Friday, August 30, 2013

Dream and make it happen !

King Rabbit by Brian Despain

It has only been a month since the Bendigo Show and it somehow seems like ages have gone by. I think it’s because so much has happened and I have so much work to do. I guess the more you do, the faster time goes….no time for boredom here at the farm that’s for sure!

This week was filled with doing custom orders and something very exciting: the birth of a new blend soon to take centre stage , so keep your eyes peeled : hopefully in the next month or so all will be revealed. Safe to say, I have been having a ball trying to put different fibres together. People often ask me how do I determine a new blend? Is it by colour? By micron? by softness? What determines a nice blend and what fibres can be put together?
Safe to say, I am not a “purist”..lol…I do tend to mix and match all different fibres with all different gradients and all different levels of softness and staple length.

 Ofcourse there are “rules but it is so much more fun thinking outside of the box. There are rules in spinning mills because they don’t want to soil the milling process so all needs to be one particular colour, they don’t want to mess up and get short and long staple lengths together because the machine will cough up nepps and short bits all over the place. BUT, we are not machines, when you do things by hand or on a small scale, like using a mini mill or blending by hand using a blending hackle or combs or a drum carder, you can make a magical blend of anything you want !. That way it is so much fun to spin and make your own magic happening! Be surprised at the different elements coming together in your own hand spun yarn.

I guess I have always been a dreamer and thinking of new creative things, whether it be in fibre, painting, writing or discovering new ways of doing things.  The most important thing about being a dreamer is remembering the dream when you wake up and act on it immediately or write it down. Don't ever let it slip away.  Dreams can come true and you are the onlly one who can make it happen. Never ever think along the lines of: I cannot do this or cannot do that. the worst thing that can happen is that you have tried and it comes out differently than you anticipated and maybe even better ...!
When you think about it: a lot of great inventions or beautiful things have been created by mistake. Mistakes, trial and errors are good for the soul: so, open your mind, let your dreams colour your soul and most of all: Have fun and say to yourself; Anything goes !!!!!! 

This week I can show you two types of yarns I have been working on: a uniformly spun 3ply luxury yarn: made up of angora, lambswool, cashmere and mink no less (a NEW IxCHeL yarn!!!) and a 4 ply hemp bunny and hemp cotton yarn.

 The hemp bunny yarn was carded up together with some ice blue sparkles and is a blend of 50% angora and 50% hemp: it is luscious and soft while still having that strong character the hemp fibres give to it. The other one is a soft strong shint hemp cotton yarn:; the hemp was spun very fine and then plied with fine cotton thread. So those two different yarns are on offer to you this week ! Enjoy!

I am continuously preparing fibres and yarns and dyepots, this week was no different. So this week I wanted to tell you all about dyeing with Osage Orange (Maclura Pomifera) is a tree that grows in North America where it is also known as the hedge apple. It bears large inedible orange fruits and the heartwood provides the dye stuff, like shavings, chips or as a concentrated dye powder. If you are using wood chips soak them overnight before starting the dyeing to obtain a stronger dye. Dry them after use and re use them for a lighter colour !. 

Osage orange to me is very special. It always meant a very magical tree for me and in Native American culture it was a very important and versatile wood: it is a great wood for making bows. I am fortunate to own beautiful osage orange spindles and a needle case :
Bristlecone Glindle made from Osage orange
 
A Malcolm Fielding Tibetan Spindle made from Osage orange
A Spinning woodie gift pack with an osage orange needle case, a book mark and some shavings


the osage orange tree

Osage orange bowl in the making and all the shavings can be used ! Double goodie ! 



some osage orange dyeing examples

Do you need to use mordants? Yes you do. The type of mordants you use has a huge effect on what colours you getThis time yo can use alum as a mordant.


So, here is a recipe to dye with osage orange:
100 grams of protein fibres
5grams of concentrated dry osage orange powder or a 100grams of sahvings or chips you soaked over night
about 4 liters of rainwater (yes, rainwater is best, because the chemicals added to drinking water will change the colours or have different effects on your natural dyeing)
alum as a mordant...10grams
cream of tartar as a modifier, 7 grams

if you are using the concentrate powder , make a paste first and then add it to the water, if you are using chips of shavings make sure you have soaked them overnight! And ! keep them in a muselin or onion bag in the dyepot, otherwise your yarn will touch the wood and you will get it all over the place in your yarn or fibres (talk about vm..lol) also this direct contact can make your fibres “spotty “looking so beware !
Add your yarn or fibres to the dyebath and simmer it on low. Never let it boil! Do not take the fibres or yarn out of the dyebath. Let it all cool down naturally or, until you like the depth of colour in your yarn or fibre.
Take it out, rinse it all in luke warm to cool water and dry in the shade. Voila! Your own magical osage orange recipe ! Welcome to the magical world of natural dyeing !

Dates to Remember:

The black and coloured Sheep breeders Associations of Victoria 2013

Sunday 29th-September 2013 from 9.30am to 3 pm
I will be there with heaps of new fluffy stuff !!
Cranbourne Public Hall (near KFC….),
Join me in all the fun ! There will be a huge amount of new blends and fibres to choose from. Here is the flyer with the information:



And now: drumroll!!!!
Here is the special yarn update of this week ! Enjoy!

Hand dyed IxCHeL Luxury 3 ply yarn
50+grams     AU$18

a unique IxCHeL blend of Angora Rabbit (50%) Lambswool 30%, cashmere 15% and mink 5%
this yarn has 400meters per 50grams , it is super light, is the perfect super soft exquisite yarn for your special luxury project !

Zen -4 avaiilable-

Rainbow-4 available-

Indigo Blue-4 available-

heather-4 available-

Dusky Rose-4 available-

Dream-4 available-

Crocodile-4 avaiilable-


Autumn Leaves-3 available-

Natural-10 available, more in the making -

IxCHeL Handspun Hemp yarns

Hemp is a very sustainable fibre, organically grown here in Australia and hand spun at the IxCHeL Fibre farm. Hemp has beautiful anti bacterial properties and is a strong but yet soft and lustrous fibre. It is perfect to make garments, socks and skirts !
Hand dyed with natural dyes using eucalypt, lichen and red cabbage, plied with a hand dyed ccotton fine thread and weighing 126grams.
It is a 3-4ply weight yarn and has appr 530-540meters ! AU$32
A 50/50 hemp bunny blend with ice blue sparkles .
It is super special yarn,, weighing 127 grams, a 4-5ply weight and has +/- 520-540meters. A unique yarn for a unique project ! AU$35

IxCHeL Club sign ups are Open ! THE LAST CLUBS OF 2013 !!!!

The IxCHeL clubs sign ups are open!! for the fibre, yarn, mini skein and batt clubs for October, November and December 2013! Can you believe it is almost 2014 ???  !

 

IxCHeL Fibre Club October, November and December 2013

The subscription is for a period of three months and you will receive one special hand dyed top/roving per month to the value of AU$22 , and as all of you past members know you get tops that are usually around $24 ! so it is a great deal!
All the tops will be hand dyed and will be especially made for the members of Ixchel Fibre Club ! Price to join the Ixchel Fibre Club #18 and receive your special hand dyed top :)) for three months (October, November and December 2013) is AU$66 + postage (parcel post or airmail). AND there are good value double serves available !!!
 
For Australia : single serve $66+$24 postage (parcel post), double serve $120+$24
For USA + Canada: single serve AU$66+AU$45 (Airmail) double serve AU$120+AU$45
For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$66+AU$58 (airmail) Double serve AU$120+AU$58
For Asia: Single serve AU$66+AU$36 (airmail) Double serve AU$120+AU$36
If you want to receive a fibre surprise every month then join the IXCHEL FIBRE CLUB #18 now. Numbers are strictly limited ! Deadline for signing up for fibre club #18 is October 8th! And the first instalment is going to be shipped out end of October. Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me your details
 

The IxCHeL Sock Yarn Club October, November and December 2013

Every month for three months (October, November and December 2013) you will receive: enough hand dyed luscious yummy yarn to make a pair of socks or a lush shawl or scarf ofcourse! (the hand dyed yarn will be exclusive for the Ixchelbunny SOCK-IT-TO-ME Yarn CLUB and will range from a sockweight yarn or a 3ply or a 4 ply); Every month a new sock pattern, tips and instructions ! Now is that GOOD or is that GOOD ??!
I will even offer a double serve for those of you who like their socks extra long
 
For Australia : single serve $78+$24 postage (parcel post) double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +$24
For USA + Canada: single serve AU$78+AU$45 (Airmail) double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +AU$45
For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$78+AU$54 (airmail) Double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +AU$54
For Asia: Single serve AU$78+AU$36 (airmail) Double serve $130 (= one skein FREE!!!) +AU$36
 
Numbers are strictly limited ! Deadline for signing up for the Ixchelbunny SOCK-IT-TO-ME Yarn CLUB! is October 8th.
Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal . Just PM or email me your details 
  By the way: you don’t HAVE to knit socks if you don’t want to.. the hand dyed yarn is amazingly nice for scarves, cowls, beanies and even tops ! Anything goes .
 

IxCHeL Mini skein Club October, November and December 2013

Every month I will be offering a monthly exclusive IxCHeL mini skein selection for Club members. In that monthly selection there are 12 hand dyed miniskeins that are hand dyed and or even hand spun and awesome to add to your mini skein projects.
Here are all the details for the sign ups for the IxCHeL Mini Skein Club:
For Australia : single serve $69+$24 postage (parcel post) double serve $130 (=even a better deal!) +$24
For USA + Canada: single serve AU$69+AU$45 (Airmail) double serve $130 (even a better deal!) +AU$45
For UK,Europe, rest of the world: Single serve AU$69+AU$54 (airmail) Double serve $130 (even a better deal!)+AU$54
For Asia: Single serve AU$69+AU$36 (airmail) Double serve $130 (even a better deal!)+AU$36
 
Numbers are strictly limited ! Deadline for signing up for the IxCHeL Mini Skein Club is October 8th. The first Club mini skeins will be sent out end of October. Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me your details
 

IxCHeL Funky Bunny Batt Club October, November and December 2013

Here are all the details and just pm me when you have any questions or want to be part of the funky bunny batt club Movement ;-) Welcome to the blingy dark side ;-D
The subscription is for a period of three months and you will receive one special hand dyed funky bunny batt per month to the value of AU$32 or more .
The batts will range in weight from 100grams to 150grams with luxury fibres like camel , angora, cashmere, silk, yak, llama even wolf and bison this time ! All the batts will be hand dyed and will be especially made for the members of Ixchel funky bunny Club ! Every month you will receive a HUGE luxury funky bunny batt !
Sign up now and you will receive an Ixchel Hand dyed , super luxurious funky bunny batt for October, November ad December 2013!
Price to join the Ixchel Funky bunny for three months is :
For Australia : $96+$24 postage (parcel post)
For USA + Canada: AU$96+AU$45 (Airmail)
For UK,Europe, rest of the world: AU$96+AU$54 (airmail)
For Asia: AU$96+AU$36 (airmail)
If you want to receive a fibre surprise every month then join the IXCHEL FUNKY BUNNY Batt CLUB now. Numbers are strictly limited ! Deadline for signing up for the funky bunny batt club October 8th and the first installment is going to be shipped out end of October 2013 :) Payment via direct deposit or credit card or paypal. Just PM or email me



How To Order:
You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot au or message me on facebook or ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny. I will email you right back with all your order details and payment methods. Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable.
Thank you so much for your help and support !
 RABBIT ON !
((hugs))
Charly

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Friday, August 23, 2013

Once in a blue moon

Blue moon bunny

This week there was a blue moon in the sky..it doesn’t happen that often : that’s where the whole “Once in a blue moon “ phrase comes from ;-) A blue moon is an extra full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year, either the third of four full moons in a season or, recently, a second full moon in a month of the common calendar. Metaphorically, a "blue moon" is a rare event and happens every two to three years. The phrase has nothing to do with the actual color of the moon, although a literal "blue moon" (the moon appearing with a tinge of blue) may occur in certain atmospheric conditions; e.g., when volcanic eruptions or exceptionally large fires leave particles in the atmosphere.

All in all I didn’t really want to talk about blue moons today, that just came up…lol..but I wanted to talk about purple, its meaning and how to get shades of purple in your dyeing.

Purple is a pigment secreted by marine gastropod molluscs (species names are murex and purpure). According to legend, the dog belonging to Melkart, the phoenician god of dyers, was responsible for discovering purple. In modern day Lebanon and Syria there were traces of use of Murex found in archeological sites dating back to 1500BC: whole hills of crushed seashells have been found right next to the dyeworks in these communities. The farming of Murex was difficult: first they had to find the molluscs in the waters of the Mediterranean , then break open the shells. The molluscs were then left to soak for some time in big basins and then they had to remove the liquid from a very tiny gland. Exposed to the sunlight the juice turns from white to a yellowish green, then to green, then to violet and then finally a deeper and deeper red. You had to control the duration of exposure of the liquid to sunlight very very precisely.. The dyed silk, wool and fabrics were very very highly priced. That’s why they call purple a royal colour, reserved for kings, noblemen, priestst and magistrates. It represented prestige. In ancient Rome the colour purple reached the height of popularity. Under the Roam republic, the toga, a mark of citizenship, was edged with a purple band. The robes by triumphant soldiers were completely purple and bordered with gold and the generals at the head of the armies wore a paludamentum , a purple cloak. Then roman emperors made the olour exclusively their own. Purple became the symbol of political power. Caligula haad the King of Mauritius killed because he wore purple and Nero, another example of a “nice” emperor…, condemned anyone wearing purple to death. In the 15th century Pope Paul II decreed that Cardinals could wear purple but it was cochineal insects that provided the violet/purple, not the molluscs. How they exactly got those ancient purples from the murex remains a mystery: the recipes were lost by the ninth century and it wasn’t until the very beginning of the 20th century that the chemical structure of purple and the methods of dyeing were discovered. If you thought purple was valued in Europe alone, you are mistaken.. At the other end of the world and totally isolated from one another, in Mayan and Aztec society in Latin America, purple was also highly valued and…yes…they also extracted the juice to make purple from similar molluscs, so called purpure patula mollusc. And, it was also a very royal colour. Ofcourse , to get purple I don’t go fishing for particular molluscs…no what you can do to get a very nice royal purple is use a plant! The Madder plant or Rubia tinctorum. The Madder is a leafy , sprawling plant thatis actually considered a weed here in Victoria …Its dye material comes from the root not the leaves. You chop up the root and dry it into a powder. You can only get clear, bright colours with a heavily concentrated dye bath. You will also get much deeper colours from roots that are 5 years or older ! There are tricks to get the right colour: if you use a hot water dye bath you have to keep the temperature below 60degrees Celsius or the colour will become browner ! If you use alum you will get a red, tin will give you an orange and chrome will give you a violet. Heres a recipe which I use to get those nice deep velvet purples you see in this weeks offerings : 100g of protein fibres 20g madder powder concentrate 4 litres of water mordant used: iron and cream of tartar Best to use a cool water dyeing method and simmer on low for 1-2 hours until the dye is a deep mahogany hue. Leave the dyebath to cool until the fibres are the depth of red or purple you want. Rinse the dyed fibres in warm water until clear.
Madder plant


test skeins dyed with madder



Next week I will delve into some other dyeing magic and tell you another secret ! shhhhhhhhhhh ;-)

Welcome to the magical world of natural dyeing !

Dates to Remember:

The black and coloured Sheep breeders Associations of Victoria 2013

Sunday 29th-September 2013 from 9.30am to 3 pm
I will be there with heaps of new fluffy stuff !!
Cranbourne Public Hall (near KFC….),
Join me in all the fun ! There will be a huge amount of new blends and fibres to choose from. Here is the flyer with the information:



And now: drumroll!!!!
Here is the special madder fibre update of this week ! Enjoy!

Hand dyed IxCHeL Madder Bunny Tops
100+grams     Prices are listed below each different type of madder blend
Navajo Churro Bunny tops 100grams $20 (a blend of Navajo churro and 5% of angora bunny)

Cashmere fling tops (bamboo, cashmere, glitz, nylon) 100g $22

Lush Bunny tops (18.5micron merino, angora, tencel, cashmere) 100g $24

Angorino tops 17micron merino with angora bunny 100g $22

Hand dyed IxCHeL Hemp Tops
100+grams     AU$18

Outlander

Through the Stones

Undyed pure hemp tops


Hemp Fibre
50+grams     AU$5


pure Hemp fibre


IxCHeL embroidered Aprons

A one size fits all 100% cotton apron, embroidered here at the farm! In some funny bunny designs. You can choose white, red or green embroidery on a red or black apron. The apron has two big pockets at the front as well. A great gift for any lover of bunnies, alice in wonderland, spinning or knitting !
 
Rabbit on ! aprons AU$29.95
 
Alice in Wonderland themed aprons with an intricate embroidery design $39.95
Rabbit on! Apron
We are all mad here


if you don’t know where you are going…
follow the white rabbit…

 

Happy bunny patchwork kits 

three gorgeous fabrics, a bunny button and pattern
only AU$9
Happy bunny kit

How To Order:

You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot au or message me on facebook or ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny. I will email you right back with all your order details and payment methods. Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable.
Thank you so much for your help and support !
 RABBIT ON !
((hugs))
Charly

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Friday, August 16, 2013

Testing..testing...

Testing fun : hemp fibres with angora bunny

Last weeks busy schedule and not much communicating was totally obliterated by this weeks events: There was a totally insane rush on my nr5 luxury blend and angorino and wooshy clouds for the Bristlecone-Ixchelbunny Outlander a long on Ravelry and on a negative side, no communication (meaning no phone , no land line, no mobile reception!) due to the fact that Telstra decided to do something inexplicable to their tower and in one swoop we were in a black hole: no phone at all! For some idiotic reason I still have internet/wifi, but apart from typing , Im not talking a lot..lol

I’m at the end of my rope really but it’s like walking into a brick wall. Anyway, life goes on even without phone. Just on that note: if you do want to contact me: email me or message me on ravelry or facebook. Sending me text messages or calling me has absolutely no effect whatsoever…..I will not hear you….it’s like living under a dome here at the moment….

Last week was all about dyeing with red cabbage. Well, this week I thought I would “talk” (hahaha) a bit about dyeing with Rheum Rhaponticum…..sounds kind of like Rapunzel but its ..Rhubarb !! yes, you can dye with rhubarb! It’s a very versatile plant that tastes nice in jams and compotes but if you use the poisenous leaves of the rhubarb plant you can create pale yellow and green colours. In all it creates these woodland like colours ranging from yellow to green, bronze and copper. If you want strog deep colours you do not use the leaves, but instead use the roots, fresh or dried! What is also very nice to know is that Rhubarb leaves, you know the poisenous ones, make so called oxalic acid, if you simmer them for about an hour or so. This oxalic acid you can ten use on your fibre after mordanting and dyeing, to make the colour more green. Always nice to kow that you can use this as a modifier.
Rhubarb test skeins


Rhubarb

Do you need to use mordants? Yes you do. The type of mordants you use has a huge effect on what colours you get. I tend to stick to alum but what is so magical about natural dyeing is that its not only the mordant you use, but also how you can manipulate the colour with so called modifiers.
Mordants: with alum you will get nice ochres and yellows that you can modify into greens; with chrome you get a deep red, copper , iron and tin will produce nice woodland greens .


So, here is the recipe:
100 grams of hemp fibres or cotton fabric
50grams of rhubarb root (dried and in a powder is best)
about 4 liters of rainwater (yes, rainwater is best, because the chemicals added to drinking water will change the colours or have different effects on your natural dyeing)
alum as a mordant...20grams and 10g of washing soda
rhubarb leaves that have simmered for an hour gets you oxalic acid…add this to the exhaust bath as a modifier to get greener shades

make a paste with the dried rhubarb powder,, add to water and simmer for 1 hour before you filter it and steep over night!
Add your yarn or fibres to the dyebath and simmer it on low for an hour. Never let it boil!
Do not take the fibres or yarn out of the dyebath. Let it all cool down naturally or, until you like the depth of colour in your yarn or fibre.
Take it out, rinse it all in luke warm to cool water and dry in the shade. Voila! Your own woodland hemp recipe !

Next week I will delve into some other dyeing magic and tell you another secret ! shhhhhhhhhhh ;-)

Welcome to the magical world of natural dyeing !

Dates to Remember:

The black and coloured Sheep breeders Associations of Victoria 2013

Sunday 29th-September 2013 from 9.30am to 3 pm
I will be there with heaps of new fluffy stuff !!
Cranbourne Public Hall (near KFC….),
Join me in all the fun ! There will be a huge amount of new blends and fibres to choose from. Here is the flyer with the information:



And now: drumroll!!!!
Here is the special fibre update of this week ! Enjoy!

Hand dyed IxCHeL Lush Bunny Tops
100+grams     AU$24

a unique IxCHeL blend of Angora Rabbit , Super fine merino 17micron, tencel and cashmere !
It spins like a dream, is super soft and fluffy and felts beautifully as well ! and it has that pearlescent glow of the tencel that just cant be beat !

UNIQUE to IxCHeLyou will be hooked once you have tried spinning this blend!
 
baby wants to play

Zen

Dusky Heather

honey bear

Green Pastures

Ice Sun

Mermaids and zombies


Rainbow

Retro bunny
Sunset party
Waterfall rocks

Hand dyed IxCHeL Hemp Tops
100+grams     AU$18

Outlander

Through the Stones

Undyed pure hemp tops


Hemp Fibre
50+grams     AU$5


pure Hemp fibre


IxCHeL embroidered Aprons

A one size fits all 100% cotton apron, embroidered here at the farm! In some funny bunny designs. You can choose white, red or green embroidery on a red or black apron. The apron has two big pockets at the front as well. A great gift for any lover of bunnies, alice in wonderland, spinning or knitting !
 
Rabbit on ! aprons AU$29.95
 
Alice in Wonderland themed aprons with an intricate embroidery design $39.95
Rabbit on! Apron
We are all mad here


if you don’t know where you are going…
follow the white rabbit…

 

Happy bunny patchwork kits 

three gorgeous fabrics, a bunny button and pattern
only AU$9
Happy bunny kit

How To Order:

You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot au or message me on facebook or ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny. I will email you right back with all your order details and payment methods. Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable.
Thank you so much for your help and support !
 RABBIT ON !
((hugs))
Charly

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