it certainly was a Halloween to remember! It seems like so long ago already with all that has been happening here in the valley: storms, power outages, no internet and now no phone coverage (telstra is still not on top of their sh8tstorm apparently) and rain, rain and more rain.l So much rain that the Yarra River had broken its banks, the little Yarra River close to us had as well and there was even so much deluge that the storm drains could not cope. No where to go the water thought "why not park here?" and started to inundate the streets of our nearby towns of Yarra Junction, Lilydale and Healesville. It was all happening.
The water has subsided now but it sure was mayhem !
I was very happy I took a video of the lilac tree briilliantly in bloom, before the rain and the wind blew it all away. you can see the video here on my insta @ixchelbunny
No wonder there was a lot of dyeing done in these gorgeous lilac purples and greens. I have been busy again, even without power because you know, improvisation is my super power...lol, You can find heaps of these gorgeous lilac colours on both the freshly hand dyed Magic tops in the WHAT'S NEW section this week AND NEW IxCHeL Sock yarn ! Of course there are heaps of other new colourways available as well ! Like this fab Rainbow to put a smile on your face!
The beautiful thing about these Magic tops is the rainbow dyed Fire Star fibres blended all the way through. They create a fabulous magical touch to the top and the yarn or felted art work it will become. As soon as the sunlight hits this blend, it lights up like a rainbow unicorn.
There are also some more Lair of the Bearded Dragon goodies that are NEW:
New Twist it little helpers in gorgeous Elm wood and a fabulous Mountain Ash that just shimmers and shines. Twist it little helpers are super handy: not only are they great orifice hooks but they also have a WPI gauge to measure your handspun yarn AND nice little handy grooves at the end of the handle so you canb twist your handspun yarn around it and "park" your yarn while you get yourself a cuppa tea.
AND A new Tibetan support spindle with Rose Quartz inlay !
If that is not all:
I have some November club news! The artist inspiration this month is the amazing master weaver from the Bauhaus movement of the early 1920s: Gunta Stoelzl.
I grew up surrounded by tapestry and weaving. I love tapestry. I love weaving. I’m super lucky to be surrounded by my ancestors rugs and tapestry in my humble abode and they always are an inspiration to me.
When it comes to art, tapestry is one of those areas that is hardly ever mentioned. I did a club right at the start of the IxCHeL art journey of “lady and the unicorn” tapestries from the Middle Ages so hey, it’s about time I did one made by one of the most influential design periods of the 20th century: BAUHAUS and one of its (only) female masters : Gunta Stölzl. She was a force to be reckoned with in weaving and teaching. Although the Bauhaus school of design attracted and was open to lots of female students, there was only one who became a master. The school was very avant-garde, but in the 1920s despite all of that bravado there was obviously still a patriarchal viewpoint and lots of female students were “guided” towards weaving rather than design and sculpture. Despite that there were lots of female designers and artists who made their mark. It would have been even more if the Nazis didn’t shut the school down because it was subversive and degenerate in their opinion… (my opinion: #fucknazis)
If it wasn’t for Guntas experiments with alternative weave structures and experiments with “new” fibre ingredients, there might never have been a Wassily or an “African” chair, by the designer Breuer, also from Bauhaus, who worked with Stölzl to create the fabulous woven fabric able to work with his amazingly intricate chair designs.
Anyway, I am going too much into detail here…lol🤣
A full and very interesting biography about the life of Gunta Stölzl in a super turbulent time is accompanying the November Art Journey Club.
November and December clubs are totally sold out , BUT you can sign up for the next round starting in January! Just head to the IxCHeL Club and read all about the fibre, yarn and batt art journey clubs. If you are over seas and would like to have all your clubs sent in one go to save on postage or if you would like to sign up for a combination of all three clubs or any combination you can think of: DM me if you have any questions okay? Always happy to enable😉
The October club photos have been posted on my insta and facebook pages but in case you missed them, here they are:
This weekend I will be dyeing and carding lots of fibres again and the November club will hopefully be ready to ship end of next week or the Monday after, depending if we get any good sunny days to speed up the drying process,
Then it is straight into the December club which will be shipped late November so all of the club members will receive it before Christmas !
Talking about Christmas: I am also planning another TWELVE DAYS of Xmas fundraiser again, like every year. More on that very , very soon !
Have lots of fun browsing the What's New section in the shop !
Wishing you all a very creative and fun week filled with hopefully some sunshine more than rain !!
Big hugs
Charly