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The Locks are <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>downy and the staple length is medium to short, like that of a down sheep like Southdown and Hampshire down sheep. Professional mill processing of Hog Island sheep is hardly ever done because it can result in a lot of nepps. </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <img alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/50328677618_7866808929_o_480x480.png?v=1708671791" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/50328677618_7866808929_o_480x480.png?v=1708671791" height="268" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/50328677618_7866808929_o_480x480.png?v=1708671791" width="400" /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">I found spinning the fibres, that the singles “ask” to be spun reasonably fine. It sets the short fibres in the twist. That said, I think an art yarn which asks for core spun fluffiness can also be amazing !</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The micron count as with all critical or endangered breeds vary a lot. This lot was around the 22-25 micron. I think it is perfectly suitable to make socks, shawls and scarves . </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Just like the Hog Island sheep it can withstand quite a lot. It also depends what you “tolerate” close to skin. Everybody is different.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <img alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_0988_480x480.jpg?v=1708671986" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_0988_480x480.jpg?v=1708671986" height="318" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_0988_480x480.jpg?v=1708671986" width="400" /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">The fibre is not lustrous and I was told that because it has such a matte appearance that when you dye it, you can get a very muted colour. It asks for a very slow dyeing process. To create a bright and saturated colour and I am very happy to say that I got very saturated bright and not muted colours by just letting the tops soak all the colour up slowly, heat them up for about 0minutes and then let them slowly cool down over night. The rinse water will be clear then and all the colour is absolutely glorious! </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Most of the Hog Island sheep are white. Only 10% are black. The lambs have cute black spots on their body and their fleece but the sport disappear when they get older. The face and legs of these sheep can be speckled brown, white, and black, or have black faces and legs.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <img alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_0986_480x480.jpg?v=1708672024" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_0986_480x480.jpg?v=1708672024" height="320" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_0986_480x480.jpg?v=1708672024" width="400" /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Wool from this breed is of medium weight with fleece yields ranging from one to 4 kilos. The sheep will naturally shed their wool slowly each year, but most owners choose to shear them in order to collect wool and create a more even looking coat on their sheep. The ewes make excellent mothers and most often give birth to twins. Hog Island sheep are fabulous foragers and prefer to browse rather than graze. They stay in very tight flocks and are extremely alert in nature.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">In general, wool is composed of long, flexible molecular chains. The outside of a strand of wool is covered by cuticle cells, more commonly called scales. The scales will vary according to breed group (down, longwool, etc.) and determine how well the wool will felt or full. The interior of the strand, the wool’s cortex, contains a spring-like structure in the very center that gives wool its flexibility, elasticity, and resiliency. The down breeds, some of the fine wool breeds, and a few of the breeds that don’t fit neatly in groups have extra stretchy springs. They are also helped along fibre density and natural crimp present in their locks. Hog Island wool is quite dense – each staple containing hundreds of strands of wool – and has a fairly disorganized crimp. This causes the fibres to move away from each other into an airy jumble instead of lying against each other in even ripples. The result is a warm and lofty woolen yarn with plenty of bounce and spring.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Yarn made from Hog Island wool – and several other breeds on the Livestock Conservancy’s conservation list – has plenty of stretch and resiliency. Elasticity also ties in to textile strength in general. Wool can stretch an average of 25-30% of its length before breaking under the strain. Adding twist to wool by spinning adds even more tensile strength.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">There’s another quality that goes hand in hand with elasticity, and that is moisture management. Wool is excellent at repelling moisture and also absorbing it. The cuticle scales on each wool shaft have a waxy covering that helps them repel water while still allowing the absorption of water vapor. The cortical cells that surround the small flexible spring contain sulfur proteins that attract and absorb water molecules. According to Clara Parkes on page 20 of The Knitter’s Book of Socks, “Even when the wool fibre is pulled taut, its molecules still have room to stretch out further – which is what gives wool its exceptional elasticity. Such an arrangement tends to allow more moisture to penetrate and reside within the fibre without our feeling it.”</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Wool has the ability to absorb 30% of its own weight in moisture before we begin to feel any wetness. This means wearing wool helps wick away sweat as well as keeping you dry from light rain or fog. That’s a great quality for socks and outerwear garments. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">In short, I love this down like fibre to spin yarn with and I hope you do too! If you have never tried Hog island wool, this is your chance! You may need to change your way of drafting and spinning woolllen instead of worsted, but it is so worthwhile. Plus! There are lots of new colourways to explore as well to add some extra fun to the adventure!</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/331AE98E-6898-4CDC-B0FE-18EDD8622D27_480x480.jpg?v=1708672171" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/331AE98E-6898-4CDC-B0FE-18EDD8622D27_480x480.jpg?v=1708672171" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/331AE98E-6898-4CDC-B0FE-18EDD8622D27_480x480.jpg?v=1708672171" width="400" /> </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">You can find all these rare sheep breed hog island tops and more on the IxCHeL shop right here: www.ixchel.com.au</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">have lots of fun !</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">hugs</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Charly</span></p>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-58314698241494586862024-02-16T17:11:00.002+11:002024-02-16T17:51:50.146+11:00Happy 3rd rare sheep breed week!<p> <img alt="Gra Trøender sheep in a winter landscape" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/2C3D614E-F338-4DCB-AD24-92C91691F781_480x480.jpg?v=1675395105" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/2C3D614E-F338-4DCB-AD24-92C91691F781_480x480.jpg?v=1675395105" height="290" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/2C3D614E-F338-4DCB-AD24-92C91691F781_480x480.jpg?v=1675395105" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" width="400" /></p><p data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">It’s not as cold as in the photo above, with these cute rare sheep from Norway, but the Australian weather is definitely having some problems: heatwaves mingled with sassy storms, hail and then a scorcher again, only to drop down again…We were immensely lucky that we were only out of power one day, but there are still people who have not gotten their electricity back since the big scary storm on Tuesday. Oh and we had a wee earthquake before that! I almost forgot..lol</p><p data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I’m going to repeat myself again and say it’s been super busy here again. Extra busy now because all the rare sheep breed updates I want to do for this short month of February had to be organised and dyed before I start dyeing the February club. It takes me about a week and a half to dye and card and pack the club so that means that for all the updates , that work has to fit in a very small time frame. In itself that is okay, because I have been doing this for 20 years now..lol, but it helps when either the weather is nice and warm OR the fire is on in the house so everything can get nice and dry in a shortish period of time. Having weather that doesn’t know it is actually supposed to be summer and acts like it is, is not as good to get things done. Great news though: the February club is going to be shipped on Monday! Here’s a teaser label and can I say: the colours on the fibre and the yarn look absolutely amazing! I think it’s one of my favourite colourways! <br /><br /></p><p data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/19AA4528-107A-4C7F-BFAA-7884DD2F95D3_480x480.jpg?v=1708063162" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/19AA4528-107A-4C7F-BFAA-7884DD2F95D3_480x480.jpg?v=1708063162" width="400" /></p><p data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I thought Is would be great to showcase the super rare sheep breed Grå Trøender !</p><meta charset="UTF-8"></meta><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px;"></span><p class="p1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">The Norwegian Gra Troender is a very rare breed of domesticated sheep that originated from crossbreeding the native Landrace sheep with the now extinct Tautra sheep in the late 19th century. </span></p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">In 1998, the Committee on Farm Animal Genetic Resources established a project for collecting and freezing semen from Grey Troender sheep rams in an effort to revive the breed. There are currently around 150 breeding Gra Trondersau ewes remaining today, and only 25 breeding rams; all happily grazing in Norway. Yes, they are super cute as well , with their distinctive “teardrop” markings underneath their eyes.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><span class="s1" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></span></p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">When you are lucky enough to be able to travel: there is a wonderful wool museum on Munkholmen, a small island in the Trondheimfjord, just a ten minute boat ride from the city center. The island has lived many lives, including being a monastery, a prison, and a fortress at different points in history, but these days it’s mostly a nice place for an outing, with plenty of green grass for a picnic, a little beach for swimming/bathing, and a few facilities on site like a cafe and a shop.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><span class="s1" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></span></p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">The shop (called Munkholmen Galleri) which featured all kinds of things from local artists and makers, and also has a corner dedicated to the Gra troender sheep with sheepskins and handspun yarns in three natural colours.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><span class="s1" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></span></p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Here are some photos of this amazing rare sheep breed:<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><span class="s1" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></span></p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Close up of grå Trøender sheep" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/9AC9A35D-933B-4859-99D1-27DD5B9245B3_480x480.jpg?v=1675411074" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/9AC9A35D-933B-4859-99D1-27DD5B9245B3_480x480.jpg?v=1675411074" height="300" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/9AC9A35D-933B-4859-99D1-27DD5B9245B3_480x480.jpg?v=1675411074" width="400" /></p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="A grå Trøender sheep peeking out of the barn door" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/2A134B59-16CB-46B9-90BE-A0E18B29AEBE_480x480.jpg?v=1675395203" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/2A134B59-16CB-46B9-90BE-A0E18B29AEBE_480x480.jpg?v=1675395203" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/2A134B59-16CB-46B9-90BE-A0E18B29AEBE_480x480.jpg?v=1675395203" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></p><meta charset="UTF-8"></meta><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 15px;"></span><p class="p1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Originally bred in the Trøndelag region of Norway, from where the sheep derives its name, the Gra Troender are most commonly varying shades of grey and white in colour with distinctive white markings under the eyes. The wool of the sheep is uniform with mean fibre diameter of about 22-28 micron and 2–3 kgs greasy fleece weight. </span></p><p class="p1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">The wool was traditionally used for yarns and felting and the pelts were used for woolskin rugs. The adult live weight of ewes is between 70 and 80 kg. The mean litter size is 1.8 lambs born per year. The present population numbers only around 100 sheep but it’s increasing. In 1998, the Committee on Farm Animal Genetic Resources established a project for collecting and freezing semen from Grå Troender sheep rams in an effort to revive the breed. </span></p><p class="p1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">The fibre is very lofty and resembles the Shetland wool but with a bit more weight to it. It has a wonderful spring and vibrancy and luster to it and it spins up beautifully. I only have a very limited supply for obvious reasons, so if you would like to try and get a taste of spinning this very rare breed , please email or message me on facebook or instagram. There is only a very limited quantity of handdyed tops and natural tops available and you can find them all on </span><a data-mce-href="#" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-href="#" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"data-original-href":"https://ixchel.com.au/collections/rare-breeds"}" href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/rare-breeds">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/rare-breeds</a> at 8pm aedt tonight !</p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Paul has also been busy in his shed, creating some pretty stone inlay Scottish Dealgan mini spindles here : https://ixchel.com.au/products/mini-dealgan<br /></p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">This is the first time he has done inlay with lapis lazuli and I absolutely love it!</p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_4412_480x480.jpg?v=1708063520" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_4412_480x480.jpg?v=1708063520" width="400" /></p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_4405_480x480.jpg?v=1708063564" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_4405_480x480.jpg?v=1708063564" width="400" /></p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">There are some exquisite malachite and turquoise inlay spindles as well. </p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br />Have a fabulous weekend and please do share your creations on social media : can’t wait to see what you are creating! Don’t forget to add #ixchelbunny or #ixchelfibres or #ixchelyarns so I can see it pop up ♥️♥️</p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">big hugs</p><p class="p2" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">charly</p>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-15210539961495970452024-02-09T19:25:00.006+11:002024-02-09T19:25:37.578+11:00North Ronaldsay sheep and seaweed!<p> <em data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><img alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/D770179A-2D5B-4FA8-B909-9103828E5192_6a1bc72e-3dac-4384-b484-60c1814ad344_480x480.jpg?v=1707466381" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/D770179A-2D5B-4FA8-B909-9103828E5192_6a1bc72e-3dac-4384-b484-60c1814ad344_480x480.jpg?v=1707466381" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/D770179A-2D5B-4FA8-B909-9103828E5192_6a1bc72e-3dac-4384-b484-60c1814ad344_480x480.jpg?v=1707466381" width="400" /></em></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><em data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">New colourway "Baby Lochness" on North Ronaldsay blend tops</em></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">What an exciting week : lots and lots of dyeing, new blends, spinning and making stitchmarkers plus the February club! It’s all happening !</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">This weekend I will be posting all the info and the teaser label of the February club..should have done that sooner, but as usual I’m running out of time…all the time…lol</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Btw, The Club sign ups are open on the IxCHeL shop. The New Art Journey clubs are starting up again in April 2024 with loads and loads more inspirational art works translated onto yarn and fibres. Please let me know if you have any questions about the clubs or if you would like to have a combination of either yarn and fibre or all three types of the clubs: yarn, batt and fibre club or if you would like all three month’s clubs sent together to save you on shipping, especially when you are overseas so you save on shipping costs.</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Now, what is NEW this week? A freshly blended and dyed Rare Sheep Breed blend !</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48437067276_b19f5671b9.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48437067276_b19f5671b9.jpg" height="254" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48437067276_b19f5671b9.jpg" width="400" /></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Today's update is all about a very special rare breed sheep on the Scottish Isle of North Ronaldsay. </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48437214632_17123f9b4e.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48437214632_17123f9b4e.jpg" height="267" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48437214632_17123f9b4e.jpg" width="400" /></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5580/15210602581_ba55402ab4.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5580/15210602581_ba55402ab4.jpg" height="258" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5580/15210602581_ba55402ab4.jpg" width="400" /></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">The North Ronaldsay Sheep are the only animals in the world, aside from a certain Galapagos lizard, to be able to subsist entirely on seaweed, leading to its nickname ‘seaweed sheep’. The breed is thought to be over 5000 years old. The breed is farmed within the Northern Ronaldsay Islands, Orkney and kept nearby the seashore for most of the year. In 1832 the Laird of North Ronaldsay decided that his pastureland should not be wasted on native sheep and a dyke was built round the island to keep them on the shore and off the land. It was most probably this separation that resulted in the preservation of the North Ronaldsay, as it prevented cross breeding which had been the downfall of other Orkney sheep. </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3852/15213268762_b5ba21b5e5.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3852/15213268762_b5ba21b5e5.jpg" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3852/15213268762_b5ba21b5e5.jpg" /></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">The North Ronaldsay is one of the Northern Short tailed primitive group of breeds that also includes the Manx Loghtan, Soay, Shetland and Icelandic . The North Ronaldsay is still mainly found on its native island, the northernmost of the Orkneys. The sheep keeping system on North Ronaldsay is unique and involves a stone wall which keeps the sheep on the seashore and away from the cultivated land for most of the year. This wall was built in 1832 and since then the breed has evolved to survive primarily on seaweed. The sheep live on the seashore most of the year around and are only brought onto the better land for lambing.</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5583/15213666855_2de44e8087.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5583/15213666855_2de44e8087.jpg" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5583/15213666855_2de44e8087.jpg" /></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">The North Ronaldsay is one of group of primitive Northern Short-tailed sheep and represents a very early stage in the evolution of domestic sheep. DNA studies have shown a close relationship to sheep found in the Stone Age village of Skara Brae on mainland Orkney, which dates from 3000 BC. In 1832 a wall was built around their native island to confine the animals to the foreshore for most of the year in order to conserve the inland grazing. Since then the breed has developed its distinctive metabolism due to its diet of seaweed, which also renders it susceptible to copper poisoning under standard sheep management systems. North Ronaldsays are very sensitive to copper and will die of copper toxicity if put on the wrong type of grazing. This is due to their seaweed diet and the unique metabolism they have evolved. They should not be fed commercial sheep mixes as despite the label saying “No Added Copper” the normal ingredients used will often have a background level high enough to be toxic (ten parts per million is too high). The North Ronaldsay is capable of surviving on less than larger breeds and is an active browser, used to ranging over long distances in search of food.</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5777/22415175541_cd490b8c3d.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5777/22415175541_cd490b8c3d.jpg" height="200" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5777/22415175541_cd490b8c3d.jpg" width="400" /></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Colours of their fleece are variable: including white, various shades of grey, black and moorit (deep brown). The double fleece has coarse outer guard hairs and a fine soft inner coat. I have never ever felt and dyed something as extraordinary as this sheeps fleece. It is springy, almost feels moist even after its scouring and washing. It almost feels like it resists the dye when you pour the pigments on and everything immediately flows to the bottom, leaving the top layer of the fibre springy and almost without dye. At least, that is what appears to happen…it takes the dye beautifully and retains its springy texture and openness.</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Before dyeing and spinning though was the rather painful process of getting rid of the guardhairs ! Here’s a view of the raw fleece :</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3888/15210602491_253b87e6f6.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3888/15210602491_253b87e6f6.jpg" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3888/15210602491_253b87e6f6.jpg" /> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">After all of the cleaning and carding and blending you get what I am offering you today !</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> It is a dream to spin and work with. You can make a yarn that is strong and still soft to wear. It is very very special ! There are only about 600 of these seaweed sheep left in the world. Only through our effort of conservation of the environment and conservation through appreciation of this rare breed by spinning and knitting its fleece, can we hold on to one of the oldest and most special breeds in the world alive today.</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">You can check everything out in the what's new section on the IxCHeL shop by clicking <a data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" data-sanitized-target="_blank" href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" title="New IxCHeL fabulous fibre and spindle fun">here.</a> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Have a fantastic weekend filled with lots of creative fibre fun !</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Big hugs,</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Charly</p><span data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-23645421378208951612024-02-02T17:28:00.000+11:002024-02-02T17:28:58.095+11:00Happy February: Rare Sheep breed month !<p> <img alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53504018499_5d73476a71_c_480x480.jpg?v=1706853575" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53504018499_5d73476a71_c_480x480.jpg?v=1706853575" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53504018499_5d73476a71_c_480x480.jpg?v=1706853575" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">This is my first blog post of 2024! No, I have not been abducted by aliens ..although the colourway "area 51" might suggest otherwise, but I could not help myself ! LOL</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">January seems to totally have passed me by in regards to writing blogs. It is not that i have not been busy or sipping cocktails at a beach somewhere, holidaying like a normal person..no, it is that in my mind over the two years I have now been doing this website shop thing, the "automation" (meaning having a virtual shop) is not only taking me a LOT more time to manage, but also has made me veer away to social media, email newsletters and all that ...eh..stuff. Also the realisation that it is very hard to keep up doing EVERYTHING and all at once, because i am not some kind of super hero and multi tasker who can dye, paint, card, marketing social media guru (hahaha) and take care of all the other things all at once also whilie telling myself in a chanting kind of way "you are enough" everytime I am running out of time because I want to do it all ! There is NO WAY a person can do it all, all the time and the expectations on myself were mounting to such an extent it rivalled Mount Everest..so I ...stopped....well, I did not stop, I just stopped thinking that the world would implode if I did not do everything I wanted to. Amaxzing things started happening: I stopped being anxious...well, I stopped being too anxious I guess and just did as much as I could. I started to put time aside for "Me"; like just sitting at a certain time of the day for an hour with a book and relaxing without feeling guilty about it! It is not that I stopped caring. I just stopped being anxious about doing something that had absolutely nothing to do with running my business. What an enlightened feeling ! and without medication ! LOLOL woohoo !</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Anyway, I am still a work in progress but hey, who isn't ?</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Now, as you may have picked up from my social media posts: IxCHeL is celebrating 20years of existence! Yeah ! and every month there will be one product on sale with a 20% anniversary discount. In January that was Wensleydale tops, this month the luscious Merino Silk tops. The sale will remain in place for one month, so take advantage while they are still in stock !</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Also as I mentioned before : February is Rare Sheep Breed Month. That means that every Friday there will be a new hand dyed rare sheep breed or a rare sheep breed blend available, in lots of new colourways ! It is going to be super exciting !</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Time for this week’s fibery offerings : Navajo Churro tops !</span></p><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">You may know I have a soft spot for Navajo Churro sheep and the navajo rugs. Spending a substantial time of my childhood spinning and seeing rugs being woven and the stories being told, and then spinning, weaving and telling stories too. I guess that is what is really the most important: the stories that are so intrinsically woven into the yarn and the rugs and the making of warps and baskets.<br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />It is not only a craft , but also a way of translating how we look at the world and incorporate its magic into a two dimensional framework. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> Even the way that we see looms are different: the ropes to hold the warp threads are the thunder and the the warp itself is the rain falling down from heaven to earth. I was always taught never to weave when there was a lightning storm because of that.</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Of course sitting at a large loom , exposed to the elements , is never an extremely good idea when a big lightning storm hits, but you see how it all interweaves into ones life. Everything has a meaning, everything around you is transformed and has its own magic. Just look at how the corn rug below resembles reality...abstract and yet so similar.<br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3845/14992120181_2c482839c3.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3845/14992120181_2c482839c3.jpg" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3845/14992120181_2c482839c3.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3903/14992137671_a1cb12ab63.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3903/14992137671_a1cb12ab63.jpg" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3903/14992137671_a1cb12ab63.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />There are so many things going on in a navajo rug, whether it be something minuscule woven into certain spots like a feather into a horse blanket to make sure that the horse is fast as an eagle, or bits of hair or plants, all have their meaning.<br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />In the old days , the midwife collected corn pollen and then a horny toad was found and the pollen was put on its head and mouth. It was an extremely good omen that the toad spat out the corn mush and often that is why these kinds of ceremonial birthing rugs have yellow woven in to them, much like this one here, my family heirloom:<br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5580/14995119715_81f8d298eb.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5580/14995119715_81f8d298eb.jpg" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5580/14995119715_81f8d298eb.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">For the traditional Navajo family, the Holy People who created the Navajo were very powerful deities. They traveled on the “sun’s rays” and descended into the world on “lightning bolts.” It was Changing Woman who taught the Navajo how to live in “harmony,” but it was Spider Woman who gave them secrets to find their way in this world. To the traditional Navajo weaver, Spider Woman provided the framework to live and weave beautiful things – the essence of being Navajo. Prior to 1900, old Navajo wearing blankets often carried symbols or motifs that were attached to the teachings of Spider Woman. Perhaps the symbol or motif that dominated those early blankets was the cross. Many Navajo grandmother will tell you that crosses represent Spider Woman. The symbol of Spider Woman was given to the earliest weavers to remember her teachings and wisdom. For some weavers, placing the symbol of Spider Woman (crosses) within a graphic form of a diamond, triangle or square was risky business. Spider Woman was not of this world and her spirit should not be entrapped within the form. Therefore in some Navajo weavings, the cross will have an actual hole or sometimes a graphic hole in the cross.<br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845355256_78c902a91d.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845355256_78c902a91d.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845355256_78c902a91d.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Perhaps two of the earliest design elements to be utilized by Navajo weavers are the diamond and the triangle. These elements were incorporated into old wearing blankets and continue in the modern day Navajo rugs. Many Navajo grandmothers will tell you that the diamond is a symbol of the Dinétah or Navajo homeland with its four sacred corners that are marked by the four sacred mountains. Triangles are basic building blocks of Navajo design. Placed on top of each other, triangles can become a series of prayer feathers or songs or become the backbone of a mountain Yei figure. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">After the year 1900, the “spirit line” became a popular element for many traditional Navajo weavers. This occurred because traders requested weavers to place borders around their weavings. By this time, most weavers were selling their weavings through the trading post system. The traditional weaver became very concerned about trapping their creative spirit within the weaving and not being able to weave in the future. The “spirit line” is a small strand of yarn of contrasting colour that flows from the inner design element of the weaving to the outer edge. The custom continues today in many contemporary Navajo rugs.<br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51846111625_60d43600ec.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51846111625_60d43600ec.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51846111625_60d43600ec.jpg" /><i data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">the spirit line (close up)</i><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container mce-item-table" data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); width: 478px;"><tbody data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><tr data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><td data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3880/14995169195_60537f90f3.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3880/14995169195_60537f90f3.jpg" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3880/14995169195_60537f90f3.jpg" /></td></tr><tr data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><td class="tr-caption" data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);"><i data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Early precious Navajo rug with Spider woman crosses</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5580/14995181255_d22ff09771.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5580/14995181255_d22ff09771.jpg" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5580/14995181255_d22ff09771.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">"Night times; daytime rug" pictoral Navajo Rug</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Weaving and spinning yarn is more than just a craft to me and the Navajo people. It is an expression of culture. The yarns are used to weave the rich history and tell the stories and this history is passed down from generation to generation. There was lots of trade between the Aztec, Mixtec and Navajo people, and the weaving tradition of the Navajo was certainly influenced by it.<br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />The rugs sing a song, tell a story and that is what makes them so magical. If the past and the stories are forgotten, then the rugs won’t mean anything. Not only are there rugs but also other items that are woven : baskets and so called Tump line weavings ( an object woven with a warp of Agave and wool or just agave fibres) , worn over the head to help carry heavy loads) Here is a photo of one that survived from the pre-columbian times (= pre 1500s)<br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1681/25124171789_4980ed2c0e.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1681/25124171789_4980ed2c0e.jpg" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1681/25124171789_4980ed2c0e.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">But now back to the Navajo Churro tops I offer you today. I have offered them before way back when I first started in 2004, and after that in my Viva Frida blend where I blended the Churro with agave cactus and cashmere and angora. This time I wanted to keep it pure, because the quality was just so amazing ! It took the dye so well too.</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Navajo Churro sheep are very special just like the history they have : The Navajo call them "the Old Ones" and see the Churro sheep as a gift from the Gods. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">The wool from these sheep are the basis of the Navajo Weaving and also is a wonderful fibre to make socks and ponchos. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">The sheep were nearly wiped out during the tribe's forced relocation in the 1860s and again in the stock reductions of the 1930s: federal agents just went from hogan to hogan and shot a large percentage of the livestock and horses, more than 250.000 animals were killed and the Churro sheep were almost extinct with fewer than 700 head by 1990! But they are making a comeback, due to the efforts of the Navajo Sheep Project so they can return to their historic place and purpose among the Navajo and that it can benefit the Navajo People. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">The Churro sheep have been very important to the Navajo people: To quote “A Short History on Navajo-Churro Sheep” by Diné be’iiná: Diné philosophy, spirituality, and sheep are intertwined like wool in the strongest weaving. Sheep symbolize the Good Life, living in harmony and balance on the land. Before they acquired domesticated sheep on this continent, Diné held the “Idea of Sheep” in their collective memory for thousands of years. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">While wild mountain sheep provided meat and the Diné gathered wool from the shedding places, that species of sheep in North America did not have herding behavior that permits domestication. As a result, the Diné asked their Holy People to send them a sheep that would live with them and with care provide a sustainable living.” To quote Robert Moor, “On Trails” </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">“For centuries, that gift has shaped Navajo culture, just as water sculpts a canyon. Navajos’ internal clocks were set to the daily schedule of herding, and their calendars were structured by the seasonal migration. The introduction of wool radically altered their material culture, by providing the means to weave lightweight clothing, warm blankets, and intricate rugs. Their architecture was fortified by the need to protect sheep from raiders. Pastoralism altered their diet, their relationship to the landscape, and perhaps even their metaphysics. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">One Navajo woman told the author Christopher Phillips that herding sheep informed her understanding of the sacred Navajo principle of hózhó, or harmony. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">“The sheep care for us, provide for us, and we do the same for them. This contributes to hózhó. Before I tend my sheep each day, I pray to the Holy People, and give thanks to them for the sheep and how they help make my life more harmonious.”</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> <br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845231373_dfb23135b6.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845231373_dfb23135b6.jpg" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845231373_dfb23135b6.jpg" width="266" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Navajo were wealthy and successful pastoralists, with orchards, irrigated fields, and large herds of livestock. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">The latter were primarily Churra-type sheep, now called Navajo-Churro sheep, originally obtained by raids and by trading with Spanish colonizers. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">In 1846, with the encroachment of American settlers on Navajo lands, that way of life was brutally disrupted. Kit Carson’s militia viciously terrorized the Navajo, burning orchards, destroying crops, and killing sheep, culminating in The Long Walk of 1864-1866 during which nearly 10,000 Navajo people were forced to march on foot more than 300 miles to an American internment camp at Fort Sumner/Bosque Redondo. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Some Navajo were able to escape the roundups by hiding in canyons and other remote areas. Amazingly they were also able to hide small herds of Churro sheep, a sure-footed and hardy breed that was well-suited to survival in tough environments. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">After four years as “prisoners of war,” the Diné returned home and began to rebuild both their herds and their Nation. By 1890 the Diné reportedly already had 1.6 million sheep and goats. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Between 1870 and 1930, the Diné population quintupled, thanks in part to a protein-rich diet of lamb and mutton. Given that this is the period during which the overall population of Native Americans in the United States reached an all-time low, it was a remarkable achievement. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> Sadly this period of rebuilding would lead to more pain and frustration for the Navajo people. When Navajo lands began to show signs of environmental distress, federal agents attributed this to overgrazing, and refused to listen to competing theories of cause. We now know from tree-ring data that the primary factor was climate change: a decades-long dry spell, followed by an unusually wet period.</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> “This dry-then-wet pattern encouraged arroyo erosion and sand-dune formation—a geomorphologic cycle that had happened many times before in this sandstone-dominated landscape.” </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">The huge Navajo herds of goats, sheep, and horses certainly did not help. But what followed was a catalogue of abuse in the name of “the environment.” The Bureau of Indian Affairs instituted a herd reduction program from 1933 through to the mid-1940s. Heavy-handed federal interventions included indiscriminate slaughter of Navajo livestock, and mandated maximum herd sizes, all without adequate compensation. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">As described in “A Short History on Navajo-Churro Sheep” by Diné be’iiná </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">“Government agents went from Hogan to Hogan, shooting a specified percentage of the sheep in front of their horrified owners, who love their sheep and regard them as family members. First to be shot were the Churro, because the agents thought this hardy breed was ‘scruffy and unfit.’ Today, elders tearfully recall that time and can describe in detail each sheep that was killed and the exact location of the massacre.” </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> Not surprisingly given the flawed understanding of the causes behind the deterioration, and the draconian way in which herd reduction was implemented, range conditions only worsened, the reservation reached an ecological tipping point, and by the end of the program, to quote historian Jared Farmer, </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">“the tribal economy was in ruins. Unemployment, indebtedness, poverty and alcoholism ravaged Diné Bikéyah.” The legacy of the US Government’s destructive “reservation” program persists to this day. The Navajo are a nation of 175,000 people in 46,000 households, primarily in the state of Arizona – I quote US not for profit Prosperity Now: </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">“The basic needs of residents within the Navajo Nation are not met: 35% of residents do not have access to running water, 15,000 people do not have electricity and residents must drive for hours in order to reach the nearest hospital or grocery store” – not to mention water supply. Some 35.8% of Navajo households have incomes below the federal poverty threshold, compared to 12.5% for Arizona as a whole. One in two do not have sufficient liquid assets to subsist for three months without income; and they have higher rates of chronic illness, lower life expectancies, and lower rates of insurance than the national average. Less than 9% of the Navajo population over the age of 25 have had the opportunity to access a four-year college degree, compared to 30% for Arizona as a whole, and 16% are unable to find employment, compared to a state average of 5%. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">In the last two years, with the COVID pandemic raging through the world, the Navajo Nations people have lost a lot of people and lots of churro sheep lost their shepherds. More and more , everybody who is involved as a farmer or trying to make a living with creating fibre, are told by big industry that some rare breeds, like the Navajo Churro, are unsuitable and have no place in the national or global market. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">I am just going to say that right here and right now as I have always done…this stance the big industry is taking, in my humble point of view, is total and absolute BS. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">I can say this of course because I have never ever listened to so called “GLOBAL” industry or even bigger processing companies, who always want to steer a breeder towards something that is easy to process and fast. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Our perception , even as crafters, has been extremely influenced by their view that everything needs to have a white base (One colour to process is easier than a few mixed colours because every time the machines need to be cleaned etc etc), needs to be fine (but not too fine because if it is too fine some machines cannot take it either and it has to be wooshed off to Italy to be processed…talk about “the Goldie lock “ principle , well that is it isn’t it?)….. Whereas I, as a weaver, spinner, dyer and breeder, love the diversity of colour. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">The way that the dye plays with fleeces that have different colours going through them is like how sunlight and shadows play with what we see in nature. Definitely much more interesting than a “flat white”. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> Strangely enough, I have found in my 18 years of trying to make a living from my fibre art, that big industry is trying to copy what handspinners have been doing for a long time: spin yarn that have a more “natural” look or spinning so called “zebra” yarns (different shades of white and grey and black)… But I digress…..lol Back to the struggle of the Navajo People and the Churro sheep: </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">In 2019, a handful of Diné shepherds felt lucky to be paid 1 to 5 cents per pound for their Navajo-Churro wool; others weren’t as fortunate. “Our Navajo-Churro wool was kicked away,” said one Navajo shepherd , as tears fell down his cheeks. “The traders tell us our wool is worthless and that we need to start crossing our sheep with fine wool rams.” We can make a difference as crafters and artists! Not only can we help by helping the small farmers survive and letting rare breeds with all their different qualities survive, but also say to the big, unsustainable and wasteful fashion industry, that we are not falling for it anymore. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Support small farms, support diverse culture, share and create. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Please don’t let anybody tell you that everything needs to be super fine and soft for it to be beautiful or useful: I call that fibre racism. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> So much beauty can be made from rare sheep breeds. And, so much history can be lost by dismissing their fleece and the shepherds who take care of the sheep. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> Things are starting to change. Navajo co-ops are starting with small processing mills and selling their own yarns. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Small and sustainable has always been my philosophy as well. It is part of who I am and my ancestors speaking through me. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">I have recently gone through some very old albums and found some beautiful old photos, some more than 100 years old. Here are some I gladly share with you.</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830525957_b56c893301.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830525957_b56c893301.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830525957_b56c893301.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832204425_5d468fb214.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832204425_5d468fb214.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832204425_5d468fb214.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831590323_c2bbabcb79.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831590323_c2bbabcb79.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831590323_c2bbabcb79.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832204825_bb817f037a.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832204825_bb817f037a.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832204825_bb817f037a.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831589763_0cb4589505.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831589763_0cb4589505.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831589763_0cb4589505.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/5053/5475225746_84cafdd41a.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/5053/5475225746_84cafdd41a.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/5053/5475225746_84cafdd41a.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />my mum at the loom<br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/8387/8641699624_816430cbc9.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/8387/8641699624_816430cbc9.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/8387/8641699624_816430cbc9.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831589558_8487df515d.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831589558_8487df515d.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831589558_8487df515d.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845128521_caeacdafbc.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845128521_caeacdafbc.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845128521_caeacdafbc.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Navajo rugs take a loooong time to make. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Lots of them are sold by traders, while the weavers themselves are not given the money needed to survive. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">There is a wonderful initiative : the adopt an elderorganisation, who does not only support those who are doing it extremely tough but also provide them with the opportunity and funds to keep telling their stories. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">If you would like to purchase a handwoven Navajo Rug, please check out their website here:</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> https://www.anelder.org/Navajo-Rugs-and-Jewelry </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">So, what exactly is a Navajo Churro breed sheep? : The Navajo-Churro sheep is a small, long tailed sheep with a double coat of wool. The locks are long, tapered and open. Legs and faces of adults are free of wool. The sheep have a strong flocking instincts and are very intelligent. Most Navajo-Churro are a-seasonal breeders and mature early so two lamb crops per year are likely if rams are left with the ewes year round. The ewes lamb easily and are fiercely protective. Twins and triplets are not uncommon. Ewes seldom require assistance of any kind in lambing. Both ewe and lamb seem to know each other instantly. The lamb suckles within 10-15 minutes and is ready to travel by the mother’s flank within that same short time. These sheep with their long staple of protective top coat and soft undercoat are well suited to extremes of climate. The Navajo-Churro is highly resistant to disease, and although they respond to individual attention, they need NO pampering to survive and prosper.<br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845346673_8318089905.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845346673_8318089905.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845346673_8318089905.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845599384_5a6d09b292.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845599384_5a6d09b292.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845599384_5a6d09b292.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845599434_a330274f75.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845599434_a330274f75.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51845599434_a330274f75.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832204880_22575d66f4.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832204880_22575d66f4.jpg" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832204880_22575d66f4.jpg" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">The hand dyed tops that I am offering you here are blends of the undercoat of the Churro sheep it makes for the most wonderful yarn, suited for socks and outerwear as well as sweaters. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">It is easy to spin and also beautiful to weave with to tell your stories. The wool is classified as “coarse” but that needs a bit of explaining ! </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">The Navajo sheep fleece is composed of 3 distinct types of fibre: inner coat, outer coat and kemp. The fleece is open and has no defined crimp. The inner coat measures 6 to 12cm and generally ranges from 10-35 microns while the outer coat 12cm-24cm″, and is generally above 35 microns. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> The tops I have on offer tonight range are an amazing 23microns and have a gentle sheen. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> Axéhéé (thank you in Dineh language) for your support!</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5767/20696335453_f826bc7262.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5767/20696335453_f826bc7262.jpg" height="260" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5767/20696335453_f826bc7262.jpg" width="400" /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Have lots of fun exploring all the new fluff and fun stuff on the shop! There are always new tops, spindles and tools added all the time, not only Fridays , so please keep an eye out ! Also, when you would like a certain colour or colourway and you see it has sold out or has never been offered, please contact me : always happy to enable. This goes for spindles as well ! Paul is more than happy to create a custom spindle just for you ! Anything goes !</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Have a wonderful weekend and happy creating !</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Big hugs</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Charly</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Please follow me on Facebook, Instagram or threads where i am ixchelbunny or</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Subscribe to the newsletters of www.ixchel.com.au to get great offers and fabulous early access and more fun stuff !</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-74617912083607443322023-12-22T19:34:00.001+11:002023-12-29T15:51:35.436+11:00Happy holidays and a Big Thank you ! <p> <img alt="Happy holidays ! Bunny hugging its toy" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/C2134259-8A42-4458-A0BC-380FD1A7FF8C_480x480.jpg?v=1703231897" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br />It’s all about….well… happiness and gratitude in this blog. In between all the chaos, mayhem, wars (yes, plural heartbreak) and all the hard times, there is always something..some little thing..some infinitesimal, tiny thing that can make us smile. <br />At this moment for me, even though I’m in pain and have to admit I can hardly walk, I am cracking jokes (a fab coping mechanism I know..lol), but I am also super inspired by the amazing beauty all around me and the amazing support I have received from all of you. I’m filled with gratitude and love and thank each and every one of you for showing so much love for our little fibre universe. Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought this would happen in the twenty years I have been dyeing, spinning and making all this fluffy stuff. Not in my wildest dreams did I think that my passion for bunnies and fluff and wool and spinning and knitting, crocheting, felting, weaving and dyeing would ever make it possible to do it for “a living” as they say.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">From when I was 3 I wanted nothing else than to draw, paint and create. My parents however, being very accomplished artists enamalists (meaning creating true enamel as in molten glass on copper or gold or silver, not that plastic sh$te…everybody nowadays sell as being enamel..lol) wanted a “better” future for me so they wanted me to become a lawyer (tried that, but I’m unfortunately not confrontational enough) or a doctor (halfway there with my medical anthropology but they probably would have liked it more if it was plastic surgery…lol)..Anyway, it’s really funny that somehow, I was stubborn enough and weird enough? To somehow got my wish anyway: making a (nearly…lol) living wage creating colourful fluffy, wonderful, weird and lovely stuff for other creators to make their own dreams and visions come true. Life is strange and amazing and you can never, ever tell what is going to happen in real life. So, if you cannot predict anything, why not do what makes you happy?! Be kind to yourself and be kind to others.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">For me this week has been family catch ups and making lots and lots of batts (I wasn’t kidding when I told you all to go batty, coz you did! Thank you so, so much).</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I hope for this holiday season you will all get some time to be happy with what you are doing, what you have created and the friendship powering all of that. I am so grateful to have this fibre, yarn and lovely community! I want to thank you with all my heart to be so supportive and amazing! To show so much love and understanding ! And, to be there even when times are tough and my body is giving out or my brain is gIrving me hard time, telling me it’s never enough. We are all enough as long as we care for others and …for ourselves.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">With the last of the clubs of the year done and shipped on December 1st, it was time to get a compilation done to give you an overview of all the art journey clubs of 2023:</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <img alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/3DDCD5A7-9AB8-4D31-95F3-8E86A41EFE10_480x480.jpg?v=1703233744" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/3DDCD5A7-9AB8-4D31-95F3-8E86A41EFE10_480x480.jpg?v=1703233744" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/3DDCD5A7-9AB8-4D31-95F3-8E86A41EFE10_480x480.jpg?v=1703233744" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <img alt="IxCHeL yarn club overview 2023" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7D4E982B-639D-41E7-999D-0EC00A5EC07C_1d37da24-d0a1-4e7f-ba35-53ad5bdce845_480x480.jpg?v=1703233785" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7D4E982B-639D-41E7-999D-0EC00A5EC07C_1d37da24-d0a1-4e7f-ba35-53ad5bdce845_480x480.jpg?v=1703233785" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7D4E982B-639D-41E7-999D-0EC00A5EC07C_1d37da24-d0a1-4e7f-ba35-53ad5bdce845_480x480.jpg?v=1703233785" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <img alt="IxCHeL art journey batt club 2023" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/FA998464-B5DE-4D77-A450-494DB660B1E8_8b199287-21c1-43e4-825a-c3e0c1613009_480x480.jpg?v=1703233830" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/FA998464-B5DE-4D77-A450-494DB660B1E8_8b199287-21c1-43e4-825a-c3e0c1613009_480x480.jpg?v=1703233830" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/FA998464-B5DE-4D77-A450-494DB660B1E8_8b199287-21c1-43e4-825a-c3e0c1613009_480x480.jpg?v=1703233830" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <img alt="IxCHeL art journey fibre club 2023" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7E54C38B-0845-4001-9A63-113991230112_697b65d1-ab55-41c1-b9d3-488c51a746db_480x480.jpg?v=1703233878" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7E54C38B-0845-4001-9A63-113991230112_697b65d1-ab55-41c1-b9d3-488c51a746db_480x480.jpg?v=1703233878" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7E54C38B-0845-4001-9A63-113991230112_697b65d1-ab55-41c1-b9d3-488c51a746db_480x480.jpg?v=1703233878" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> The sign ups for the 2024 clubs are open now until December 30th (or until the spots fill up ! ) you find all the club information for the fibre, yarn and batt clubs here: https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">There’s no new product update for this Friday, but the IxCHeL shop is open and we will be shipping when Australia Post office hours permit constantly. I will not be dyeing for two weeks, but after that it will be full for pre ahead for new colorways, new yarns!, new fibres and new lots of things, fluffy things in 2024! </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">We are not going away on a world wide cruise, plane ride or adventurous Indiana jones-like holidays, we are just taking it a bit easier..slower..breathing..aligning our bodies and minds and trying to get all energised to face the new year again. <br /><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Have a wonderful holiday, however way you celebrate it. <br />Be you!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Love who you are !</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Do what you love and do it often!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Big hugs</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Charly</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-5523867350856950482023-12-15T19:21:00.001+11:002023-12-15T19:22:36.673+11:00Still hopping! And a big thank you !<p> <img alt="A Bunny knitting beside a Xmas tree sitting on top of a bunch of presents" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7BD1770E-44D3-42BF-A3BA-788549CCB83E_480x480.jpg?v=1670987800" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7BD1770E-44D3-42BF-A3BA-788549CCB83E_480x480.jpg?v=1670987800" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7BD1770E-44D3-42BF-A3BA-788549CCB83E_480x480.jpg?v=1670987800" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /></p><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />It’s that time of year where I am looking forward to having a little breather, take up my knitting and spinning, and create new adventures for the new year! All this year’s art journey club productions are dyed, shipped and done (more on that later next week), major shop updates for this year are nearing their end with tonight Friday, December 15th being the last blog and fresh product update for this year AND the twelve days of Christmas event is over, shipped and a big donation has been taken care of ♥️</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Thanks to all of you who have enthusiastically shown their support for the yearly IxCHeL 12 days of Christmas fundraiser event, we have been able to donate a pretty substantial amount and even a bit more than last year ! I am so super grateful to you all ! Thank you💕</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> You are all AMAZING !</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Now, what to do now? After all the hectic excitement??!! And…ALL the Christmas parcel packing of all the orders! 🎁</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">It’s time to breathe and take stock (Paul is doing that literally atm) before Some major baking, relaxing, spinning, reading and knitting time off. Mind you, with the website being there and automated as it is, we decided to keep the shop open. I mean, yarn and fibres and spindles are essential products right? 😉 plus, since we are not exactly going on a holiday anywhere like on a tropical island being brought fancy cocktails with little umbrellas in them, we might as well be there for all of our super loyal people who have shown us so much support during the last years. We love you all ♥️</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><img alt="Healesville sanctuary donation 2023" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/269970D0-E1E2-41D5-A7B1-BEB7B7AD17FF_480x480.jpg?v=1702622243" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/269970D0-E1E2-41D5-A7B1-BEB7B7AD17FF_480x480.jpg?v=1702622243" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/269970D0-E1E2-41D5-A7B1-BEB7B7AD17FF_480x480.jpg?v=1702622243" /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">There may be some delays shipping when you order now until New year, but that will not be because we are lounging about, but because post offices will close on certain days during the holiday period and Australia Post is not known for its …ahem… super expedient, super sonic shipping times. If you have any questions, requests or anything else on your mind, we want you to know we are here for you, so send us an email or a message on our social media and we’ll do our best to help and enable.</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />A word of warning: I will not be dyeing every day during our Holiday “break” and I will not have a dye production going on with a 100kilos a week. My body needs a rest 🤣 This year has been especially hard on my physical being: I have developed a swollen disc on my spine due to the heavy lifting, posture of constant standing in the dye studio and carders and…obviously…being me…not taking care of myself enough by stretching or doing anything rather than concentrating on the tasks at hand. I am known for being extremely focussed and determined (not to mention stubborn) often forgetting to drink or eat (although you wouldn’t know that by looking at my “inflated” being..obviously I am genetically related to those plants that can survive and grow (read: get fat) on mere air ..there’s absolutely no other explanation..lolol). Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yes, I will not be dyeing…saying that I know that’s not exactly true because I still have a kilo custom order to dye this week, but then…it’s me, my books (planning to reread Terry Pratchett’s Discworld again -I’m in desperate need of some otherworldly satirical humour) , my ideas, hopefully my watercolours and pens and my knitting needles and probably my spinning wheel.</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">On that note: I have come to the terrifying conclusion that angora yarn (Anny Blatt from France) are selling their machine spun and dyed pure angora yarns in balls of 25g for $65. I nearly fell off my chair because I handspun and hand dyed our animal friendly harvested pure angora bunny yarn for $49/50g… Somehow I missed the world going absolutely bonkers with price rises! I know! I know about house prices, rent rises, the obvious food price hikes and the petrol prices, but somehow I haven’t really changed anything for my own handmade fluff! I have always aimed at staying small and sustainable since I started in 2004..yes! That’s TWENTY YEARS ago! And I have never aimed for world domination so to speak. My personal “weird” disposition (meaning introvert, non ego oriented and also not exactly “neurotypical🤣) certainly would not allow that…lol</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Anyway..I digress…again…Squirrel!! <br /><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Next year, just out of pure essential survival necessity, I will have to make some changes. There may be some price rises since taxes, customs and power bills are pretty brutal atm and I really hope to be around for a while longer. I will also have to face the fact that I will not be able to work 14hour days in the dye room anymore. So there will be changes, but you know me, I’m planning exciting new things, new blends, new products, new fluff, new adventures! Most of all 2024 will see a big celebration of TWENTY YEARS of IxCHeL yarns and fibres ! Lots of new exciting things! Fibre and yarn fun!</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">If you would have asked me twenty years ago before I started on this adventure, what do I seen myself doing in 20 years time, I would not have dreamt it to look like this! No way! <br /> I was a medical anthropologist, working contracts in between all kinds of other dead end jobs in between, to keep the money to pay bills coming in (anthropologists, academic and field workers don’t tend to make any money if at all..). I was working all kinds of administrative desk jobs in Europe then, just met Paul, waiting for my Australian visa and then, moved to Australia, to do other jobs that had nothing to do with my medical anthropology degree or languages (the joy of a PhD of a big European degree not recognised in Australia)..</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I finally managed to land a job “working nights on St Kilda road”.. yeah, not what you think it is. lol. Mind you when I said out loud to people who asked me what I did and I said THAT..they all looked away and went to talk to someone else…</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I asked Paul if I was saying something wrong and he laughed and said : “well…St Kilda rd has a reputation of wild women roaming to pick up men etc for you know., a good time” lolol. See what trouble you can get into when you don’t know the goings on in a different country ?!!! Lolol</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">anyway, I worked for a New Zealand company doing international telephone cold calls to Latin America and Europe (my language skills came in handy at least) during the night and they were located on St Kilda road. Not quite that exciting now is it? Lolol</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">My brilliant idea to taking the night job was: I could work during the night and then do my painting during the day! Genius! I kept it up for 9months and then my biological clock went BOOM! But I made enoug stuff that I thought, well, I’ll quit and let’s try and sell my art work! Brilliant idea…NOT! because art doesn’t really sell..(unless maybe you’re dead) BUT..at my market stalls, I was knitting and spinning wool! And THAT got peoples attention! At the end, I sold more of my handspun yarns than my paintings or prints, so hey..what is the obvious choice? Right! You sell and make more stuff that actually sells: yarn and fibre! That was 20years ago. The first market I was at was Balnarring market and all I sold were handwoven inkle bands…two to be exact… to my father in law….(Thanks Dad !!) Nobody else bought anything ! It’s a wonder really that I am still here.</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">i have done weekly markets. The whole circuit around Melbourne. And art centre sunday markets in the centre of Melbourne, art markets, even went to Flemington market and kept driving even after I found out my breaks on the very old car I drove at the time, stopped working ! I arrived, set up and sold practically nothing. But, I still kept going! Mind you, this was a few days after I had a miscarriage! See how stubborn i am? I never went back to Flemington market though: I thought that was tempting fate…lol</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />and, here I am! 20 years later! Still going…selling my yarn, my fibres and my painting. Only, it’s not on canvas or paper, it’s on fibre. Who knew? Who could possibly ever predict something as weird as this?</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Was I ever doubtful? Hell yes! <br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />was I ever desperate? Hell yes!</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Did I keep going? Hell yes!</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I could NOT have done this without Paul ! The times I drove myself crazy with worry about not making any money, or not enough money to cover the market stall, not enough to cover the rent let alone food, the times that most of our bunnies died of a horrible disease we could not vaccinate them for because Australia doesn’t allow these vaccinations. The multiple heartbreaks of the miscarriages I had. The cancer diagnosis’s. The cancer treatment. The cardiac arrest. It’s a bloody miracle I am still here to type this!!!! </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Paul was there every time to tell me: it’s okay! You are great! Look at the big picture! Don’t give up! You can do this! I love you! To have someone believe in you, even when you don’t believe in yourself, is priceless. So, I kept going and I am still going.</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />And, of course, I am so grateful to all of you reading this and still caring and still supporting me. I could not do this without you. And THIS is ALL I can see myself doing! It is everything for me. IxCHeL is my baby, my purpose, my focus and my inspiration. It is what gets me up in the morning and inspires me to do more and better. YOU inspire me to do more and better. And, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Who knows what else I would be doing if it wasn’t for this crazy wool and yarn adventure I have been in for the last twenty years. Who knows, I would probably still be working nights on St Kilda road 🤣</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Life is funny.</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><img alt="Lace jumper in bright green nephrite tweed yarn with a enamel badge with a quote saying “Beware for I am fearless & therefore powerful”" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/4BEFAF34-891E-40FD-9DD0-CC211B251C8C_480x480.jpg?v=1670803174" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/4BEFAF34-891E-40FD-9DD0-CC211B251C8C_480x480.jpg?v=1670803174" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/4BEFAF34-891E-40FD-9DD0-CC211B251C8C_480x480.jpg?v=1670803174" /> </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">So, what’s NEW on the IxCHeL shop tonight? it’s time to go BATTY !</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">So, what’s NEW on the website tonight? Batts !!</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">there are merino silk cashmere batts : colourful and super soft, and</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Rainbow Cashmere silk batts,</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Possum Angora cashmere silk batts in natural and a gorgeous sky blue;</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">and</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Swamp Wallaby bunny silk cashmere batts too !</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Your can find them all in the <a data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" data-sanitized-target="_blank" href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" title="What’s new">What’s New</a> section.</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">if you have not signed up for the IxCHeL Art Journey Clubs for the next round starting in January, please have a look! All the club sign ups are in the what’s new section as well. I will be sending out reminders to all of the last club members, who have not signed up yet and probably will try to send out a newsletter later next week as well (I so have to educate myself on the marketing newsletter side of things….)</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">There are still batts, yarn and fibre clubs available and sign ups will be open til December 30th or until quotas are reached. So, don’t wait too long ! I will be posting an overview of what the 2023Art Journey Clubs looked like plus their inspiration artworks on next week’s blog with a special view of all the December clubs ♥️ </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Have lots of fun exploring the IxCHeL shop and most of all: crafting and having FUN !</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">big hugs</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Charly & Paul</div></div>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-43430232201287042252023-12-08T18:32:00.002+11:002023-12-08T18:32:08.579+11:00An ice age survivor you can spin!<p> <img height="300" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5489/30547377484_af459d4c5b.jpg" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">It would be an understatement to say (or sing!) : it’s starting to look a lot like Christmas in the studio and packing area. <br />There is Christmas wrapping paper everywhere, Xmas stickers, boxes, parcel bags. Parcels being packed, and sorted (by super Xmas Elf Paul !) into bays of “to ship” and “to stash til the 12 days of Christmas event is over and if that is not all..I’m still dyeing and spinning orders and custom orders, and Paul is still at his lathe trying to produce as many spindles as he possibly can. In short: “hectic” sounds more like it here.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">And, just in case you were wondering: we will be working up til December 15th and then……the weekly updates will stop until January 19th with our first celebratory 2024 update. It is going to be a very special one, because 2024 will mark the 20th birthday of ME ! (LOL…I wish) ..no, it’s the 20th anniversary of the IxCHeL business ! Oh the stories I can tell !! And I will ..lots of news in the next blog on Friday 15th !</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">This time of year it is always more than busy, because of the 12 days of Christmas fundraiser event and we are already over half way ! There are still 4 days to go and omg! Are they going to be AMAZING!) you can find all the details of the event here btw: (just in case) <a data-sanitized-target="_blank" href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/12-days-of-xmas" title="12 days of Christmas fundraiser event">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/12-days-of-xmas </a></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Mainly because if all this hecticity (I believe that is a word..lol) I TOTALLY forgot to write the blog last Friday! I still cannot believe I did that..or rather.. I didn’t do that…</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">So much has happened in the meantime: first of all the December clubs were shipped out to every member so they would receive their parcel well before Christmas, then heaps and heaps of dyeing (of course) and spinning and carding(as usual) which was slightly interrupted by the fact that Paul fell down in the yard, hit a concrete block with a corroded metal pin sticking out (oh joy (not!) to those numpties who thought filling up a yard with building debris was a great idea!) and the pin went straight into his leg…lots of blood, visits to the doctor to get it cleaned out and taken care of and a new tetanus shot. He’s doing okay and it’s healing well. He was very lucky! It could have gone straight into his knee or bone and that would’ve been horrible. He needs to put his feet up…and so do I…soon… Not quite yet though…still a lot to do.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">A very sweet thing happened here as well: we have a resident pair of “welcome swallows” nesting …. Near the back door. They built their nest from scratch with mud, twigs and fluff and it is a marvel to behold. I just wish they would have made it NOT next to the back door, because that is the door we always use (we don't use the front door unless royalty comes over so to speak🤣) and it scares the hell out of the little swallows every time the backdoor opens. They start fluttering about and hiding. I try and open the backdoor very slowly and then, hunch over so I am gnome size (well, as much as possible..lolol) but still they panic and fly off in a huff..</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I have no clue if there are eggs in the nest yet and it’s too high up to see, but I will let you know once we hear the screams of hungry bellies I guess..lol</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">It is funny though: they both built the nest in a bit over 4days, but it’s only big enough for one bird to sit on the nest, the other one sits on the light just above the back door, and is on guard duty the whole time! So cute. I don’t know if you have ever heard welcome swallows, but their song is amazing too. I love where we live: so many birds and so much wildlife! The more reason to take care of our environment and be thoughtful about everything we produce, create and use. AThat has actually been our motto ever since we started the business: stay small, stay sustainable, stay fun and fluffy. <br />Well, here are the various stages of the swallows nest for you to feast your eyes on:</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <img alt="Welcome swallows nest building stages" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/89086AB5-9E34-4AD3-895D-CD9F9769D9CD_55cc4662-d3a5-4544-b859-6a452b4a8b37_480x480.jpg?v=1702018515" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/89086AB5-9E34-4AD3-895D-CD9F9769D9CD_55cc4662-d3a5-4544-b859-6a452b4a8b37_480x480.jpg?v=1702018515" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/89086AB5-9E34-4AD3-895D-CD9F9769D9CD_55cc4662-d3a5-4544-b859-6a452b4a8b37_480x480.jpg?v=1702018515" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> And just in case you’re not impressed by their mud home, these are the cuties who built it: </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Welcome swallow" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_0283_480x480.jpg?v=1702018619" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <img alt="Welcome swallow bringing some food to the nest" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_0285_480x480.jpg?v=1702018661" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_0285_480x480.jpg?v=1702018661" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_0285_480x480.jpg?v=1702018661" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> For tonight’s update I have planned is something super, super special! I do not have lots left of this blend so this is the time to jump on this blend adventure!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Here are some of the new colourways on the shop update tonight:</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Tundra qiviut blend top Lavender Haze" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3654_480x480.jpg?v=1702019075" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Lavender Haze </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Tundra Qiviut blend too Secret Love" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3660_480x480.jpg?v=1702019154" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Secret Love</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Tundra qiviut blend tops Kingfisher" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3648_480x480.jpg?v=1702019255" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Kingfisher</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Tundra qiviut blend top Romantics" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3649_480x480.jpg?v=1702019325" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Romantics</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Tundra qiviut blend top Autumn Spirit" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3661_480x480.jpg?v=1702019406" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Autumn Spirit</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">And many, many more! Just have a browse on the IxCHeL shop right here: https://ixchel.com.au/products/tundra</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">There might not be a lot of animals still around whose origins date from the ice age to tell the tale and be around for us to marvel at them and their unique and magical being, but tonight’s update is one of them: QIVIUT! Or Musk ox as they are also known as ox Qiviut is the name of the wool that comes off of the Musk Ox, a gentle giant of a creature often found in Alaska, but also in Norway, more specifically in the Dovrefjell National park. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, Musk Ox are now considered to have the most precious, softest fiber in the world. Eight times warmer than wool and finer than cashmere, qiviut is rare and it is one of the most luxurious fibres you can choose for a garment.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <img alt="" border="0" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="363" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51420782336_5be0310f97.jpg" width="400" /> <img alt="" border="0" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="347" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51420782431_02d35b4c6e.jpg" width="400" /></p><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br />The softness of Qiviut is something that must be touched to be believed! Qiviut is not only soft, it is also non-irritating to the skin, and is very durable - garments made from it are worn for years and can be hand washed in mild detergent. It retains warmth even when wet. <br /><br />The lightweight fibre preserves heat in the winter, while also providing cool, breathable comfort in warmer weather. This fibre has been carefully gathered by hand and no animals were harmed in the gentle shedding of it. This fibre generally sells for anywhere between $70-$100/28grams/oz, and skeins of yarn often sell for a lot more!! Fibre count is 100s+ (12-15 micron)!!!<br /><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="" border="0" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="266" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7332/13900577508_83be6f2bd6.jpg" width="400" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong>A musk ox mum and her baby</strong><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong></strong><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="" border="0" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="250" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7433/14083968331_070127040f.jpg" width="400" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong>the Qiviut (down of the musk ox) peeking through the guard hairs</strong><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong></strong><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="" border="0" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="319" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7352/14064065446_af33fe039a.jpg" width="400" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong>Musk Ox male in Alaska</strong><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong></strong><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="" border="0" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="266" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7036/13900564857_57784702fb.jpg" width="400" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong>One of the baby musk ox </strong><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong></strong><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong></strong><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="" border="0" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="266" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51421037813_b1d263ab96.jpg" width="400" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong></strong><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><strong></strong><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="" border="0" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="310" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51420033162_886754990d.jpg" width="400" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><br /><a data-encoded-attr-charset="VVRGLTg=" data-encoded-tag-name="meta" data-encoded-tag-value=""></a>The mighty muskox (Ovibos moschatu) is a survivor from the ice age. Possessing powerful curved horns, which hang down like side bangs from a helmet-like skullcap, muskoxen are actually more closely related to sheep and goats than to cattle and oxen (although all of the above are members of the Bovidae family). <br /><br />Adult muskoxen weigh from 180 to 400 kg (400 to 900 pounds) but they look much larger on account of their thick coats and large heads. Once muskoxen proliferated throughout the northern hemisphere alongside woolly mammoths, but hunting and habitat loss caused them to retreat further and further into the remotest parts of the north until the end of the nineteenth century when the animals could only be found in the unpopulated wilderness and empty islands of northern Canada and deep in the arctic vastness of Greenland. In these remote locations tiny herds of one to two dozen muskoxen still subsist on grasses, willows, lichens and moss while contending with terrible arctic predators and fearsome cold. <br /><br />Fortunately the muskox is provisioned with fearsome horns and doughty neighbours to fend off polar bears and wolves. The herd is capable of assembling in a ring formation with horns outward to stand off wolves and ice bears (although such a strategy works less well against humans with our projectile weapons). To fight the cold, the muskoxen have fat reserves and one of the most remarkable insulating coats in the animal world. <br /><br />A muskox’s coat is divided into two layers: a long stringy layer of coarse outer wool and an inner layer of soft warm undercoat called qiviut (this Inuit word now primarily denotes muskox wool but it was once also used to refer to similarly soft warm inner down of arctic birds). Qiviut is one of the world’s premier luxury fibres: it is allegedly 8 times more effective at insulation than sheep’s wool and yet is softer than cashmere. <br /><br />The Musk Ox survived when the other greats of the Pleistocene – woolly mammoth, mastodon, sabertoothed cats, giant sloth – all went away. And it returned to Alaska by way of New York Harbour. Now, it turns out, the musk ox could again be the great survivor in our new Arctic age of extinction. Ross MacPhee, a curator in the department of mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, says the musk ox’s homogenous genetic makeup suggests it has been through population stress before and can survive boom-and-bust cycles. <br /><br />“What we find with living musk oxen is they’re not exactly clones, but they’re so amazingly similar that there’s only one explanation,” MacPhee says. “And that explanation is that they had to have had a very severe pinch on their populations. We estimate that that happened about ten thousand years ago.” But that doesn’t mean it’s all good news for the cold-weather beast, which is most closely related to goats and sheep and can weigh up to 800 pounds. The pace of these changes could challenge even an animal as resilient as the musk ox, scientists say. <br /><br />Brendan Kelly, an Arctic ecologist and research scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says all Arctic species are currently endangered by the rapid speed of climate change. “For organisms to adapt – whether it’s changing body size, or changing the timing that they have their calves, and hence can match when the plants are most nutritious – it really depends on the rate of the environmental change relative to the generation time of the organism,” Kelly says. “So if there’s a really, really rapid environmental change, it’s very hard for there to be an adaptive response.” <br /><br />As I was reading about Musk Ox I found out that all of the muskox at the Myskoxcentrum in Härjedalen, Sweden, came from Ryøya, near Tromsø, Norway. What?!? Muskox on Ryøya? I knew about the Dovrefjell group and an attempt to introduce muskox on Svalbard, but I had never heard of a group in northern Norway. The search was on. <br /><br />It turns out that there is a flock of more 40+ animals now running around free on a small island named Ryøya off the coast of Tromsø. NRK’s Ut i naturen television program made a 24-minute show about “Moskusøya” (“Muskox Island”) in 2006. Unfortunately the show is in Norwegian, but even if you don’t speak Norwegian, it’s still worth watching for a while if you want to see muskox running around and scientists trying to catch them. In the Ut i naturen program, we also get to see some historic television clips from the 1960s when the muskox first came to Troms. <br /><br />In 1969, 25 muskox calves arrived in northern Norway via boat from Greenland. The idea was to raise muskox for their wool as domesticated livestock. The University of Fairbanks in Alaska had some kind of research project related to muskox husbandry (I haven’t looked into that yet) and the idea was transferred to Norway.<br /><br />The undercoat wool of muskox, known as qiviut, is a highly valuable wool: it is warmer than wool, finer than cashmere and hypoallergenic. Sounds like the perfect winter clothing material, except that muskox are pretty rare and not widely domesticated – which makes it a very, very expensive material <br /><br />In 1969, the herd was established at a farm in Bardu with the hope that eventually every farm in the area could have 2-3 muskox for a meaningful supplementary income. But by 1975, calls for the end of muskox experiment were being made. According to media reports, a hunter was killed by a muskox and the muskox population was being devastated by a virus (hmmm, sounds familiar, right?). So in 1976, the herd was moved to northern Troms, and five years later, the Tromsø University is taking care of them to preserve the species. <br /><br />The Department of Arctic and Marine Biology took over the herd and moved them to Ryøya to study their behaviour and adaptation as arctic animals. Muskox as livestock in Norway didn’t work out, but who knows what the future holds. The Qiviut are still here.<br /><br />While the scientists herd the muskox to collect measurements and/or for transportation to the overwintering station on the mainland, they quickly pull out the qiviut, which they sell to support their research. Qiviut is a bonus of having muskox in Norway — if you can catch them. <br /><br />Well , don’t you worry I caught some of it for you to support the musk ox population growing not only on the American continent but also in other habitats that are good for them. This will enable the species to grow, get stronger, adapt and hey, probably outlive us all, since they already did that to the woolly mammoth. <br /><br />Don’t worry, if I EVER find a woolly mammoth, I will share its’ wool with all of you … <br /><br />As far as rare breeds are concerned and especially with the musk ox, they are being monitored by scientists to see what is happening with the herds and what their health is. A musk ox can be up to two metres long. The animal is characterised by a long and dense coat and wide hooves and drooping horns. Like domestic cows, musk oxen are ruminants, and allow their food to ferment in a separate stomach prior to digesting it. Musk ox are well protected against the cold Arctic winter. They have two layers of hair--a thick undercoat and heavy outer coat of long, dark hair. Musk ox are a key species in the Arctic, but populations are in decline. A new method is helping scientists to monitor these animals in often difficult to reach, remote locations.</div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><br /><a data-encoded-attr-charset="VVRGLTg=" data-encoded-tag-name="meta" data-encoded-tag-value=""></a><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">A new method of hair analysis reveals what musk ox in the Arctic have been eating in recent years. The hair is sampled from the animals’ buttocks where it is longest and preserves a longer time series of the animals eating habits. Buttock hair also grows continuously throughout the year and so it gives the most representative picture of the animals’ yearly food intake. “Musk ox [are] a key species in the Arctic that we know surprisingly little about,” says lead author Jesper Bruun Mosbacher, a PhD student at the Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Denmark. “We use a new method that has never been applied in this way before. And we can use it to monitor [musk ox] populations in locations where we otherwise wouldn’t visit very often,” says Mosbacher.<br /><br />Musk ox are found throughout the Arctic, in Greenland, Canada, Alaska, Norway, and Russia. And some local populations are thriving. </div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">In west Greenland, populations have soared from just 27 in the early 1960s to around 25,000 estimated individuals today, says Mosbacher. But scientists still do not know where most musk ox are or how they are faring. "No one knows how many there are among the [unmanaged] population on the east coast [of Greenland]. The most recent estimate in 1990 was between 2,900 and 4,600 musk ox within the area of the Zackenberg research station," says Mosbacher.</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="" border="0" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="300" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5336/30999739210_56882fe0f5.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></span></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><a data-encoded-attr-charset="VVRGLTg=" data-encoded-tag-name="meta" data-encoded-tag-value=""></a><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><blockquote data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">Mosbacher and his colleagues analysed hair from ten Greenlandic musk ox and discovered that the animals’ diet is directly linked with their environmental surroundings and the number of calves born. Fewer calves were born during and after particularly snowy winters.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><p style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="" border="0" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="320" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5591/31332528376_e332cdcf6a.jpg" width="400" /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">"In winters with lots of snow, the animals starved and burned their layer of body fat. Musk ox live in such extreme areas and they are very dependent on sufficient body resources both to survive and to be able to produce calves," says Mosbacher.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em; text-align: left;"><br /> The scientists analysed the stable isotope composition of the hair, which indicates the type of food that the animals ate in recent years. An isotope is a specific version of an element and every element has several different isotopes. A stable isotope means that it is not radioactive and does not change into another isotope by radioactive decay.</p><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">The analytical tool is useful when predicting future population trends in the face of climate change, says Mosbacher. “Our study tries to understand how climate influences the musk ox’s diet, in a region where [climate] is changing twice as fast as in other ecosystems and where populations [of musk ox] are declining,” he says.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="" border="0" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="641" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5786/30999740800_994f0449f3.jpg" width="426" /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><a data-encoded-attr-charset="VVRGLTg=" data-encoded-tag-name="meta" data-encoded-tag-value=""></a><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">“Understanding the connection between the environment and food is important, because then we can begin to understand what will happen as the climate changes."</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">This new Tundra blend top are perfectly blended super fine fibres which will make fine spinning very easy and more homogenous. </div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">It is not only easier to spin but also a very nice overall halo once spun into yarn. I love this blend and I hope you do too !</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">Have a wonderful weekend with lots of happy crafting ! </div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">Don't forget to do some 12 days of Xmas shopping to help with our fundraising for wildlife on the IxCHeL website til the 13th of December.</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"><br />Big hugs</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">Charly</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-36451647869965225272023-11-24T21:20:00.000+11:002023-11-24T21:20:44.700+11:00Super cute rare sheep breed to spin<p> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"> </span><img alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/52522408210_e2b30c06d8_c_480x480.jpg?v=1700808605" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/52522408210_e2b30c06d8_c_480x480.jpg?v=1700808605" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/52522408210_e2b30c06d8_c_480x480.jpg?v=1700808605" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">It's that time of year again : everybody seems to get ready for Christmas, there are so many Black Friday Sales emails I'm being bombarded with just like everybody else I suppose and I do not know what to do first or next. I feel like I am one step away from feeling like a deer staring at the headlights of oncoming traffic, but//thanks to my chaotic organising skills (insert sarcasm) i just keep going and hope for the best. Trying to survive as a small craft producer is hard enough but I see more and more feeling they need to compete with large companies who can afford to slash their prices every now and again…for small businesses that is just not an option, especially when you are not an on seller but make everything your self. So, I have decided very early on in my journey, which I can proudly say has been almost twenty years…(oh gawd I feel very very old now🤣), that I would do my own thing, try the very very best at all times and not do any sales..specially not Black Fridays since it has such a bad connotation in Australia ( Black Friday is known here as the bush fire disaster 1939 and black Saturday bushfires in 2009). So sorry to disappoint all of you who thought there was going to be a big sale on, BUT I am planning my yearly twelve days of Christmas event again: more on that later ! </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">The December clubs are al dyed and drying as I type this, the organising of the batts and the labels and the packing comes next. It is looking so pretty!! No, I am not saying another word...but I can show you the teaser label</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="december club teaser label" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53341216538_070fbde4bd_c_480x480.jpg?v=1700808977" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Btw: The Art Journey club sign ups for the first quarter of 2024 are filling up fast, so if you want to join the fun please head over to the ixchel shop and go to the fibre , batt or yarn club product page. If you would like to become member of more than one, please email me so I can combine the shipping for you to save you heaps of shipping costs! Here is the link: <a href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs</a></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">There are also new shop updates planned for the next few weeks of course, the dye pots will be busy !!! AND, to top it all off: THE event of the year is happening very, very soon too: THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS EVENT !!! I may not do any sales or black Friday events or discount galore stuff during the rest of the year, but I AM doing a very SPECIAL twelve days of Christmas event with special products and extra special prices as a fundraiser for wildlife preservation just like every year!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">More on the twelve days of Christmas event next Friday ! </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="twelve days of christmas event poster" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/50669474498_26d7aa9754_c_d31e4049-7ff5-4b65-9d8c-7cc63b875fd1_480x480.jpg?v=1700809361" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="398" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">This week I have a fab blend for you : </p><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">A Ouessant/Blue Faced Leicester/Mulberry Silk blend that is so smoochy and soft and fluffy you have to try it ! The different colours in all the fleeces blended together made a gorgeous base to dye on and resulted in amazing tonal values of the dyed tops. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I love dyeing tops that have different coloured fleeces in them: it is magical ! spinning this blend will give you a gorgeous heathered and saturated, magical colour play yarn, that is soft and suitable to close to skin wear with a gorgeous drape.</div><div align="center" data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><em data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></em><strong data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></strong></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><strong data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50543819052_bccdf8ff4b.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50543819052_bccdf8ff4b.jpg" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50543819052_bccdf8ff4b.jpg" width="400" /></strong></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><strong data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></strong></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></span><span data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></span></p><div align="center" data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><em data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></em><strong data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></strong></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><div class="separator" data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><a data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="#" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-href="#" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"data-original-href":"https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51104589518_465bd2a640.jpg","style":""}" href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51104589518_465bd2a640.jpg"><img border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51104589518_465bd2a640.jpg" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="345" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51104589518_465bd2a640.jpg" data-sanitized-data-original-height="500" data-sanitized-data-original-width="345" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51104589518_465bd2a640.jpg" /></a></div></div><div align="center" data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><em data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></em><strong data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></strong></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><strong data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51104589513_a10c1cef5a.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51104589513_a10c1cef5a.jpg" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51104589513_a10c1cef5a.jpg" width="400" /></strong></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><strong data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></strong></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></span><span data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></span></p><div align="center" data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><em data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></em><strong data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></strong></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><strong data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/448/20340198496_5067045d6e.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/448/20340198496_5067045d6e.jpg" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/448/20340198496_5067045d6e.jpg" width="400" /></strong></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><strong data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></strong></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span data-keep-original-tag="false" data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-keep-original-tag="false" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></span><span data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></span></p><div align="center" data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><em data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></em></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Located 12 miles off the French coast in the Sea of Iroise, the island of Ouessant (or Ushant in English) is the original homeland of Ouessant Sheep. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> Ouessant sheep are the most primitive of the native French breeds. For centuries, they were raised in isolation on the island where they played an integral part of the self-sufficient closed economy, providing both wool and meat. By the end of the 18th century there were over 6,000 sheep on the island of Ouessant. But economic improvements along with a move toward modernization at the beginning of the 19th century radically changed the future prospects of this small primitive breed. ortunately, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, a number of wealthy families imported small numbers of traditional Ouessant sheep to the French mainland to graze the lands around their estates. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Ultimately, this seemingly insignificant event insured the survival of the breed. Today, Ouessant sheep are sought after both as companion animals and as “environmentally-friendly lawn mowers”. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">They have also gained a certain amount of popularity in several different European countries : Most notably Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Great Britain. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">A member of the Northern European Short-Tailed breeds, Ouessant sheep are distant cousins of the Shetland and Icelandic breeds. The two most distinctive features of Ouessant sheep are their size and their color. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Considered by many to be the smallest breed of sheep in the world, adult ewes measure less than 18″ (46cm) at the shoulders and rams are under 20″ (50cm). </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Additionally, Ouessant sheep come in a number of different colors : Including black, white, brown, and grey. It is true that the small size of Ouessant sheep contributes to the breed’s characteristic charm and appeal. However, their diminutive size also means that the breed is not commercially viable in the modern world of agricultural production. In fact, one of the primary objectives for breeding Ouessant sheep today is the preservation and conservation of the rare genetic resources that are found in the breed. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Despite their small size, these charming little sheep produce a particularly beautiful and versatile wool. Ouessant sheep have a distinctive double-coated fleece with an average fiber diameter of 25 microns and, on average, fleeces weigh approximately 750 grams (1.5 lbs.). It is important to keep in mind that Ouessant sheep are an unimproved breed, which means that from one sheep to another there is less standardization and more variability in wool type and quality than one would normally find in modern improved breeds. </div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">For the handspinner, this variation presents a unique opportunity : From one small flock of Ouessant sheep it is possible to produce wool that can be used for a wide variety of projects, ranging from lace shawls to hats, cardigans, and more.</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> I have taken great care to only select the finest of the Ouessant fibre and blending that with the shiny Blue faced Leicester and the mulberry silk to create a beautiful heathered effect when dyed. The natural colour of this blend is fabulous and takes the dye beautifully: because there are so many different natural colours in the base, it creates a magical depth and variety of tones. <br /><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I have dyed up some new colourways again…(couldn't help myself..) like: Just Ken (celebrating the fabulous Ryan Gosling as Ken in the Barbie movie..I couldn’t get that song out of my head🤣), Kingfisher blues, a new take on Mermaid Reality Show and secret garden and of course: freshly Dyed versions of Pumpkin King and Autumn Glow and secret Garden. I think Secret Garden together with Just Ken are my favourites this week.</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Which ones are yours?</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><img alt="mermaid reality show tops" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53352653205_b4a0b654f7_c_480x480.jpg?v=1700809456" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">mermaid reality show top</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><img alt="secret garden tops" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53352680375_2a058f8636_c_480x480.jpg?v=1700809500" width="400" /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">secret garden tops</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><img alt="kingfisher blues" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53352229106_f645a1681b_c_480x480.jpg?v=1700809539" width="400" /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">kingfisher blues</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><img alt="just ken" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53351356977_673792d8fa_c_480x480.jpg?v=1700809575" width="400" /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">just Ken</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><img alt="pumpkin King" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53352686860_e30ac39db8_c_480x480.jpg?v=1700809627" width="400" /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Pumpkin King</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><img alt="goblin" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53352678340_c41afe043f_c_480x480.jpg?v=1700809660" width="400" /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Goblin</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><img alt="autumn glow" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53352680900_7377c40b97_c_480x480.jpg?v=1700809704" width="400" /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">autumn glow</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">You can find all these new tops right here: <a href="https://ixchel.com.au/products/ouessant-bfl-silk?_pos=1&_sid=86bb4a5ef&_ss=r">https://ixchel.com.au/products/ouessant-bfl-silk</a></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Wishing everybody a very happy and craft filled weekend !</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Big hugs</div><div data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Charly</div>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-45717732850490745322023-11-17T19:07:00.001+11:002023-11-17T19:07:48.395+11:00Dreamy<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_XClxl1DD75KYH-FUasE4GStFf-hjekSuPuz09Cd7KjCrUk1rBjUKubjNMuGtrw5yf8TMX1hfc2Q-OCOQ-2b-sbCVlLA9C1FSsUPgntPHQt-bntDAG0ydp-7Gl0KwH0vQqMWXMxp6bksiu6IpdXXSHY0p0YHe7qmW7Pux5PfsNFTZ7aK2F-_0kcxODcU/s848/8E8CFBCE-43C1-46B3-9C28-2C0EAB8C5FB7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="848" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_XClxl1DD75KYH-FUasE4GStFf-hjekSuPuz09Cd7KjCrUk1rBjUKubjNMuGtrw5yf8TMX1hfc2Q-OCOQ-2b-sbCVlLA9C1FSsUPgntPHQt-bntDAG0ydp-7Gl0KwH0vQqMWXMxp6bksiu6IpdXXSHY0p0YHe7qmW7Pux5PfsNFTZ7aK2F-_0kcxODcU/s320/8E8CFBCE-43C1-46B3-9C28-2C0EAB8C5FB7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">All of a sudden everything around me is yelling out Christmas: all the advertisements, all the shops and tv ads, everything has started shouting Christmas and I have to say.. I am still stuck in Halloween mode..lol I mean, when did it get Christmassy in Mid November?!? I’m not ready!!! And there’s so much to do! I’m hyperventilating just thinking how much needs to be done. Let me sum it up for you :</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">1. The November clubs were just shipped out and I have to dye the December clubs right away because of Australia Post Xmas shipping deadlines, which means the December club needs to leave here,packed and ready to go before the end of November! <br /><br />2. The weekly updates are still going as well, so that’s extra…and,</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">3. the big yearly IxCHeL fundraising “twelve days of Xmas”- event starting December 1st until December 12th is getting closer and closer, so more to organise and dye and get ready! (More info on that even coming soon!) <br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">in short, I need a bit more time…lol One of these days I will get my hands on a TARDIS/Time machine DeLorean….</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Apart from that I’ve had a bit of a melt down…both physically and mentally…physically because blending, dyeing, schlepping wet fibres and yarns around is killing my back and of course I don’t know how to stop, which doesn’t make it easier. Then, in pain, I am more susceptible to those pesky devils yelling in my ears that times are super tough and I have to do more and sell more and somehow get more likes and sales ..and…yes.. not good. If there is anything I (should’ve) learnt after almost twenty years of doing this, is NOT to compare myself to anybody else, not to listen to social media bs that all the “influencers” are peddling and are absolutely not necessarily linked to reality. Everybody is different..thankfully! It’s tough but hey, I am one of the lucky ones: I’m still here ! That is what I am always telling myself to get rid of the bad voices…doesn’t always work, but then I remember I have a sense of humour and that makes the negativity disappear. <br />I think I will have to put all my “running a small craft business” adventures into a novel sometime, when I have time…insert hysterical laughter…lolol</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah… tonight’s fabulously soft update!! I am super happy about this blend, which I haven’t put out there a lot apart from some clubs. I always thrive to create blends that are soft, lush and a bit special. This blend on show tonight is a mix of super soft 18micron huacaya alpaca blended with superfine merino and a big dash of mulberry silk. All of this is blended thoroughly to ensure easy drafting and spinning. If you are a felter: it is absolutely amazing to felt too! By blending merino and alpaca together it results in extra soft and a tiny bit fluffy yarn or fabric with memory. <br />Wool has memory, alpaca far less so and some people have experienced a “falling or dropping”:of garments they have knitted because of this. Well, you will not have any problems with this blend. Because it is so well blended with the super fine merino, which has a memory (I don’t mean it remembers what you have been doing and tell tales, no, I mean after wearing and washing, your garment will remember their original shape). The mulberry silk adds a pearlescent luxury and shine to it all, resulting in a beautiful yarn you can use for anything: shawls, jumpers, socks, hats, dresses even or why not a skirt?</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I have had lots of fun dyeing this blend and it took the dye beautifully, resulting in saturated colours. I have dyed different colourways that hopefully lots of people with different tastes will love, ranging from romantic and dreamy to autumnal and ..let’s not forget purples and blues!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Here are a few examples and you can find them all right here in the what’s new folder (or just go to the Machu Picchu blend in the search function) : <a data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/products/machu-picchu" href="https://ixchel.com.au/products/machu-picchu" target="_blank" title="Machu Picchu blend tops">https://ixchel.com.au/products/machu-picchu</a></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Machu Picchu blend gobble gobble" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3405_480x480.jpg?v=1700206169" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3405_480x480.jpg?v=1700206169" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Colourway: gobble gobble<br /><br /><img alt="Machu Picchu colourway: Romantics" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3407_480x480.jpg?v=1700206249" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3407_480x480.jpg?v=1700206249" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3407_480x480.jpg?v=1700206249" width="400" /><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">colourway: romantics<br /><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Machu Picchu wicked autumn" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3411_480x480.jpg?v=1700206303" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3411_480x480.jpg?v=1700206303" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Colourway Wicked Autumn</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Machu Picchu wizards" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3413_480x480.jpg?v=1700206351" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3413_480x480.jpg?v=1700206351" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Colourway Wizards</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Machu Picchu ice forest" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3417_480x480.jpg?v=1700206398" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3417_480x480.jpg?v=1700206398" width="400" /><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">colourway Ice Forest</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Machu Picchu gothic velvet" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3419_480x480.jpg?v=1700206459" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3419_480x480.jpg?v=1700206459" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Colourway Gothic Velvet</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Machu Picchu rhapsody in blue" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3423_480x480.jpg?v=1700206508" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3423_480x480.jpg?v=1700206508" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Colourway: Rhapsody in blue</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Machu Picchu water dragon" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3425_480x480.jpg?v=1700206558" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3425_480x480.jpg?v=1700206558" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Colorway Water dragon</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Machu Picchu silver grapes" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3429_480x480.jpg?v=1700206596" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3429_480x480.jpg?v=1700206596" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Colourway silver grapes </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I can hear you say..is that all?No! Of course not! There is more! Paul has made some amazing chalice lap owls to make your support spindling magical and easy. They are all gorgeous but the purple heart one is super special. I will add a short video of how it shines to my social media so you can have a look at the shimmer and shine ✨ </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Chalice lap bowl purple heart lair of the bearded dragon" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/4C2CEDB2-9D3A-45F6-BE51-2AC7BE95BDBD_480x480.jpg?v=1700207669" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/4C2CEDB2-9D3A-45F6-BE51-2AC7BE95BDBD_480x480.jpg?v=1700207669" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Well, that’s it from me for now: so much to do, so little time! Oh yes, before I forget!! I will add a post with the December club teaser label over the weekend on my social media AND remember: sign ups for the next quarter of art journey clubs are open now on the website here: https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">please let me know if you have any questions, custom dye or spin requests: always happy to help and enable. Just email me or message me on my social media!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">have a wonderful crafty weekend!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">big hugs</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">charly</p>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-90379230207171388652023-11-10T19:05:00.006+11:002023-11-10T19:05:56.756+11:00Sparkle Like Magic<p> <img alt="Poppy fields colourway on magic tops" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/52926113567_3afcf8a4a1_o_480x480.jpg?v=1699599357" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/52926113567_3afcf8a4a1_o_480x480.jpg?v=1699599357" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/52926113567_3afcf8a4a1_o_480x480.jpg?v=1699599357" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">The week that I am blending and dyeing the art journey club of the month is always extra, extra busy, because I still somehow have not managed to dye Friday blog updates ahead of time..you know, be ahead of the game…nope, not me…always the chaos bunny, hopping from one thing to another. I’m great at multitasking though but planning ahead of time seems to be lacking…lol mind you, I was the same at school and University: deadlines seem to invigorate my sense of timing..especially when they are threatening to whoosh past. Somehow I get extra energetic right about the time that the deadlines are about to hit and so here I am, typing away on this blog five minutes before I should press “publish” and hope for the best. One day I hope I get it all under control, get the Nobel Prize for best planner in the history of planning activities …I won’t hold my breath…I’ll be happy if I remember to eat and drink, but that’s another story 🤣</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Here’s a little pre view of the first base of the yarn dyeing (before the final glazing and finishing) based on Canadian painter Emily Carr of her painting “Vanquished” from 1930. I can’t wait to show you photos of the fibre, batt and the yarn club, but that will have to wait a bit. I will post on social media with a teaser as soon as the November clubs are shipped next week and about a few weeks later I will post the overview.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Painting yarn based on a painting by Emily Carr" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3351_480x480.jpg?v=1699600904" data-mce-style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_3351_480x480.jpg?v=1699600904" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Teaser label of the November art journey club" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/F818FC4B-86D3-4415-AD1F-86C797424E62_480x480.jpg?v=1699600980" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/F818FC4B-86D3-4415-AD1F-86C797424E62_480x480.jpg?v=1699600980" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Looking at all the advertising and the organisation of the grocery stores Christmas is around the corner. How did that happen?!! It was just July a week ago it seems …lol Which brings me to two things I have to discuss with you:</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">1. The twelve days of Christmas event is coming ! The annual fundraising event, December 1st til December 12th at noon. Put it in your calendar! As usual I will post on Instagram and Facebook every day at noon and the daily super offers will be available on the website at 12pm AEDT as well. It is a great way to get a fantastic offer on fibre, yarn, spindles and very extra special crafty stuff. Plus, 10% of sales will go towards a good cause. More on that later 💕<br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">2. Art Journey Clubs 2024! I am already organising fabulous fibres to go towards these art journey clubs. Sign ups are open on the shop and you can already make sure you’ll receive a monthly surprise parcel based on a different inspirational artwork each month. Only a limited amount of spots are available so if you don’t want to miss out on a spinning or knitting adventure: don’t wait too long!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">You can find all the information of all the Art Journey Club sign ups right here : <a data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs" href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs" target="_blank" title="Art journey club sign ups 2024">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs</a></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">3. IxCHeL gift cards! It can be very hard to pick a gift even a crafty gift for someone so I’ve made it a lot easier: gift cards! You don’t even have to parcel it up and post it and hope it will arrive on time: gift cards are available instantaneously, emailed to you! Easy !</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Here is the link to the IxCHeL gift cards :<a data-mce-href="%20https://ixchel.com.au/products/ixchel-gift-vouchers" href="%20https://ixchel.com.au/products/ixchel-gift-vouchers" target="_blank" title="IxCHeL gift cards"> https://ixchel.com.au/products/ixchel-gift-vouchers</a></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">So, what’s new for this Friday update? I have to admit for the last few weeks I just loooooved everything sparkly! Can’t help myself! Lol last week with the DIVA tops with its gorgeous ice glitz sparkle and this week with a restock of my MAGIC tops with extra special rainbow dyed glitz blended very well throughout the blend. <br /><a data-encoded-attr-charset="VVRGLTg=" data-encoded-tag-name="meta" data-encoded-tag-value=""></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Magic tops are easy to spin and soft close to skin wear fibre blend with rainbow dyed fire star. <br />Fire star is man made fibre, a type of trilobal nylon. It refracts the light like a tiara in sunshine. When the sunlight hits your garment made with Magic tops, you will light up a room like a supernatural unicorn </span><span class="s2">🦄</span><span class="s1"> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in time for all your Christmas parties! </span><span class="s1">Fabulous for magical, enchanting felting projects as well !</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s3">Fibre Top Roving details</span><span class="s1">: Superfine Merino 70%, Rainbow dyed Fire Star 20%, Cashmere 10%</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Lots of fun colourways, like happy rainbows, gorgeous lilacs and sumptuous poppy field reds.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Here is the link to get your magic on : <a data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/products/magic" href="https://ixchel.com.au/products/magic" target="_blank" title="Magic tops update ">https://ixchel.com.au/products/magic</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">If you thought that was all you are wrong! The bearded dragon aka Paul, has been busy wood turning some absolute beautiful support spindles with inlay, a gorgeous Osage orange drop spindle, Nostepinne to make the most gorgeous centre pulled yarn balls and super special chalice lap owls to make your support spindling extra easy.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Here are some photos : </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1"><img alt="Turquoise inlay purple heart spindle" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/EEE49B7B-2C51-405E-A58D-FBCDE8C9E7EF_480x480.jpg?v=1699602663" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/EEE49B7B-2C51-405E-A58D-FBCDE8C9E7EF_480x480.jpg?v=1699602663" width="400" /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1"><img alt="Osage orange drop spindle" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/F0B843BE-5F1F-4418-8C6A-CF227EBA556A_480x480.jpg?v=1699602746" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/F0B843BE-5F1F-4418-8C6A-CF227EBA556A_480x480.jpg?v=1699602746" width="400" /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1"><img alt="Chalice lapbowl cypress" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/E4354B54-9F6F-486A-9EF3-50D04C82C86D_480x480.jpg?v=1699602836" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/E4354B54-9F6F-486A-9EF3-50D04C82C86D_480x480.jpg?v=1699602836" width="400" /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1"><img alt="Gaspeite inlay Tibetan support spindle" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7B312861-3168-4151-B5FA-69759145244E_480x480.jpg?v=1699602932" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7B312861-3168-4151-B5FA-69759145244E_480x480.jpg?v=1699602932" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7B312861-3168-4151-B5FA-69759145244E_480x480.jpg?v=1699602932" width="400" /><br /><br />just go to the “what’s new” section here: <a data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" target="_blank" title="What’s new ">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">If you are after something custom dyed, carded or woodturner, please let me know! Always happy to enable ! Nothing is too small or…too big 😉</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Wishing everybody a wonderful, crafty and happy weekend!</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">have fun!</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">big hugs</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span class="s1">Charly</span></p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-15306866931642149162023-11-03T19:33:00.000+11:002023-11-03T19:33:07.471+11:00Spin like a DIva<p> <img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53305530512_999d6e3e31_c_480x480.jpg?v=1698998734" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53305530512_999d6e3e31_c_480x480.jpg?v=1698998734" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53305530512_999d6e3e31_c_480x480.jpg?v=1698998734" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">There were a lot of blending and dyeing adventures this week. Safe to say I was a busy bee hopping here there and everywhere and gave myself absolutely no time to do some knitting, so no MKALS have been finished at all. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">It takes a lot of time to keep up with all the ideas i have and it is true that every time I voice my "eureka" moment to Paul, he sits down and very seriously tells me : " everytime you have an idea, it means a lot of work". Of course I cannot argue with that at all...but I can't help myself.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Unfortunately for me, because I create all the things aka ideas by hand, it means a lot of time. Even, I have to add, if you were to give all those things to a robot or AI, there is absolutely no way in the world that it could churn out the creative and manual process needed to create something like what i do. and you know what? throughout history there have been all kinds of powerful and rich people trying to automate creative processes: weaving, spinning, dyeing and still at this moment in history, creatives (writers, craftspeople, artists) are being "attached" again...and you have to wonder why and you have to wonder if it can be at all successful.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I wonder what your thoughts about all this AI stuff is. As a writer of blogs I was surprised to receive an email from some AI app saying I would now be able to blog using AI with an ooutput of 2000words and 1100 blogs a day.... After the headdesk and contemplatimg how on earth this AI content could be of any value.. I started wondering how many blogs, articles or news we read that is not created by humans. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I have always been complaining about not having enough time to create but this AI taking over the creative process and output so you can have more time to do other stuff is not the answer...in my humpe opinion. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Creating words, yarns, stories, cloth, art, wearables and craft is exciting...time consuming but totally and utterly humanly necessary. As soon as you would replace the whole process what are we left with? what would you do instead? what would we be left without creating ? go on a holiday, sleep in? do nothing? Immediately the scene from Wall-e the movie comes to mind where we are all on a semi cruise ship in space, when our home planet was destroyed, lounging about and not even able to get up out of our lounge chairs...</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I say, stay magical, stay creative and critical, be unpredictable and creative. Have an adventure! Make mistakes and discover new things. Create, Spin, Weave and do everything by hand and take all the time you want. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">For this update I give you a freshly blended new blend I called DIVA, a 24 carrot glamour blend with superfine merino, cashmere, Angora bunny and a touch of glitz for some fab sparkle in your life!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Fibre-DIVA-Autumn-Bliss-Tops_21af041a-f062-4b85-a03e-baee42a037c4_480x480.jpg?v=1699000162" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Fibre-DIVA-Autumn-Bliss-Tops_21af041a-f062-4b85-a03e-baee42a037c4_480x480.jpg?v=1699000162" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Also some new amazing spindle cups and bowls are available ! From Pearlescent glazes to beautiful blue sky crackle glazes. They are a brilliant companion to your support spindles !</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-pearl-glaze-porcelain-spindle-cup-1_34ce59d3-ec6f-4c72-8e0d-0f9158e85911_480x480.jpg?v=1699000185" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-pearl-glaze-porcelain-spindle-cup-1_34ce59d3-ec6f-4c72-8e0d-0f9158e85911_480x480.jpg?v=1699000185" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-ceramic-crackle-glaze-square-spindle-bowls_5a12921e-2efc-423b-a152-2a9a250cd375_480x480.jpg?v=1699000216" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-ceramic-crackle-glaze-square-spindle-bowls_5a12921e-2efc-423b-a152-2a9a250cd375_480x480.jpg?v=1699000216" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Wishing you a wonderful creative weekend ! </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Here's the link to all things NEW and shiny and pretty :</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Be you!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Be Magical !</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Be a Diva !</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Big hugs</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Charly</p>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-21763442801590847142023-10-27T19:48:00.000+11:002023-10-27T19:48:45.995+11:00Art inspired colour ways<p> <img alt="" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/1D791372-B9BD-4D49-BB6F-D858A34E2A7C_480x480.jpg?v=1677833238" /></p><p>Almost Halloween!! Yes, I’m excited..although there’s absolutely no trick or treating going on where I live in the middle of nowhere and I basically have my Halloween candles, figurines and other decorations flying around the rest of the year anyway…coz you know I’m witchy weird that way..lol</p><p>What else has been going on here? Well, I got distracted…SURPRISE! and found myself in desperate need to knit something halloweeny and the @tellybeanknits designs were just the ticket ! Her #boneyardsweetheartshat is awesome and comes in either DK or fingering weight pattern versions so yeah, I had to.</p><p><br /></p><p>Next up is her MKAL. Now, I don’t know about you but I am not very good at participating at MKALS. I think it’s the pressure or fear of falling behind…which I probably will do with everything I need to work on to keep the IxCHeL shop stocked. I could of course do “me” and totally immerse myself into an MKAL and focus so much on it that I finish the first clue in a few hours and then it’s nail biting time for the next clue to land in a weeks time… so, You see? MKALS don’t work with my personality…lol. It’s either ALL or nothing…until of course I get distracted by a new shiny or fluffy thing and the. I’m all steam ahead to get on to that adventure…. How many adventures or WIPS can you have going at the same time? Are there any WIPS that you started a decade ago and you have no idea where the pattern is anymore? Yeah…sounds familiar eh?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwiOQLIS4VKLoOJ9feGez6FJnnLs5Asl1xYdsibs0D6ISi9JwzcVFGkClLlnYtXJgfrnp9AKf_qjs4hHPhpqcjHCWyj_tGTSJD9mcw8FZr7dd9iIuyx35su2KBEV14MI_adjvETguqC1V4UWKTEoRMfI_fCgqqkt5Cw3_EpPAwc3TnkmNv0LIxwS8xX4K/s640/3F6419E6-BAF8-4E34-A44C-7C9456A992B0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwiOQLIS4VKLoOJ9feGez6FJnnLs5Asl1xYdsibs0D6ISi9JwzcVFGkClLlnYtXJgfrnp9AKf_qjs4hHPhpqcjHCWyj_tGTSJD9mcw8FZr7dd9iIuyx35su2KBEV14MI_adjvETguqC1V4UWKTEoRMfI_fCgqqkt5Cw3_EpPAwc3TnkmNv0LIxwS8xX4K/s320/3F6419E6-BAF8-4E34-A44C-7C9456A992B0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhry5WYKcl6sMg0JK1-jled794TdeSRuyguAh7i9FGymPZSjThrfO3zJH13XhrQrfyZ6nkJT71-0rk9M6CG8Qkf3CfoBBZgwqK4ZF4OcoKc8hAsP5KRbgLloDA7A_Z9vi4aRUVlVVURIMp1x6N80_2tCGlPq1Jo7LngQMQsIGQDvPurp9ptQQ-IXXMHBKso/s640/353F80D3-1EC6-48E1-AB47-4E80B96CA33B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhry5WYKcl6sMg0JK1-jled794TdeSRuyguAh7i9FGymPZSjThrfO3zJH13XhrQrfyZ6nkJT71-0rk9M6CG8Qkf3CfoBBZgwqK4ZF4OcoKc8hAsP5KRbgLloDA7A_Z9vi4aRUVlVVURIMp1x6N80_2tCGlPq1Jo7LngQMQsIGQDvPurp9ptQQ-IXXMHBKso/s320/353F80D3-1EC6-48E1-AB47-4E80B96CA33B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>And another one….glow in the dark 😉</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJz6hLBb18ZBRJ59Xga2dPIqmgG37K4w_ksXevlxTGUiIo6mo81V8Nfprnve-fTh_EQXaocaM6z21ubqR9zuWTWEozQKlUd1RstlLNErsomwAI0BTXfGRBPMNwiYDKKzGGM74qTRqp9O6lL1KussZyE30vi5vnA93fBZ2951g4dZ_n1sIn3rSVaMgL3Ux/s640/2E15C76B-105F-4676-9741-C11007391FE2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJz6hLBb18ZBRJ59Xga2dPIqmgG37K4w_ksXevlxTGUiIo6mo81V8Nfprnve-fTh_EQXaocaM6z21ubqR9zuWTWEozQKlUd1RstlLNErsomwAI0BTXfGRBPMNwiYDKKzGGM74qTRqp9O6lL1KussZyE30vi5vnA93fBZ2951g4dZ_n1sIn3rSVaMgL3Ux/s320/2E15C76B-105F-4676-9741-C11007391FE2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I was very proud of myself getting ahead in the game and getting fibres ready ahead of time before updates but the weather and before the November club dyeing got in the way of my “efficiency”…! Btw, I will post teaser label photos of the November club over the weekend! AND, tonight I am happy to announce that I have opened up sign ups for the first quarter of 2024! I had a lot of people ask me when the new club sign ups would be open..we’ll actually, after the show and tell of the October club fibres and yarns, a lot of people asked me if there were still spots open for this year. I had to unfortunately tell them all that every spot was filled. I really hate telling people no. I like enabling so saying “no, sorry” goes against very part of my being…lol In short: I have opened up the club sign ups for 2024 now. </p><p>Just in case you were wondering why I have a quarterly club: seeing I’m preparing all the blends and special fibres, I unfortunately can only blend, dye and produce so much…I prepare and organise ahead of time so I need to know the exact quantities I can get my hands on , the time it takes to prepare everything and work from that. It all takes time. </p><p>Tonights update is a very special blend I concocted and cooked up literally about ten years ago, because I am totally weird and though why not try and spin cactus…agave to be exact? I mean we drink it..well I do…tequila, mescal..margarita cocktails..why not spin it?! <br />You can read all about it on my blog I wrote in 2016 ( you can read all my old blogs from way back in the early 2000s on www.Ixchelbunny.blogspot.com ).</p><p>The thing is, I wanted this blend to be not only special and linked to the time I lived in a Mexico and was totally infatuated(and still am) with Frida Kahlo, but also mix it with my love for Navajo churro sheep which I grew up with and loved spinning. The blend combines a lovely wool with a strong plant fibre. The agave fibres are an excellent plant alternative for nylon: it gives strength and softness over time by wearing. It is a fabulous blend for spinning and for sock knitting. I have to say that I have heard a person say she picked the bast fibres out of the blend because she thought they would be too harsh..please don’t! Don’t be fooled by the agave plant fibres. They may seem more coarse than the wool you are spinning but they will soften up with wear and washing! It is like hemp or flax only softer! </p><p>To read all about agave and spinning it and the history behind the viva Frida blend please go here: <a href="https://ixchelbunny.blogspot.com/2016/09/wings-to-fly.html">https://ixchelbunny.blogspot.com/2016/09/wings-to-fly.html</a></p><p>Dyeing these special tops I was particularly inspired by my muse:Frida Kahlo. One painting especially resonates with me : “What the water gave me “ and it became a colourway….</p><p><img alt="What the water gave me colourway inspiration frida kahlo" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53A3D90E-25AF-4C3C-B411-2A16DB6F736C_480x480.jpg?v=1677833386" /></p><p> </p><p>also the way Frida dressed was amazing…the colours she combines together were an inspiration for Friday’s dresses or “teh cactus flower” colourway you see here. It took a great deal of mixing and blending pigments to create that old timey sage green look but I think I pulled it off 😉</p><p><img alt="Frida Kahlo with hand dyed tops in the same colour as her dress" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/82567318-8525-4033-833F-A22D801DCEB7_480x480.jpg?v=1677833444" /></p><p> Here are some other colourways with their inspiration taken directly from Friday’s paintings and one I dyed to reflect a beautiful painting by Alison Munti Riley : 7 sisters dreaming.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJGjGTM76kPjWIVKmmbj2beWlh7dZv7RkiBfnpbmqQH9U5ym0D1F_JpAsLu0pQXru6CXM7ru7zIAVvqabTpeymQ9ua5ZefCUkXhQsjAljoQZ9thwHDWxFvwqmMeu_K7l_wz83YzcgEYxD04G0B6SqDCBKeUHM4oJZ1V5uTZejfcHUwLLEo71bzQeWkbzL/s640/F1641557-EA59-497E-B0FC-1936D5670F90.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJGjGTM76kPjWIVKmmbj2beWlh7dZv7RkiBfnpbmqQH9U5ym0D1F_JpAsLu0pQXru6CXM7ru7zIAVvqabTpeymQ9ua5ZefCUkXhQsjAljoQZ9thwHDWxFvwqmMeu_K7l_wz83YzcgEYxD04G0B6SqDCBKeUHM4oJZ1V5uTZejfcHUwLLEo71bzQeWkbzL/s320/F1641557-EA59-497E-B0FC-1936D5670F90.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsoon-kure4Jp3spXMuj0WvMfPKabeCYIAxLEbBJlkyNrpv3TEK_Uq5v7yS7qQtq78drDr8_MfgpUh6mR9RhCjzBIpHj9PVx3xgSDHZA26dcPRPdLakGQsb6vKeIPOUziVqDg5gkyNXGzVH6zqLYC7DcfkoXMhXUn5MHCJoQSolAD0cmbDoNPJl1XFT4E/s640/AFE989A6-A3F3-43C5-B563-3984E9572677.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsoon-kure4Jp3spXMuj0WvMfPKabeCYIAxLEbBJlkyNrpv3TEK_Uq5v7yS7qQtq78drDr8_MfgpUh6mR9RhCjzBIpHj9PVx3xgSDHZA26dcPRPdLakGQsb6vKeIPOUziVqDg5gkyNXGzVH6zqLYC7DcfkoXMhXUn5MHCJoQSolAD0cmbDoNPJl1XFT4E/s320/AFE989A6-A3F3-43C5-B563-3984E9572677.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkbNlrBcin45UqHYoX31hEQoP627zPsLwyo5rjFmj9QPPe3pGtnm3wRv9JR8Z9wgBIyruQ-CTf5o5Ju_wRM5eBSrbWGm6JIfn96CZRopfsgx474Rp6Wqmk0lzg28c9JiKzwBHk7OhrVI_ng-KyzZR-CbXUWCndN6hgFLnin_TnKGD6CUlh7Zu9SlQnrVX/s640/176701BF-9A93-4FAC-A02D-D0F8C8061C7B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkbNlrBcin45UqHYoX31hEQoP627zPsLwyo5rjFmj9QPPe3pGtnm3wRv9JR8Z9wgBIyruQ-CTf5o5Ju_wRM5eBSrbWGm6JIfn96CZRopfsgx474Rp6Wqmk0lzg28c9JiKzwBHk7OhrVI_ng-KyzZR-CbXUWCndN6hgFLnin_TnKGD6CUlh7Zu9SlQnrVX/s320/176701BF-9A93-4FAC-A02D-D0F8C8061C7B.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCoQBPbD8-C0lXOI-apLNyvRMcXQE0x1_oSNtj-82PbgUHx9V9AVObWa8_iyuKh_FO3S2SLG4GhlXojPesW6V-zXo4RJFczMNgylJozy8jOPWaruJM6AzbQHw6r3Xjpqo2tU9nDDHsKO7ua0pqA1Y18QBGgtQyU7ZU10dZwY-pZUz0BFQQC9mfaAQrtEh/s640/4D9CB404-AFA3-4138-AEF3-D372AF21B89D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCoQBPbD8-C0lXOI-apLNyvRMcXQE0x1_oSNtj-82PbgUHx9V9AVObWa8_iyuKh_FO3S2SLG4GhlXojPesW6V-zXo4RJFczMNgylJozy8jOPWaruJM6AzbQHw6r3Xjpqo2tU9nDDHsKO7ua0pqA1Y18QBGgtQyU7ZU10dZwY-pZUz0BFQQC9mfaAQrtEh/s320/4D9CB404-AFA3-4138-AEF3-D372AF21B89D.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCVaFDBkx6nh4cCiuUC5KpnMWFiKD_oEBn-d97LPCpg74U-TItou8Wr9r8_uPbISVXxXRNBRaT2ZcxDgsOK5U0krRJAPX8Lauh6UsCrquaMR5EZFhFk8RHrQpzxL3hOydb8Q-I92gltfcX1cK77fOuEqoSaiZlWRrCBt0hpSqcgvLAOco-PHHcHkIO7xE/s640/2F3D0833-DE54-4FD4-B835-59A988549176.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCVaFDBkx6nh4cCiuUC5KpnMWFiKD_oEBn-d97LPCpg74U-TItou8Wr9r8_uPbISVXxXRNBRaT2ZcxDgsOK5U0krRJAPX8Lauh6UsCrquaMR5EZFhFk8RHrQpzxL3hOydb8Q-I92gltfcX1cK77fOuEqoSaiZlWRrCBt0hpSqcgvLAOco-PHHcHkIO7xE/s320/2F3D0833-DE54-4FD4-B835-59A988549176.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzhF7ocA5vWc6QEiocD3Cc132N9_zey0T8jR0EQ39hFb8ZXkXoK6MRd4IVC-yS7HJQrfo25_85HQ5wcenF3Ac4lOCwzt0Bns1YR9pPZJmxGZ9CMoMxxrS7zw-pihUYABgIMPolnVd4JF-ff0HFAovJ90FC1NwEbaDPmgPIv6HNNKvzNawF1ufD9xR2mup/s640/04CEDDE0-5B61-4A81-AE46-3622EE7A4051.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzhF7ocA5vWc6QEiocD3Cc132N9_zey0T8jR0EQ39hFb8ZXkXoK6MRd4IVC-yS7HJQrfo25_85HQ5wcenF3Ac4lOCwzt0Bns1YR9pPZJmxGZ9CMoMxxrS7zw-pihUYABgIMPolnVd4JF-ff0HFAovJ90FC1NwEbaDPmgPIv6HNNKvzNawF1ufD9xR2mup/s320/04CEDDE0-5B61-4A81-AE46-3622EE7A4051.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div><p>So not on,y will you be able to spin agave cactus with a rare breed blend but now you can basically spin a painting at the same time !</p><p>Please click here to go to the website and start browsing <a href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new</a></p><p>wishing you all a wonderful weekend and happy spinning and knitting!</p><p>big hugs</p><p>Charly</p>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-18695260698526116492023-10-20T19:25:00.000+11:002023-10-20T19:25:03.917+11:00Majestic super soft luxury and Halloween fun<p> </p><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container mce-item-table" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); height: 343px; width: 536px;"><tbody data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><tr data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><td data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1849/44330899832_78b563899a.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1849/44330899832_78b563899a.jpg" height="288" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1849/44330899832_78b563899a.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr><tr data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><td class="tr-caption" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204);"><em data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Fluffy kisses</em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;"><br />What a super hectic week it has been here! Blending, dyeing, a new sock yarn arrival ready to be dyed later, all the October clubs shipped out and new Halloween fun organised ready to put on show on the shop, plus a short stint at the hospital for me to get my bionic heart sorted out..call it my yearly maintenance to keep my motor beating. All went well, apart from the fact that I seem to be an expert in hurting myself doing normal stuff, like getting up from a low chair and somehow pulled a muscle. Yes, I’m a clutz…it’s a miracle I have made it this long since I seem to be prone to hurting myself falling over me air…lol anyway..I’m back home, hopping along and trying to get as much as I can done. </div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;">So, what have I got a treat for you tonight? A freshly blended rare breed adventure, because life gets wayyyyy more interesting when you add new adventures doesn't it? Especially the fluffy and cute kind of adventures.</div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;">Tonight’s special adventure update is my out of this world blend with guanaco !!</div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> <br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51073038362_6e5684032f.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51073038362_6e5684032f.jpg" height="489" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51073038362_6e5684032f.jpg" width="403" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Here are some beautiful photos of Guanacos in the wild : <br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7392/27446233410_354779540f.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7392/27446233410_354779540f.jpg" height="400" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7392/27446233410_354779540f.jpg" width="300" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Guanaco striking da pose in Peru <br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Warning: There is only a tiny bit of this awesome fibre. Safe to say I have had to be extremely careful and not breathe too heavy because I cannot afford it being blown off in the wind never to be seen again; it is just too preciousssss: Guanaco.</div><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7054/27690415146_dd91616dd5.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7054/27690415146_dd91616dd5.jpg" height="279" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7054/27690415146_dd91616dd5.jpg" width="400" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Guanaco near the observatory <br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;">It has always been a dream of mine to get my hands on the wonderful and super soft Guanaco and here it is: I concocted a blend that is literally so soft it cannot be described other than “orgasmic” ..yes, really. Lots of careful blending and calculating and trials have brought this blend to you comprising of 60% guanaco, Luscious Muga silk, Amazing cashmere and the ever lovely Angora bunny! As you can imagine, it is already extremely hard getting your hands on this fibre in normal times, but last year and this year with the Pandemic going on, have proven to be super tough. I am happy to say that all the almost super human effort has paid off !<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />So what is Guanaco and where does it come from?<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Guanaco fibre is particularly prized for its soft, warm feel and is found in luxury fabric. The guanaco's soft wool is valued second only to that of the vicuña. The guanaco is double-coated with coarse guard hairs and a soft undercoat, which is about 16-18 µ in diameter and comparable to the best cashmere. Only the super soft undercoat is used in this blend and it is amazing !<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />The guanaco is an animal native to the arid, mountainous regions of South America. They are found in the altiplano of Peru, Bolivia and Chile . In Argentina, they are more numerous in Patagonian regions, as well as in places such as the Torres del Paine National Park, and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. In these areas, they have more robust populations, since grazing competition from livestock is limited. Estimates, as of 2011, place their numbers at 400,000 to 600,000. A small introduced population exists on Staats Island in the Falkland Islands, with a population of around 400 as of 2003. Guanacos live in herds composed of females, their young, and a dominant male. Bachelor males form separate herds. While female groups tend to remain small, often containing no more than 10 adults, bachelor herds may contain as many as 50 males. When they feel threatened, guanacos alert the herd to flee with a high-pitched, bleating call. The male usually runs behind the herd to defend them. They can run at 56 km (35 mi) per hour, often over steep and rocky terrain. They are also excellent swimmers!! A guanaco's typical lifespan is 20 to 25 years. Guanacos are one of the largest wild mammal species found in South America (along with the manatee, the tapir, and the jaguar). Natural predators include cougars, jaguars, and foxes. Guanacos often spit when threatened, same as their alpaca and llama counterparts! To protect its neck from harm, the guanaco has developed thicker skin on its neck, a trait still found in its domestic counterpart, the llama, and its relatives, the wild vicuña and domesticated alpaca.</div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"> <br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7396/27113794873_e4bee51a58.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7396/27113794873_e4bee51a58.jpg" height="266" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7396/27113794873_e4bee51a58.jpg" width="400" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">A little Chulengo with its mum <br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1863/44330901772_767cc0c071.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1863/44330901772_767cc0c071.jpg" height="266" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1863/44330901772_767cc0c071.jpg" width="400" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1846/44330904112_86a786b2ae.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1846/44330904112_86a786b2ae.jpg" height="266" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1846/44330904112_86a786b2ae.jpg" width="400" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Some Guanaco family fun <br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;">Mating season occurs between November and February, during which males often fight violently to establish dominance and breeding rights. Eleven-and-a-half months later, a single chulengo, or baby Guanaco, is born. Chulengos are able to walk immediately after birth. Male chulengos are chased off from the herd around one year of age.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Although the species is still considered wild, around 300 guanacos are in US zoos and around 200 are registered in private herds.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7366/27690427696_74aac74f38.jpg" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7366/27690427696_74aac74f38.jpg" height="400" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7366/27690427696_74aac74f38.jpg" width="265" /></div><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">What a pretty Guanaco !!<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Another titbit of information: Guanacos are often found at high altitudes, up to 4,000 meters above sea level, except in Patagonia, where the southerly latitude means ice covers the vegetation at these altitudes. For guanacos to survive in the low oxygen levels found at these high altitudes, their blood is rich in red blood cells. A teaspoon of guanaco blood contains about 68 billion red blood cells – four times that of a human !<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" />Some guanacos live in the Atacama Desert, where in some areas it has not rained for over 50 years! A coastline running parallel to the desert enables them to survive. Where the cool water touches the hot land, the air above the desert is cooled, creating a fog and thus, water vapour. Winds carry the fog across the desert, where cacti catch the water droplets and lichens that cling to the cacti soak it in like a sponge. When the guanacos eat the cacti flowers and the lichens, the water is transferred to them. So when they eat the cactus flowers they basically get a drink at the same time.<br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" style="text-align: left;">Have lots of fun exploring the new adventures on the IxCHeL shop ! To find everything NEW. go to www.ixchel.com.au and go to the "What's new section".</div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Big fluffy hugs,</div><div data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Charly</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-5355113087134255082023-10-13T20:10:00.000+11:002023-10-13T20:10:06.663+11:00Hocus Pocus<p> </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Black kitten in a spring meadow with flowers" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_9805_480x480.jpg?v=1697176579" data-mce-style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_9805_480x480.jpg?v=1697176579" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_9805_480x480.jpg?v=1697176579" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Happy Friday October 13th! It doesn’t happen that often, well, actually, it happens every eleven years that a Friday the 13th falls in October. There are all these superstitions attached to a Friday the 13th…black cats bringing bad luck (or…white cats when you are in Mexico…), don’t walk under ladders, etc etc.</p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="B4AUQYYLOZAYRJJ7PPZU32GHUU" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Some people are so afraid of this day they don’t go out or want to do anything…There is actually a name for this phobia: <a data-encoded-attr-charset="VVRGLTg=" data-encoded-tag-name="meta" data-encoded-tag-value="" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"></a><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1"><b>Paraskevidekatriaphobia</b>: </span><b data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Fear of Friday the 13th</b><span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">. The word "paraskevidekatriaphobia" was devised by Dr. Donald Dossey who told his patients that "when you learn to pronounce it, you're cured!" <b data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">Paraskevidekatriaphobia</b> is an extension of Triskaidekaphobia. It originates from Paraskevi, (Greek for Friday). So, what </span>causes the fear? Both the number 13 and Fridays have negative connotations in many societies. For instance, some believe that because the Great Flood in the Bible occurred on a Friday, all Fridays are unlucky. In the Middle Ages, the day was associated with punishment: "This was the time when the Knights Templars were tortured by King Philip IV of France. The day of torture happened to be Friday the 13th."</p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="EFYN4ITTQ5GX5ANVAV2ZVUE5LM" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">In British culture, Friday "was the day of the hangman or the noose, as many public hangings took place on this day. Also there were exactly 13 steps to the gallows." Thankfully for those with the phobia, Friday the 13ths never occur more than three times a year and usually occur only twice. Some years have only one. <br /><br />Well, let’s just make this Friday the 13th a lucky one 😉 with heaps of new spindles and handdyed tops!</p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I have had lots of fun dyeing this batch of superfine cashmere merino and silk tops: new colourways and new experiments with blending dye pigments!</p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Here are some to choose from, starting with some cherry blossom romance:</p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Cherry blossoms with a handdyed top in pinks corals and burgundy wine reds mild yellow and light green" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/D7FF3A7F-4CB2-476F-9B39-11ADBA30F512_480x480.jpg?v=1697176660" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/D7FF3A7F-4CB2-476F-9B39-11ADBA30F512_480x480.jpg?v=1697176660" /></p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">and then there is Coraline of course:</p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/27D488FA-6F78-4E81-8C22-DA04B189D9D7_480x480.jpg?v=1697176737" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/27D488FA-6F78-4E81-8C22-DA04B189D9D7_480x480.jpg?v=1697176737" /></p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">and some pumpkin patches with gorgeous autumnal colours: </p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="A crow sitting on top of a handdyed fibre in autumnal colours resembling a pumpkin" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/8905D861-C107-438A-B959-4E6671DBB1D3_480x480.jpg?v=1697176767" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/8905D861-C107-438A-B959-4E6671DBB1D3_480x480.jpg?v=1697176767" /></p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">To see all the new handdyed tops, please go here: <a href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new</a></p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I have added some videos on my social media for the Tibetan spindles Paul aka the Lair of the Bearded Dragon has turned with some gorgeous inlay of rose quarts, malachite, Howlite and azurite. I really love how the Peruvian walnut and the American walnut looks and the cypress with a gorgeous natural feature ! Paul did tell me that he is almost out of Peruvian walnut and it is almost impossible to get hold of, so if you like what you see, don’t wait too long to snaffle! </p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">To see all the spindles please go here: <a href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/spindles">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/spindles</a><br /><br /></p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">The October clubs are almost done and will be shipped off next week Tuesday. The super wet weather has set me back a bit. It’s Spring here in the southern hemisphere but it is brrrrr cold and wet here at the moment. Mind you, up north the temperatures are soaring: Australia is a HUGE country, well, a continent actually….lol<br /><br /></p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">well, I better keep going! I feel like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland! “I’m late! I’m late! For an important date with my dye cauldron” 😉</p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Have a fabulous weekend and happy crafting !<br /><br /></p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">big hugs</p><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Charly</p>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-82161262831279714632023-10-06T19:20:00.000+11:002023-10-06T19:20:07.064+11:00Hopping to Halloween<p> <img alt="Frankenfluff blend all spun up into singles on a bobbin" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/51564299523_1306454001_o_480x480.jpg?v=1696576792" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/51564299523_1306454001_o_480x480.jpg?v=1696576792" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/51564299523_1306454001_o_480x480.jpg?v=1696576792" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Memory is a weird thing: for the first time in a long time I cannot remember being so busy, chaotic, flailing like Kermit the frog AND trying to get things done at the same time, while failing to do 1. My Inktober inking and drawing exercises from day one! And 2. Not even managed to ball up my geogradient set (I chose the Witchcraft geogradient 😉 see below) to start the 14th Westknits MKAL Geogradient knit along ! <br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_2915_51ade8fc-ed22-4e3a-b266-8d6d7d53da53_480x480.jpg?v=1696580051" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_2915_51ade8fc-ed22-4e3a-b266-8d6d7d53da53_480x480.jpg?v=1696580051" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_2915_51ade8fc-ed22-4e3a-b266-8d6d7d53da53_480x480.jpg?v=1696580051" width="400" /><br />I do not want to get to a point where I say to myself on both counts : “oh well, too late now! I’m running behind so much, I might as well not do it at all”…. That’s the thing isn’t it? Falling behind… missing out…not able to get all the things done you have to get done before you even get to the fun stuff…You know how it is!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">and social media does not help! We seem to be surrounded by super human beings who are not only creating the most amazing work but are so fast at it as well! Solution: Never, ever compare yourself to others and go at your own pace! <br />easier said than done, I know, but still..don’t let those pesky devils on your shoulder tell you anything…they’re lying! 😜 Just do it at your own pace.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">So, what have I been up to? Well, it seems I’ve not done a lot..at least not in my mind… I’ve blended fluff, I dyed fluff, dyed custom orders, prepared the October clubs, done all the admin that goes with organising anything…lol, took care of all the hungry demands of animals and humans around me..hey! I even went to the doctor…not my favourite pass-time because as soon as I see a gp…it’s never the same bloody one and they look me up and down and go “you have to take better care of yourself ! You should be in hospital!” To which I say nothing and think… “ you have no idea what zombie witch you are talking to, got too much to do”… honestly, some doctors REALLY have NO idea how to talk to patients/visitors. This one in particular should have a warning sign on his door saying “come see me if you want high blood pressure”. Anyway, October is going to be fun: another “nice” re-organising my essential motor (let’s call it heart maintenance) plus the real fun stuff (and I mean that): dyeing all the October clubs this weekend and getting everything ready to ship late next week…I say that with lots of hope because the weather has and will be extremely wet and cold..again…yes, we have the fire on again! Can you believe it? <br /><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Fornthose of you who do not follow my socials and therefore have missed the teaser label of the October Art Journey club: here it is!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Seven sisters painting my Alison Munti Riley teaser label for the art journey club October" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/7E06AE09-5D4E-4510-B2F6-4272F891B413_480x480.jpg?v=1696578257" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I wanted to show case her fabulous work, not only because she is a wonderful artist, but also because on the 14th of October, with the Referendum in The Voice, I hope all Australians will vote for hope, love, listening & learning from First Nations People by giving them a voice. <br />It seems that there is so much misinformation by bots, conspiracy theorists, right wing political factions that are sowing doubt and fear into the minds of so many. It’s sad and it puts so much emotional pressure on everybody involved. When you have a choice between hope or fear: always side with hope. <br /><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Here is Alison at work: </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Alison Munti Riley at work" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_9698_480x480.jpg?v=1696578930" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_9698_480x480.jpg?v=1696578930" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_9698_480x480.jpg?v=1696578930" width="382" /><br /><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_9697_480x480.jpg?v=1696578964" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_9697_480x480.jpg?v=1696578964" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_9697_480x480.jpg?v=1696578964" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">So, what’s new this week? Ooooh lots of new exciting fluffy things! Mind you, not the exciting new fluffy things I had planned but are still drying …remember? : it’s super wet and cold…brrr</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">So, plan B went into action, which was planned for next week!..see: Always have a plan B!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">For this years Halloween I planned my Frankenfluff blend tops and oh wow! Are they amazing! There’s a LOT more silk and super soft merino in the mix than previous batches and all the different colourways look awesome. Frankenfluff is easy to spin, thoroughly blended tops AFTER they have been dyed. This results in a tweed-like yarn (see top photo) with heathery colour changes throughout your yarn. Of course the colourways are inspired by classic horror movies like Frankenstein, Poltergeist, the Exorcist, Wolfman and more….to celebrate the upcoming Halloween. You don’t have to wait to spin Frankenfluff tops for Halloween, you can spin them any time of year…lol</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Also, all the Halloween fibre treat parcels have been shipped out this morning ! Yeah! Here’s a little peak into what everybody who ordered them can look forward to😉</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Parcel packed in teh shape of a monster with googlyeyes and fangs" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_4852_480x480.jpg?v=1696579599" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_4852_480x480.jpg?v=1696579599" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Oh and before I forget: I have also dyed some more Cashmere Fling tops! You can find all the new fluffy stuff in the Whats new section in the IxCHeL shop ! www.IxCHeL.com.au</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Have lots of fun this weekend! Do what you love to do ♥️</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Big hugs</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Charly</p>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-36750641262461312492023-09-29T18:26:00.001+10:002023-09-29T18:26:13.897+10:00Carpe diem..Carpe filum (seize the day…seize the yarn)<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbJ4a9AGLqtVHaooY8QmUoGKDzkjT22Fpt3GDWxyKMBkJG2zv5WliOVl6Lfl0AkcfFWLVRnsxdDdvpaQ6FP8YafCPG9lRstNriCUwHkcQPSkZcAGd8RUo2N3SxfKTGVl_J9ThRbfxsbuZtD4L00Ya5MAtSwILgZYXys3ntFOoJNvIAanT-SRRnUmseiMz/s640/4E333004-3D69-46D5-84A5-CCB9319C77F1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbJ4a9AGLqtVHaooY8QmUoGKDzkjT22Fpt3GDWxyKMBkJG2zv5WliOVl6Lfl0AkcfFWLVRnsxdDdvpaQ6FP8YafCPG9lRstNriCUwHkcQPSkZcAGd8RUo2N3SxfKTGVl_J9ThRbfxsbuZtD4L00Ya5MAtSwILgZYXys3ntFOoJNvIAanT-SRRnUmseiMz/s320/4E333004-3D69-46D5-84A5-CCB9319C77F1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Spring has finally sprung here in the Yarra Valley: the bulbs are jumping out of the earth showing off their blooms, the lilac is blooming and all the flowers are coming out , flaunting their wares. As usual I have been inspired by all of this and more to dye a blend I have just made : Rapunzel. A super soft top with some added gold bling fit to feature in a fairytale ♥️</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I have added new colourways and I hope you like them: ranging from pumpkin sparkle to tulip mania and electric dreams. Here are some inspirational photos to show you how I dream up these colours to come together: </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Kingfisher bird compared to handdyed tops" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/4E333004-3D69-46D5-84A5-CCB9319C77F1_480x480.jpg?v=1695970742" /><br /><img alt="Knitted koivua jumper from boylandknitworks in electric dreams colourway" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/D8B4E345-9B90-42E0-837B-89E8D3CA2583_480x480.jpg?v=1695970864" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/D8B4E345-9B90-42E0-837B-89E8D3CA2583_480x480.jpg?v=1695970864" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/D8B4E345-9B90-42E0-837B-89E8D3CA2583_480x480.jpg?v=1695970864" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Night time birch forest" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/A40C5BCA-3FA4-4C1C-8F5B-7AA9349D3232_480x480.jpg?v=1695970794" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Theer are so many inspirations all around us….so much inspiration..so little time!And, the Stephen west MKAL is almost starting in October! So I have dyed up another gradient ! I thought it would be great to have a more witchy, halloweeny kind of gradient since the mkal is in October!! Why not go total witchcraft!!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Here is the witchcraft geogradient on offer here : </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Geogradient yarn set from light speckled purples to absinthe lime greens to raspberry pink to witchy bright purples" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_2915_480x480.jpg?v=1695971164" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Paul has made some beautiful spindles again: inlaid with Turquoise or Gaspeite stone and two amazingly beautiful Osage orange ones . Support spindles and drop spindles ! So, please check them out on the website if you like to spin on some very special spindles ♥️</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/spindles</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <img alt="Turquoise inlay support spindle" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_2954_480x480.jpg?v=1695972608" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_2954_480x480.jpg?v=1695972608" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_2954_480x480.jpg?v=1695972608" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> It’s been extremely hard to keep myself “together” to write this blog post while I am also in a puddle of a mess. I just was told of the passing of one of my close and dear to my heart friends Erika. She was the most kind, passionate, compassionate and loving human beings I have been privileged enough to be around. The loss of such a dear friend is still extremely raw and I feel for her beautiful family and so many friends in the spinning and knitting community that she has touched with her kindness. <br />Always, she will always be part of my heart, my inspiration, my smile, my world. I will so miss her in this world. I wish there were more people like her and will cherish her memory for as long as I live ♥️</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Carpe diem my friends and Carpe filum ♥️ life is too short: spend it on doing things you love and sharing it with those who love you ♥️</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><iframe class="BLOG_video_class" data-sanitized-allowfullscreen="" data-sanitized-youtube-src-id="ktgKHz4YsFQ" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ktgKHz4YsFQ" width="320"></iframe></div><br style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">big hugs</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Charly</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-16498338668285799922023-09-22T21:07:00.000+10:002023-09-22T21:07:14.173+10:00It’s always a bit of Halloween here !<p><img alt="Black bunny with batt wings and biting on an autumn leaf announcing a Halloween fibre treat for pre order" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/51441399827_13a4b90ae9_o_87301fd6-0afb-4e01-9c91-3aeb973227af_480x480.jpg?v=1695368216" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/51441399827_13a4b90ae9_o_87301fd6-0afb-4e01-9c91-3aeb973227af_480x480.jpg?v=1695368216" /></p>
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<div>Another week has flown by and it now has come to a point that there are so many things that have to be done and no matter how much I do, there’s always more. So much fluff, so little time ! Instead of doing what I used to do, which was, stress myself out and stay up late, I reassure myself that there will always be more to do and I can only do so much and I go to bed at a reasonable time....which may still turn out to be 3am..because I just needed to finish spinning and fill that bobbin.... or like this week, have to deal with lots of stressful administrative and supplier stuff. I won’t bother you with that last bit bu I can assure you that trying to survive running a small fibre farm and a small craft business, is not all “playing with fibre, paints, dyes and spinning”. You have to deal with sooooooooo much more. No matter how much I try to get everything right, especially dealing with getting my hands on rare breeds or on getting suppliers to live up to their promises, it’s not always easy. Sometimes it is very complicated and hard and super stressful. This has been a couple of hard weeks in that regard. <br />Leave me to figure out something to do with yarn or fibre or spinning or dyeing: I am right there, enthusiastically. On the other hand, me having to deal with people who do not do their jobs as they are contracted to leaves me in a cold sweat and stressed out of my brain. I guess it’s one of the reasons I did not go ahead practicing Law: I’m a total non confrontationalist by nature…lol</div>
<div>Anyway, that’s enough about me…lol</div>
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<div>As it comes to fibre and dyeing though, my mind never stops to come up with new and exciting ideas and blends and well, special fun fluffy stuff to create and because it is almost Halloween I thought it would be super nice to offer you a Super Special "Halloween Fibre Treats Bundle" filled with Spectacular, Spooky themed, Luxurious themed tops and lots and lots of treats! More about that later in this blog ! AND also offer you two fab halloween needle felting projects: six different Halloween ornaments and a magical owl! Pre orders for the needle felting kits that have everything you need in them plus step by step instructions, are open til midnight AEST September 24th and they will be shipped first week of October! You can find these needle felting kits right here: h<a href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" target="_blank" title="Halloween Needle felting kits">ttps://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new</a></div>
<div><br /><img alt="Needle felted halloween project" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/11CE83E7-FD11-4BB7-965E-4E3B8A91F218_480x480.jpg?v=1695369363" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/11CE83E7-FD11-4BB7-965E-4E3B8A91F218_480x480.jpg?v=1695369363" /><br /><br />I have also added more glow in the dark yarns to the shop this week, because it is a fabulous way to knit or crochet a little cute ghost or even a beanie that glows in the dark! <br />You can find the glow in the dark yarn right here: <a href="https://ixchel.com.au/products/glow-in-the-dark-yarn" target="_blank" title="Glow in the dark yarn">https://ixchel.com.au/products/glow-in-the-dark-yarn</a></div>
<div><br /><img alt="Spooky bat beanie" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_9512_480x480.jpg?v=1695370317" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_9512_480x480.jpg?v=1695370317" /></div>
<div>This glow in the dark beanie pattern is available on Ravelry right here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spooky-bat-beanie</div>
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<div>is that all for this update this week? No! Of course not! I made some gorgeous enamel sugar skull stitch marker sets as well. They are amazing to use in either your knitting or crochet, or you can use them as progress keepers. You can find them here: </div>
<div>https://ixchel.com.au/products/sugar-skulls-stitch-marker-sets</div>
<div><img alt="" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_2890_188c5af8-f530-40f7-97dd-839ea2c9061d_480x480.jpg?v=1695370614" /></div>
<div><br /><img alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_2891_fee4df68-2670-44f1-8b99-9afb29ff9ab9_480x480.jpg?v=1695370643" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IMG_2891_fee4df68-2670-44f1-8b99-9afb29ff9ab9_480x480.jpg?v=1695370643" /><br /><br />I was just telling you, before I went off in a totally different direction, that I was busy. Yes! Although there are no fibre or yarn markets that I am doing at this time (health issues are putting a lot of restrictions on me atm), to produce the fibres and yarns to go on these weekly blogs AND do the monthly clubs AND custom orders…well, it takes a lot of time. </div>
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<div>I absolutely love doing what I do . I feel now more than anytime before: Art and Craft is what saves me. I can focus on creating, colours, softness of fibres, blending sumptuous new fluffy combinations together and paint. It is a life saver....even when everything else around me seems to crumble, doesn't make any sense at all, or, there are people who are knowingly or unknowingly subjecting so many people to so much harm, I always have my Art and I always have my Craft. </div>
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<div>"Art Matters, because your imagination can change the world" - Neil Gaiman.</div>
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<div>I am stubborn. I also believe in Art. Art and business however can be very dark and terrible partners. When we create something it feels like an adventure and fun! When you create something to survive on, that boundary is not only blurred but totally distorted: is it an adventure and fun OR is it work? <br /><br /></div>
<div>Also, we all know that when you create something, whether you weave or spin or make yarn or paint: it is not always perfect at the first go. </div>
<div>There is lots of experimenting, frogging, starting again, maybe even frustration because our imagination envisaged it totally different to what it looks like in real life. </div>
<div>I love the little titbits of inspirational wisdom from Neil Gaiman (yes him again...lol...):</div>
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<div>"When you start off, you have to deal with the problems of failure. you need to be thick skinned...to learn that not every project will survive. A freelance life, a life in the Arts , is sometimes like putting messages in bottles, on a desert island, and hoping that someone will find one of your bottles and open it and read it and put something in a bottle that will wash its way back to you".</div>
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<div>This blog and what I create is exactly that: I will keep on swimming, creating and thinking up new exciting fluffy stuff. So keep tuned ! I so appreciate your support! Which brings me to the very exciting offer of tonight: A super special Halloween Fibre treat parcel offer ! Great to spin always, because let's face it, Halloween can be celebrated every day if you like 😉</div>
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<p data-mce-fragment="1"><span>You will receive 3 x 100g IxCHeL hand dyed tops, special Halloween stitch markers, some extra fun fibre surprises and a nice yummy treats as well ! I mean, who can possibly resist??!</span></p>
<p data-mce-fragment="1"><span>Pre-orders close Thursday, September 28th. <br />All Halloween treat parcels will be shipped Friday October 6th, 2023. <br /></span></p>
<p data-mce-fragment="1"><span><img alt="Halloween surprise fibre treat parcel" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/51509046942_b5c16f1e76_o_4b8a170a-8eb5-4e95-ae5e-b1d0188c5a91_480x480.jpg?v=1695371363" /></span></p>
<p data-mce-fragment="1"><span>Have lots of fun exploring the shop this week and if you have any questions or requests: let me know ! You know I always love to enable ♥️</span></p><p data-mce-fragment="1"><br /></p>
<p data-mce-fragment="1"><span>Big hugs</span></p>
<p data-mce-fragment="1"><span>Charly</span></p>
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<div></div>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-42643599075443404432023-09-15T19:08:00.002+10:002023-09-15T19:08:50.991+10:00Expect excitement<p> <img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/B2899361-2FE3-44AD-8824-5D640F97F71D_480x480.jpg?v=1694767365" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/B2899361-2FE3-44AD-8824-5D640F97F71D_480x480.jpg?v=1694767365" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/B2899361-2FE3-44AD-8824-5D640F97F71D_480x480.jpg?v=1694767365" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">The sky was filled with electric excitement: I was running here, there and everywhere, getting the september clubs dyed and dry, getting loads of yarn prep done for this update and…..then the power went out for two days…obviously the grid could not handle nice weather, blue skies and absolutely no wind to speak of. Unfortunately I have no technical engineering gene that can make something to harness the electricity in the sky and the sunshine into something I can use. And no, before you ask me: no we do not have solar power …yet…working on it..but I need to sell an enormous amount of yarn and fibre to be able to pay for that…. I think I’ll have a better chance winning the lottery…lol but I am hopeful and inventive enough so I could make lots of things happening, despite the badly timed power interruptions. If anything, living in rural areas, you learn to improvise and get on with it. So I did.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">The one thing that I could not operate without any electricity was our big carder to make the art journey batts, so the shipment of all the September clubs is now set for Monday September 18th. Remember that this September club shipment is the last club shipment of this quarter and if you’d like to continue to receive the monthly art journey parcels, please go to the shop and sign up for the next clubs starting in October here: https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Now what is happening tonight? Well, I don’t know about you but I have been getting super excited about the next knit along organised by the fabulous Stephen West “West knits MKAL Geogradient”. I have been thinking and dyeing some inspiring gradients for you, ranging from Earth, Sky, Ocean, Forest, Wonderland and Magic Coven.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I’ve been inspired by my surroundings and experiences just in case you were wondering. In case you were wondering what my favourites are? Magic Coven is my nr one, followed by Forest and Wonderland.<br />You can find all the geogradient yarn sets here in the what’s new section: <a href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new</a></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">If you would like another colourway gradient dyed especially for you: let me know! I will happily custom dye anything for you!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I have been putting some video reels on my Facebook and Instagram socials, if you’d like to check out and get an idea where the yarn has been drying and where my inspiration came from.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/603250BC-D16A-4AAB-A513-8FAA630C85A9_480x480.jpg?v=1694767873" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/603250BC-D16A-4AAB-A513-8FAA630C85A9_480x480.jpg?v=1694767873" width="400" /><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/EC43896E-F307-4431-8199-50CB0BE1DC2B_480x480.jpg?v=1694767915" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/EC43896E-F307-4431-8199-50CB0BE1DC2B_480x480.jpg?v=1694767915" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I am very, very fortunate to be surrounded by so many birds, wildlife and magical trees. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga44ttJlTqbLAFs0uLZYXflu4gBODKxQsrbd-X52JR-3K6cLdnJgSWGYVeKlUbDfmkVkvsUXzGMHE6WiSy-DuPO1nwGWfKZD4PZyLAUoQn1HCT5IvZl8SDH8IlqcLUEt0Xqssd-7OqZyk-UVpQl5s6u4NMIWKl9uGvom00IhzlWgwI8eTe79JtqPZ9vuwm/s3464/49F3319F-D1FD-4CA4-917F-34D2CE138028.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3464" data-original-width="3464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga44ttJlTqbLAFs0uLZYXflu4gBODKxQsrbd-X52JR-3K6cLdnJgSWGYVeKlUbDfmkVkvsUXzGMHE6WiSy-DuPO1nwGWfKZD4PZyLAUoQn1HCT5IvZl8SDH8IlqcLUEt0Xqssd-7OqZyk-UVpQl5s6u4NMIWKl9uGvom00IhzlWgwI8eTe79JtqPZ9vuwm/s320/49F3319F-D1FD-4CA4-917F-34D2CE138028.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">No matter what is happening that stresses me out..and believe me there are atm (not getting into that now…maybe later…) just being outside working and watching the wildlife always puts a smile on my face.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I don’t know about you, but I am going to put my feet up tonight, get some reading done, knit, relax, before the busy , busy weekend of packing and labelling and carding all the September clubs. <br />I wish you a fabulous weekend, filled with heaps of crafty fun!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">big hugs</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Charly</p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-81611372722466483042023-09-08T19:47:00.000+10:002023-09-08T19:47:17.904+10:00Happy Bunny Tops and Cute Stitch Markers<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="angora bunny making a peace sign with its paw, dressed in a colourful shirt and shorts, holding a colourful sheep" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Fibre-Happy-Bunny-Tops-Label_d241e78e-fdd1-49f9-9daf-1f2871c68068_480x480.jpg?v=1694136227" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></p><div align="center" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">Another busy week at the funny farm....eh I mean fibre farm...lolol</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">There has been a huge amount of blending and dyeing happening again plus prepping all the september club fibres and yarns but more about that later.</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="text-align: left;">This week I have a very special blend to offer you: Happy Bunny Tops. I have put this blend together because I found that there were hardly any hemp fibres or blends with this amazing plant fibre available in Australia at all..<br /><br />In 2019, at the Bendigo show I showcased the Happy Sheep blend for the first time and now it’s the time for my Happy Bunny Blend to shine. I started this happy bunny blend with hemp (albeit with a slightly different fibre contents) way back in 2016 and I thought it was time to do some more !<br /><br />Hemp always has this stigma attached to it that almost always makes people think you smoke the plant rather than see it for how amazing and versatile this plant really is. In so called Industrial hemp, which is also part of the marihuana/cannabis family, there is no THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, a crystalline compound that is the main active ingredient of cannabis, the ingredient which gives the meaning to "feeling high" ..is not present in the hemp grown for industrial purposes)<i>. </i>Growing industrial hemp as a farmer is totally different from growing medicinal cannabis. </div></div></div></div></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> </p><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Hemp is really one of the most versatile plants known. It can be grown in most climates, is drought resistant, requires little fertiliser, no pesticides or herbicides, and has a range of uses. The seeds can be used as food and fodder, and can be processed to produce hemp oil. The stalks provide fibre for textiles, clothing, rope, paper and building products. The bulk of the woody stalks can be used for paper, animal bedding, and building material. The hemp plant biomass can be used to produce fuel. Anything that trees/timber can be used to produce, hemp can produce and more, including house construction. Actually in the early 1900s Henry Ford built the bodywork of a car out of hemp fibres that proved to be ten times more dent resistant than those made out of steel and weighed ¾ less ! Due to the lobbying and pressure of the steel industry , well, we all know what happened…the bodywork of cars are not made of hemp fibre blends anymore are they….<br /><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">A hemp crop can provide the basics of life – food, shelter, clothing, fuel and medicine. In fact almost anything from 'dynamite to Cellophane' can be made from hemp.<br /><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Why use hemp for all these products? There are two main reasons – one ecological, one economic.</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span style="text-decoration-line: underline;">Ecological</span>: As a renewable resource from living plants hemp does not contribute to the greenhouse effect. The growing plants absorb as much CO2 as will later be released when oil or other plant matter is burnt. Unlike fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas) or nuclear fuels hemp could supply us with raw materials for thousands of years, without ever changing our climate and without producing waste that remains radioactive for millions of years. Hemp is a natural plant material that can be grown with little or no herbicides and pesticides, and little fertiliser. Therefore in terms of the agricultural system it is more ecologically sensitive. In paper and textile production, it can be processed without toxic chemicals, whereas alternatives such a cotton or textiles and wood pulp for paper, require large amounts of toxic chemicals. Because hemp is not a fussy grower and can grow in a wide range of soils and climatic conditions it is ideal for a bio-regional approach. It is a bulky crop and does not require high capital technology to process, making it ideal to process locally, increasing local employment and economy, and saving transport costs and pollution.<br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><span style="text-decoration-line: underline;">Economic</span>: Hemp is the number one biomass producer - 10 tons in approximately 90 – 120 days. One acre of hemp will produce as much fibre as 2-3 acres of cotton. One acre of hemp will produce as much paper as 4 acres of trees. Hemp clothing will last six times as long as cotton clothing. Hemp also does not need any herbecides or pestecised and uses wayyyyy less water to grow than coton does.<br /><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Natural fibres from the hemp stalk is extremely durable and can be used in the production of textiles, clothing, canvas, rope, cordage, archival grade paper, paper, and construction materials. There are two principal types of fibres in hemp – bast or long fibres and hurds or inner short fibre. Traditionally hemp has been grown for its valuable and versatile high quality bast fibres.<br /><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Bast fibres account for 20-30 percent of the stalk (depending on the seed variety, and planting density). There are two types of bast fibres: primary bast fibres. Primary bast fibres make up approximately 70 percent of the fibres and are long, high in cellulose and low in lignin. Primary bast fibres are the most valuable part of the stalk, and are generally considered to be among the strongest plant fibres known. secondary bast fibres. Secondary bast fibres make up the remaining 30 percent of the bast fibres and are medium in length and higher in lignin. They are less valuable and become more prevalent when the hemp plants are grown less densely, making shorter fatter stalks since they do not have to compete for light. The production or extraction of the primary bast fibres has traditionally been a very labour intensive process, but recently an alternative fibre separation process has been developed using technologies such as ultrasound and steam explosion, which are much less labour intensive. Once separated the bast fibres are ready for spinning and weaving into textiles, or for pulping into high quality pulp. Bast fibres are ideal for specialised paper products such as industrial filters, currency paper or tea bags.<br /><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Hurds are the short fibred inner woody core of the hemp plant. They comprise 70-80 percent of the stalk and are composed of libriform fibres which are high in lignin. Traditionally hurds have been considered waste as they are the by-product from bast extraction. The hurds are 50-77 percent cellulose making them ideal for paper making. One acre of hemp can replace 4.1 acres of trees for pulp production. Although the fibres are shorter than bast fibres they are suitable for a range of products such as rayon, biomass fuel, cellophane, food additives, industrial fabrication materials and newsprint pulp.<br /><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">There was a time that the world depended on this fibre: most ropes for the ships were made out of hemp. In fact England made sure that their colonies produced a lot of this product to fulfill their needs. Unfortunately , the production of hemp stopped when cheaper products like sisal were imported. The second world war made it necessary for America and the allied forces to start to “condone” the growth of hemp again since all the countries who produced sisal and hemp were not able to produce anymore for them. Here follows a recent “discovered” American agriculture department promotion film to explain all the steps in hemp growing and what is needed for the war effort. It shows you the growing AND the further processing and everything that is needed to get the fibres ready for making ropes and yarn. It is very enlightening. Enjoy !<br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><div class="separator" data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bIxFhYVv_Gk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bIxFhYVv_Gk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">China is currently the prime producer of hemp textile. China has had an uninterrupted hemp trade for approximately 6000 years. Other countries are now producing textiles to a lesser extent. The once major hemp textile industry has now almost completely disappeared from the Western world. Currently the bulk of our demand for textiles is met by cotton and synthetics, both of which have serious environmental problems associated with them.<br /><br />There is a huge change happening though with a production taking place in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania at the moment. There is a big demand for hemp seed and hemp seed oil and it is starting to make economic sense that the hemp fibres are now also used ! Both to make building materials and fibre products.<br /><br /> Hopefully we can soon have a bigger production of Australian Hemp fibres to spin and make textiles with. Not only are there environmental benefits through hemp cultivation, hemp fabrics themselves have advantages to us.<br /><br />Fabrics with at least 50 percent hemp content block the sun's UV rays more effectively than do other fabrics. In comparison to cotton, hemp fibres are longer, stronger, more lustrous and absorbent, and more mildew resistant. Woven and knitted hemp textiles are used in the production of clothing, shoes, apparel, canvas, rugs and upholstery.<br /><br />Another titbit of information: In 1916 the American government predicted that in 40 years time there would be no need anymore to cut trees down for paper production: hemp production would be enough since 1 acre of hemp would produce the equivalent of 4.1 acres of trees…I guess the prediction didn’t eventuate…but the fact remains: one acre of hemp can produce 3 tonnes of protein, about 4000 liters of fuel and 30 tonnes of fibre.<br /><br /><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">The Happy Bunny Blend I am offering you today is awesome to work with: the hemp in it will provide lots of strength (great to spin a durable and yet soft yarn ; great for socks) and is just a fabulous blend to spin and knit up. Super soft next to skin wear as well with the fabulous cashmere and angora and silk.</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">There is only a limited quantity available and you can find them all here: <a data-sanitized-target="_blank" href="https://ixchel.com.au/products/happy-bunny-hemp-merino-silk-cashmere-tops" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="happy bunny tops for spinning">https://ixchel.com.au/products/happy-bunny-hemp-merino-silk-cashmere-tops</a></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="happy bunny tops morts library colourway" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Fibre-Happy-Bunny-Tops-Morts-Library_480x480.jpg?v=1694136957" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">The September club is well underway to being finished this weekend which means that , drying weather permitting, the September clubs are on schedule to be shipped out to all the Art Journey Club Members next week ! Yeah ! it is looking super special and here is the club teaser label for this month to give you an idea:</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="teaser label of the art journey club september showing a painting by Marie Denise Villers (1801) of a girl drawing with the light behind her of a window looking out over a building where there is a couple talking together" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Fibre_Clubs-Teaser-Label-September-2023_480x480.jpg?v=1694137170" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">This painting has always mesmerised me: the light, the hypnotic gaze of the girl, the broken window (why?) and what were the couple discussing in the back ground? It only adds to the mystery of the painting that for a very long time this painting was attributed to a male painter David when it was purchased by the Met in NY in 1922. Only after extensive research the attribution was changes and then, all of a sudden "art critics" started to negatively comment on it ... typical....<span data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1">In her fabulous book (2001) “The Obstacle Race: The Fortunes of Women Painters and Their Work”, Germaine Greer wrote that the picture "does not seek to charm, nor does it seek to portray the sexual vitality of its sitter" and felt that it was a feminist painting in nature (…) a woman painting another woman, who both wanted to become acknowledged in the art world.</span></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">All the Art Journey club members will receive their batt, fibre and or yarn club (whichever they signed up for) plus some extras and a biography of the artist and extra info. Remember that if you are a member of the Art Journey Club 3rd quarter this month is the last of your 3rd quarter club parcels. Sign ups for the 4th quarter of IxCHeL Art Journey Clubs are open now on the shop and you can find them here: <a data-sanitized-target="_blank" href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="IxCHeL Art Journey Club Sign up page">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs</a></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">What else is there to report? Oh yes !!! Something new ! Because you cannot leave me alone with myself and my ideas for new fun stuff...ROFL So I have been distracted and making...Stitch Markers ! Becasue hey, why not? and I wanted something fun and colourful and even quirky. So, I am offering you some fun stitch markers of cats hiding in pot plants (because I love cats), some super cute Cactus stitch markers (coz I love cacti), Rainbow stitch markers (Because Love is Love and Rainbows are awesome) plus some very special Fairytale resin stitch markers !!</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">I mean, you don't even have to use them as stitch markers because they look extremely cute as earrings or pendants as well ! Anything goes I always say !</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Here are some photos of the cute stitch markers on offer and the link: <a data-mce-href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new" target="_blank" title="what's new">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new</a> (You can find all the stitch markers in the what's new section on the shop this week or, later, you can type in stitch markers in the "hop to it-search box" and you will be transported straight to them.)</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="cats are plant lovers stitch markers" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Yarn-Stitch-markers-enamel-Cat-Plant-Lover_31ca83bb-b238-4451-b3ca-f5c58346b465_480x480.jpg?v=1694139546" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="cactus stitch markers pink" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Yarn-Stitch-markers-enamel-Cactus-Pink_480x480.jpg?v=1694139667" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="cactus stitch markers blue" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Yarn-Stitch-markers-enamel-Cactus-Blue-close-up_e18a345a-a9df-4a87-817d-8f6572521b68_480x480.jpg?v=1694139704" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="cactus green stitch markers" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Yarn-Stitch-markers-enamel-Cactus-green-close-up_c15550fd-5887-4982-90c8-2e703f3d1147_480x480.jpg?v=1694139735" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="rainbow stitch markers" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Yarn-Stitch-markers-enamel-Rainbow_close-up_6e805c6c-a049-4c10-b276-66d3d5e3810e_480x480.jpg?v=1694139777" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><img alt="fairytale stitch markers set b" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Yarn-Stitch-markers-Resin-Fairytale-b_480x480.jpg?v=1694139819" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /><img alt="fairytale set a stitch markers" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Yarn-Stitch-markers-Resin-Fairytale-a_480x480.jpg?v=1694139857" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Yarn-Stitch-markers-Resin-Fairytale-a_480x480.jpg?v=1694139857" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/IxCHeL-Yarn-Stitch-markers-Resin-Fairytale-a_480x480.jpg?v=1694139857" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">On a personal note: I have not dyed my hair yet.. LOL...somehow it always comes down to dyeing fibres and organising the weekly shop updates and work first rather than self care or...."self upkeep".</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">I cannot tell you how many times I have said to myself to have more "Me-time" but then I forget, focus extremely hard on what needs to be done to pay the bills and then... it's bed time...LOL I have to do work on that and...myself...sigh I'm a work in progress....hahaha</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Wishing all of you a fabulous weekend with lots of fun craft time !</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Big hugs</div><div data-sanitized-data-original-attrs="{"style":""}">Charly</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-55055822930659178362023-09-01T19:58:00.007+10:002023-09-01T20:00:03.350+10:00All you need is Love<p> <img alt="Handspun qiviut yarn" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/4C3008A3-44A2-4069-9436-7E525C2D765D_480x480.jpg?v=1693561041" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/4C3008A3-44A2-4069-9436-7E525C2D765D_480x480.jpg?v=1693561041" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/4C3008A3-44A2-4069-9436-7E525C2D765D_480x480.jpg?v=1693561041" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">It’s been another crazy week filled with heaps of dyeing, blending, organising, tattooing..eh..I mean pyrographing spindles 😜 and so, so much more! Since theer was so much to do, I OFCOURSE left it too late to put a lot of effort and time into writing this blog….I know…bad, bad bunny. Lol</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I also wanted to dye my hair….but since I’m flapping about all over the place like my usual adhd high functioning self…I cannot seem to find the time to sit myself down into one spot for hours trying to wrangle bleach (yes dears, I need to bleach my hair (coz somewhere underneath I am a dark brown haired person with fabulous streaks a la bride of Frankenstein grey popping through I am sure..lol. At least I think I am, I haven’t been my natural colour since high school…rofl) and then quietly sit for another few hours with dye on my hair trying not to splash every where…it’s Friday…it was delusional of me to think I was ever going to get that to happen. I am however pretty proud of myself that I gave myself a hair cut…it was about a year since my last hair cut which was a pixie short cut which I absolutely loved, but since my usual hairdresser fabulous person has closed shop, I haven’t felt comfortable going anywhere else…so, I thought “why not cut it myself”…now, as you may realise, it was not an organised cut….more like a “look in the mirror, see what hair stick out in a disorganised manner, grab it quickly and …cut it off….lol. See me as “Charly Scissorhands” 🤣</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Charly scissorhands" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/9CAF2ED2-F035-473D-B4CC-29E63E85BBB7_480x480.jpg?v=1693561173" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/9CAF2ED2-F035-473D-B4CC-29E63E85BBB7_480x480.jpg?v=1693561173" width="252" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Anyway, I think it looks pretty good…now I just need to get calm enough to attack it with bleach and hair dye🤣 I’m going green (hopefully…🤣 not black)</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I had a lot of fun dyeing some amazing silk ribbon as well so they are new to the shop tonight as well! Brilliant for embellishments, crochet, weaving and knitting! </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">You can find them all in the yarn section on www.IxCHeL.com.au<br /><br /><img alt="" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/77C6FE60-AD73-4997-A980-35BD0CDE2D09_480x480.jpg?v=1693561311" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/77C6FE60-AD73-4997-A980-35BD0CDE2D09_480x480.jpg?v=1693561311" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/77C6FE60-AD73-4997-A980-35BD0CDE2D09_480x480.jpg?v=1693561311" width="400" /><br /><br /><img alt="Silk ribbon hand dyed yarn" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/ED76B7B9-180B-4FA0-9553-327652EDF87E_480x480.jpg?v=1693561350" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/ED76B7B9-180B-4FA0-9553-327652EDF87E_480x480.jpg?v=1693561350" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/ED76B7B9-180B-4FA0-9553-327652EDF87E_480x480.jpg?v=1693561350" width="400" /><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">What else? Oh yessssss: pyrography! I have pyro’ed some fabulous lotus phang spindles Paul aka Lair of the Bearded Dragon has turned beautifully, so they’ll be in the shop as well. Particularly proud of the LOVE phang with silver backed Garnets! You can find this one plus a Discworld one, lots of ghosts and cats and more new spindles in the spindle section of IxCHeL.com.au<br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Pyrographing the love spindle" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/59508B5B-B8F1-4BD7-AF4F-6BC30C760EA8_480x480.jpg?v=1693562041" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/59508B5B-B8F1-4BD7-AF4F-6BC30C760EA8_480x480.jpg?v=1693562041" width="400" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Garnet inlaid spindle" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/BBF41019-00E7-4461-98BB-7F6D5F20C999_480x480.jpg?v=1693562006" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/BBF41019-00E7-4461-98BB-7F6D5F20C999_480x480.jpg?v=1693562006" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/BBF41019-00E7-4461-98BB-7F6D5F20C999_480x480.jpg?v=1693562006" width="400" />Yes, it happens a lot when I start drawing or designing something and then mid way, I go off in a tangent and think “I’ve got some semi precious stones I found a while back…they would be AMAZING in that spindle….and so, there goes another half day of my life trying to figure out how to incorporate jewels into wood knowing light needs to be reflected off the back so you can actually see the colour…yes, physics, light refraction combined with wood turning, craft and invention…and then I can hear you ask me with big roaring laughter “you complain about not having enough time To do ALL THE THINGS?!”🤣</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">so yeah…busy…and I haven’t even told you about the handspun yarns! Not to worry: you can find them in the what’s new section in the shop today as well: QIVIUT BLEND YARNS !</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Don’t forget: sign ups for the fourth quarter of IxCHeL art journey fibre, yarn and batt clubs are open! <br /><br />well, I better get going again… before I start to lose time by thinking of another gazillion things to start!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br />I wish you a fabulously fun weekend !</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">big hugs</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">charly</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-46124813539062092992023-08-25T19:12:00.000+10:002023-08-25T19:12:19.079+10:00Magical new sheep blend adventures<meta charset="UTF-8"></meta>
<div data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7897/33563237378_34dccee2ae.jpg" height="189" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7897/33563237378_34dccee2ae.jpg" width="400" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" /><i>A new sheep blend adventure ! Shetland dream!</i></div>
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<p>Happy Friday ! The last Friday of August! Can you imagine!?! This year is flying by at lightning speed! <br />This week has been super busy here! Again..lol Thankfully I am almost over the remnants of the flu that have been haunting me for the last three weeks! For two weeks I could hardly do anything, definitely not dyeing and standing over dye pots all day like I am used to, which put a huge pressure on me because the august clubs had to be sent out! A bit of a delay there for that reason, but I am happy to say that all the clubs were shipped last Tuesday morning. I have put a teaser up on my socials and on my YouTube channel ( I am Ixchelbunny there too..surprise surprise…lol)</p>
<p>After all the dyeing and carding and packing of the August clubs, I immediately got started on dyeing the adventure I have on offer for you today! You can immediately tell by the new colourway names what I have been inspired by and reading during the time I could hardly do anything but…read …and you will know exactly what I’ve been up to…yes… Terry Pratchett’s Discworld…and watching Good Omens series 2. What an inspiration it obviously was.</p>
<p>here are some previews: </p>
<p><img alt="There be dragons colourway" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/81D1C010-1FD5-4D01-8B73-0ECAD1A89B44_480x480.jpg?v=1692952578" width="400" /></p>
<div data-mce-fragment="1">There be Dragons colourway</div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">The Unseen University Colourway</div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">and ….</div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">one of my favourites: Mort</div>
<div data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="Mort colourway" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/83BF9C3E-CA40-4B2D-B737-FE9EAD44E4DC_480x480.jpg?v=1692952676" width="400" /></div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">I have also concocted a bit of a different rainbow colourway I called “magical rimbow” and for all of you Terry Pratchett fans out there here’s a quote on that infamous pot of gold at the end of the rainbow:</div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">“<span data-mce-fragment="1">But, in truth, it had not exactly been gold, or even the promise of gold, but more like the fantasy of gold, the fairy dream that the gold is there, at the end of the rainbow, and will continue to be there forever - provided, naturally, that you don't go and look. This is known as finance.” </span> </div>
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<p><img alt="A rainbow dyed Shetland dream adventure top ready t9 spin into yarn and find that happy pot of gold" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/826820C4-53BC-49A3-85D3-1FA01DF90BD8_480x480.jpg?v=1692953929" width="301" /></p>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">Paul has been super busy again making some gorgeous phang support spindles! Phangs are very nice spindles to spin yarn on: they spin much “slower” than say Russian or Tibetan spindles but they are great to create anything from fine to bulkier yarn. Support spindles are my go to spindles whenever I want to relax: they are, what I consider, very “zen” type spindles, spindles with an almost meditative effect. Saying that, everybody is different of course and thankfully so! They are not quite finished yet, but I am hoping we can finish them this week so keep an eye out on the IxCHeL shop!</div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">Please don't forget the sign ups for the next clubs, starting in September, are open! You can find all the information right here when you click on the link: https://ixchel.com.au/collections/clubs</div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">oh yes, before I forget!! There be Stitch markers as well on offer this week and they are super cute!! There are honey bee stitch markers and kitten and cat stitchmarkers! Here are some photos:</div>
<div data-mce-fragment="1"><br /><img alt="Honey bee stitch markers" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53CB9E0D-F036-4686-9EC2-4E1DBCB9C7C4_480x480.jpg?v=1692953164" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/53CB9E0D-F036-4686-9EC2-4E1DBCB9C7C4_480x480.jpg?v=1692953164" width="400" /></div>
<div data-mce-fragment="1"><br /><img alt="Kitten stitchmarkers" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/49605E8F-1E61-4A4C-8F40-B95158BA49C6_480x480.jpg?v=1692953198" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/49605E8F-1E61-4A4C-8F40-B95158BA49C6_480x480.jpg?v=1692953198" width="400" /></div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="Cat stitch markers" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/2128F3C9-0808-413E-87BA-53EE9FB9C359_480x480.jpg?v=1692953235" height="400" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/2128F3C9-0808-413E-87BA-53EE9FB9C359_480x480.jpg?v=1692953235" width="400" /><br /><br /></div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">The new Shetland Dream tops update can be found here : https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new</div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">Shetland Dream blend with a gorgeous fine Shetland blended with Mulberry Silk and a dash of super soft Cashmere.</div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">I am still dreaming of going to the Shetland Wool week sometime, but in the meantime I am armchair travelling and reading lots of fabulous Shetland stories and hoping to be as accomplished as I can knitting colourwork and spinning beautiful Shetland fibres. I am a big fan of colourwork and all things Scotland, including the books by Ann Cleeves and the tv series “Shetland”..of course ! The new Shetland wool week issue nr 9 is out for pre order btw! <br /><br data-mce-fragment="1" />Here is the link if you want to order your own Shetland adventure : https://www.shetlandwoolweek.com/annual/</div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">Also: did you know that the IxCHeL tweed yarns are PURRFECT to knit fair isle and colourwork! Lots of colours available and you can find them on the IxCHeL shop in the yarn section!<br /><br data-mce-fragment="1" />
<div data-mce-fragment="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7891/46524060075_72b70bdae0.jpg" height="400" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7891/46524060075_72b70bdae0.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">The story of Shetland wool and textiles is intricately entwined with the people and the place. Remote and rugged, Shetland’s ancient landscape has been home to the unique sheep and inspired craftspeople for centuries. Textiles have been key to the shaping of Shetland’s society, economy and culture and the story continues to this day! <br data-mce-fragment="1" />
<div data-mce-fragment="1"><br data-mce-fragment="1" />Shetland has something that makes it truly stand out amongst other places - there’s a rich, vibrant knitting, spinning and textile scene and the industry has been revitalized in the last decade. People care more about the provenance of their clothing, are interested in hand made and the stories that it holds. A decade ago, not many people would have imagined that knitting and spinning would go through such an incredible resurgence and that Shetland and Shetland sheep would once again become a very important place. <br data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" />Sheep have lived on the Shetland Islands for well over 1,000 years, adapting to the harsh environment and thriving in the cold, wet climate.<br data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" />The sheep of Shetland were an important part of subsistence agriculture of the islands, and the rugged habitat and geographical isolation produced a breed that is distinct and significant. The Shetland breed likely descends from ancient Scandinavian sheep, and it is a member of the northern short tailed sheep breed family. Historically, only a few Shetland sheep were exported, and it was not until recently that large populations were established on the British mainland and in other countries. Though fleece continues to be the breed’s primary product today,<br data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" />Shetland sheep are fine boned and small in size. Rams weigh 90–125 pounds, and ewes weigh 75–100 pounds. Most rams have spiraled horns, while most ewes are polled. Shetland sheep are calm and charming in disposition, docile, and intelligent. The Shetland breed is especially prized for its wool, which is fine, soft, and strong. Fleeces average two to four pounds and vary in crimp from wavy to straight. Other characteristics of the fleece vary according to recent selection history.<br data-mce-fragment="1" />Populations of Shetlands in Britain, for example, have been selected for more standardized characteristics. These sheep tend to be single coated with fiber diameter averages of 23 microns and staple lengths of two to five inches.<br data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" />Landrace populations, such as those on the island of Foula, include a greater range of fleece types. These sheep may be double coated, with coarser outer wool of 30-40 microns and finer inner coat wool of 12-20 microns.<br data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" />Eleven colors and thirty color patterns are recognized in the Shetland breed. This diversity is a great asset both to the breed and to the fiber artisans who enjoy using its fleeces. A few importations of Shetland sheep are documented in North America during the past two centuries. For example, Thomas Jefferson, owned a small flock of Shetland sheep at Monticello. None of the historic flocks, however, survived as purebred populations. Most Shetland sheep in North America descend from a 1980 importation of 32 sheep by the late G.D. Dailley of Ontario, Canada.<br data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" />Unfortunately there are no Shetland Sheep in Australia. I have been very fortunate to secure this supersoft batch of 18,4 micron Shetland which is truly extraordinary to spin, felt, knit and wear.<br data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" /><br data-mce-fragment="1" />
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">The Shetland Islands were originally settled by Neolithic farmers over 4500 years ago. The horns of the sheep they raised have been found in archaeological digs on the islands, providing evidence of their presence. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">When the Vikings invaded and settled the Shetland Islands around the year 800, they brought over some short-tailed sheep from their continental herds, which interbred with the local sheep to produce further variation in an already hardy breed. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">By the year 1200, farmers began breeding the sheep of the Shetland Islands with some of the long-woolled sheep that had been brought north by the Romans. Either by accident or on purpose, this developed wool that was both longer and softer, and was therefore quite desirable for woolen goods that could both be used at home and that could be traded. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1"> In 1468, the Shetland Islands were mortgaged to Scotland to raise a dowry for the marriage of Margaret, a Danish princess, to James III of Scotland. A few years following the marriage, the Scottish decided to just go ahead and annex the islands. Despite the protests of the Danes, they succeeded and the Shetland Islands became a part of Scotland. Trade in wool from the Shetland Islands was already occurring by this point, although it was likely happening only with Scotland and the Nordic countries. However, by the early 1600s knitted stockings from Shetland sheep wool, well known by then for its softness and comfort, were available through trade to the English and the Dutch populations. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1"> In 1707 the Shetland Islands officially became a part of the Kingdom of Great Britain when the Acts of Union united England and Scotland as one country. At this time, wool from Shetland sheep was already widely known as a quality wool that was already softer than much of the other wool that was available. Except, of course, for the wool from Spain’s Merino sheep, which was highly regarded throughout Europe as the softest wool available on the market. </div>
<div data-mce-fragment="1">As the late 1700s arrived, Great Britain set their sights on disrupting Spain’s firm grip on fine wool market. It is important to understand that the wool industry in Europe during the 1700s and early 1800s was as beneficial to a country’s economy as industries such as steel, aluminum and technology are today. A country that could produce fine wool in great quantities was a country that would have a solid financial base, and with a solid financial base came power and influence. Great Britain wanted to be that country, and believed that by acquiring Spain’s Merino sheep to breed with their own, the British wool industry would as least be equal to Spain’s – if not outright exceed that of Spain’s. Unfortunately for Great Britain, Spain simply didn’t want to give them any Merino sheep. Spain tightly controlled their Merino sheep and while Spain had made gifts of Merino sheep to some countries beginning in 1735, England was not on their list. Who could blame them? Prior to Spain’s development of Merino sheep, the English had been dominant players in Europe’s wool industry and Spain certainly did not want them to regain their position in the wool market. Enter King George III of Great Britain, Sir Joseph Banks, and Sir John Sinclair. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">By the 1880s, King George III had commanded Sir Joseph Banks to either find or develop a sheep that could compete the Spanish Merinos. At this point in history, a revolution in English sheep breeding using methodical, scientific and selective techniques had been going on within Great Britain for a couple of decades (see the article on Bluefaced Leicester). So, King George III and Banks had good reason to believe that by identifying and breeding just the right sheep, they could come up with something that would allow Great Britain to compete with Spain’s wool industry. With Merinos unavailable, Banks looked around the globe for sheep that would be suitable for wool-improvement purposes, even going so far as to examine sheep from Tibet. Sir John Sinclair of Scotland, a friend of Banks, had identified Shetland sheep as a promising breed. King George III was already a fan of having his stockings made of Shetland wool. The question was, could Shetland sheep be bred for the qualities the British wanted to have without Merinos, or would Merinos be required? Banks and Sinclair began a long correspondence by letters during the late 1780s through the 1790s exploring the possibilities. Sinclair sent samples of Shetland wool to Banks, but Banks was doubtful that the samples being sent to him, while fine and soft, were representative of the entire breed. He had noted that “stichel hairs,” longer and coarser hairs, were found in samples procured elsewhere. In fact, this was because many of the Shetland sheep of the time, like Icelandic sheep, were double coated and could produce both fine and thicker wool. Some Shetland sheep today still retain this trait. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1"> Sinclair pressed Banks for many years to consider Shetland sheep as what Great Britain needed to breed for fine wool, describing what he referred to as the “kindly breed” of Shetland, or Shetland sheep that did not have the double coat with longer hairs that Banks disliked. He gifted Shetland wool to Banks that was “properly dressed and prepared” to exclude the long, rough hairs, making sure to include separate samples for Banks’ wife. He continually sent letters to Banks reassuring him that many of the Shetland sheep were free from the dreaded “stitchel hairs,” and then sent more letters discussing how he was looking at sheep from Denmark without long, coarse wool that might be bred with the Shetland to further reduce that trait. In another letter he describes how it is the method of gathering wool that produces the soft locks that Sinclair is looking for – Shetland sheep at the time, and many even today, will molt which allows the wool to be plucked off of the sheep. Sinclair let Banks know that this process, called rooing, meant that the wool was sorted between the fine wool and coarse wool as the plucking occurred. Despite all of Sinclair’s efforts, Banks was unconvinced that Shetland sheep were the answer. He continued to look for ways to get Merino sheep to breed with the sheep of Great Britain, which he was certain was the solution to improve the wool qualities in British flocks. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">In 1787, Banks managed to get two Merino rams and four Merino ewes out of Portugal, which became the base of the royal flock. Around this time, it can been seen from Sinclair’s letters that he gave up on the quest to convince Banks that Shetland sheep were the way of Great Britain’s future. Instead, Sinclair began to focus on breeding newly acquired Merinos from the royal flock to other sheep, and the Shetlands’ moment of glory began to fade. The Shetlands, like several other breeds of British sheep from that time, started to disappear as interbreeding for wool improvement resulting in the development of other lines of sheep. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">By the early 1920s, there were not many purebred Shetland sheep left. The wearing of Fair Isle sweaters by the British royal family in the early 1920 may have saved Shetland sheep from extinction. Fair Isle knitting is a stranded colourwork technique named after Fair Isle, one of the Shetland Islands, where distinctively patterned sweaters were knit using the technique. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">These sweaters began their rise to popularity in 1921, when the Prince of Wales (later Edward III) wore his in public. Knitted mainly with the many hues of naturally colored wool produced by the sheep of the Shetland Islands, along with some dyed wool accents, these sweaters began to become immensely popular with the broader public. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">The Fair Isle sweater hit the height of its popularity in the 1950s, although by that point it was often just the technique and design that made a sweater a Fair Isle sweater; it was no longer necessarily expected that the wool of the sweater be from the Shetland Islands, although if it was it did give the sweater that extra authenticity. With the burgeoning popularity of Fair Isle sweaters, it is perhaps not surprising that a group of 1920s Shetland islanders were motivated to preserve the few remaining lines of Shetland sheep. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">The Shetland Flock Book Society started in 1927, and around the same time the government was approached for assistance. The Department of Agriculture for Scotland agreed to support the effort by providing subsidies for purebred Shetland rams. The breed recovered slowly, though. Even the Fair Isle sweaters that were still knitted in the Shetland Islands during the 1950s did not necessarily use wool from the Shetland breed of sheep – there were still too few purebred Shetland sheep around, and the style of the day required bright dyed colors rather than the variety of natural colors provided by Shetland sheep – and dyed wool could be gotten from any sheep with white wool, not just white-wooled Shetland sheep. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1"> By 1977, Shetland sheep were still listed as an endangered breed by the Rare Breed Survival Trust. However, interest in the sheep blossomed over the next several years, and by 1985 Shetland sheep were removed from the endangered breed list. It was perhaps not coincidental that the 1980s also marked the time during which Shetland sheep became popular among small farmers in United States. Although a few Shetland flocks had existed in the U.S. prior to the 1920s, it wasn’t a popular breed in the country until the 1980s, a time when many farmers in the U.S. were experiencing a renewed interest in rare breeds. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">A few Shetland flocks are on record as having existed in the United States during the early 1900s. However, from 1921 until the 1980s, Shetland sheep were not allowed to be imported to the United States, which prevented U.S. farmers from acquiring Shetland sheep during those decades. Today, though, a number of U.S. farmers are making up for lost time by raising Shetland sheep. It is a rare county fair, state fair, or fiber animal show that does not include these adorable little sheep among its ranks of livestock. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">Shetland sheep come in a wide variety of marking and colors – they include white sheep, black sheep, and a wide range of browns and grays. As a heritage, unimproved breed, Shetland sheep have one of three different kinds of fleeces: kindly/single-coated, long, and double-coated. The kindly/single-coated is the finest and shortest of the fleeces at only about 2-4 inches in length; it is used for fine knits such as lace, shawls and finely worked socks. The long fleeced Shetlands with soft and long staple wool between 4-8 inches in length are the most common these days, and much of the available yarn on the market is spun from their fleeces. </div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">The double-coated Shetland sheep are even more versatile than that of either of the other types, having a remarkably soft undercoat of wool and long and lustrous outercoat of wool that can reach lengths between 6-10 inches or more. The coats of the double-coated sheep can be separated, or spun together. Generally, Shetland wool has a thickness of 23-25 microns, but is can be even finer or thicker depending upon where it is gathered from the sheep. Wool between 10-20 microns can be gathered from the neck and shoulders, while wool between 25-30 microns can be gathered from the britches. Like Merino, many people who find wool to be irritating to their skin discover that wearing clothing made from the wool of Shetland sheep to be quite comfortable and not itchy at all. The wool is graded from Fine at its smallest diameter of 10 microns to Medium at its largest diameter of 30 microns, making it a very comfortable wool to wear.</div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time if you have any questions okay? Always happy to enable❤️💕❤️</div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">Have a wonderful, fun and creative week! Do what you LOVE and do it often 💕</div>
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<div data-mce-fragment="1">Big hugs</div>
<div data-mce-fragment="1"> Charly</div>
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</div>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796878857331884024.post-75598933571528096152023-08-18T19:21:00.002+10:002023-08-18T19:21:47.597+10:00Yarn Sale Extravanganza<p> </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="A skein of yarn pretending to be a bird sitting on a hand being fed seeds but about to fly off!" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/0C9AAE6C-1E25-4DE9-B2E3-013CFA8A68B3_480x480.jpg?v=1692349110" data-mce-style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" data-sanitized-data-mce-fragment="1" data-sanitized-data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/0C9AAE6C-1E25-4DE9-B2E3-013CFA8A68B3_480x480.jpg?v=1692349110" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/0C9AAE6C-1E25-4DE9-B2E3-013CFA8A68B3_480x480.jpg?v=1692349110" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Happy Friday everybody! What a week it has been again! I am slowly but surely getting over my flu. This one has really set me back a week at least but I can see a silver lining appearing at the end of the tunnel…or is that a mixing of two metaphors?! Lol I’m so good at that kinda thing🤣</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I have finished dyeing the august clubs finally, with a weeks delay to get them shipped out. I am so, so sorry about that! My sincere apologies to all club members. After getting the August clubs shipped out next Monday, I will immediately start dyeing the September clubs, so keep your eyes open for a teaser label for that one with some more information about the artist of September! I can tell you right here that it is a very mesmerising piece of art! But, you will know more very soon! Promise!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Skein with lights held in a hand" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/4C64A0C1-2D2B-4C4E-9E88-1E685D8743F1_480x480.jpg?v=1692350000" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/2356/2379/files/4C64A0C1-2D2B-4C4E-9E88-1E685D8743F1_480x480.jpg?v=1692350000" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Another very exciting thing to mention that finally we have received a long awaited delivery of our sock yarn that is especially spun for us by a local mill. We ordered way back in January, but had to wait til now for the huge amount of yarn to be ready! It is so worth it though and I am so happy to announce, because of this shipment I decided to put a BIG SALE on for our hand dyed sock yarn of existing older colourways we have in stock now, to make room for new exiting colourways! PLUS: I can offer you a few kilo cones of sock yarn as well ! Fabulous if you want to dye your own or if you have a big project! The cone price and the skein sale prices are not to be missed, so don’t wait too long!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">with the weather here being super wet and pretty chilly, I think it’s time to put your feet up over the weekend and have some knitting fun ! You can find me close to the wood fire for sure, spinning and knitting..well, not at the same time🤣 </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I have lots of custom orders of handspun angora yarns to do, so the wheel will be purring and so will I.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">have a wonderful weekend everybody and next week, you can look forward to a brand new offering of something very special! Shhhh…not saying anything…..yet!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">To go the the Yarn Sale Extravaganza, please click here: <a href="https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new">https://ixchel.com.au/collections/whats-new</a></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">big hugs</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Charly</p>ixchel bunnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710799989003863127noreply@blogger.com0