SILK SILK SILK

You know how sometimes you just have a thing about a certain fibre....
well at the moment I have a thing about Silk yarn.
An expensive thing to be into, but I'm trying to do it on a shoe string. There are so many new silk fibres out at the moment, Debbie Bliss has some lovely ones out, but they are a bit to pastel for me. I've worked a bit with recycled sari silk, it's a lovely fibre, but a devil to work with, it had alot of loose ends, it's very soft though. I've also done some crochet with the mulbery silk that I dyed, that is more rough and not shiny at all. I keep looking for the next silk yarn to work with.
In the mean time I went on a trip yesterday, to the Macclesfield silk museums, (http://www.silk-macclesfield.org/). I went with the Lutterworth embroiderers guild, on a bus trip.
It was a fascinating trip, lots of machinery that did ingenious things with fibres. The buildings were beautiful, big silk factories. I came away with more questions than I went with though. So I have to do some research about silk farming! like you do. Like they didn't farm the silk themselves, it all came in, in skeins, I want to know how and where from etc.
I'm afraid I didn't take any pickies though, sorry, the day went very quickly.
Added excitement was getting locked in the museum whilst the footy yobs were trashing macclesfield... grimsby were playing macclesfield apparently... lots of sirens and riot vans!!
I also almost finish three 3D bracelets whilst on the bus! pickies when they are finished off.
al x

Spring competition

Just to remind you, all spring pickies need to be in by 1st of May.
send to my email goodkharmabunny@tiscali.co.uk
not to big please ( mail box won't cope)
al x

Another one of those mile post things!!

We did it!!!
We got through Adam's first half day at school!
We're all very very tired/exhausted!
but we survived.
I think he had a good time, it's the " so Adam what did you do today?"
" well, I can't remember"
That was the edited conversation, I gave lots of options, but he couldn't remember a thing!
but his book says " Adam had a very busy afternoon"
Oh dear, I know what that means.... adam was a whirling dervish all afternoon...
The best bit, apart from him being really please to see me afterwards, was the way he completely engraciated himself with the lollypop lady on the way home, by blowing her a kiss. totally unprompted.
More textiles soon, promise.
Oh and get those spring pickies entries in very soon, almost run out of time.
al x

flower power and sari silk!

Dear all,
Did I mention my mum is a textile genius!
She makes alot of different sorts of these flowers, cards and brooches mainly, but in lots of different colours, this one was emi lou's 1st birthday card. I'll photograph the brooches she's made later.
I thought it might brighten up a slightly grey day.












I've also put in a picky of my plysplit bracelet using recycled sari silk.














AL x

freeform crochet workshop

Hello,
Not very coherent tonight, as worked two days in a row and not had much sleep.
But never mind!
I've been busy.
I've done some more free form Crochet for the online weavers spinners and dyers workshop (www.onlineguildwsd.org.uk)

I'm not sure what it is but it was fun trying. It's made of hand dyed thick silk thread and a little ( bright pink) dishcloth cotton.

I also made a 3D plysplit bracelet for my mum. It's very difficult to photo a 3D object and do it justice!Using hand dyed medium weight linen thread.

And just in case you were getting withdrawal symptoms there's Emi Lou in a box!

al x

spring has sprung! Competition!!!

Greetings all,
Just a little shout out for spring... I think it may almost be here.... well it is really, i'm hedging my bets. I don't want to frighten away the blue sky!
Adam and I planted lots of seed in the greenhouse yesterday.
I just keep seeing really cool colours and shapes outside, so I thought I would share a few with you.
keep looking for those signs, and let me know what you see.



Is it spring where you are?
send me pickies (small jpg's pls) and we can do a spring montage, there may even be a prize for the best one!
Lets say a Good Kharma Bunny 3D bracelet for the best, or a windchime if it's more you.
Closing date 1st of May!
email me on goodkharmabunny@tiscali.co.uk
Have fun
al x

green cross code!

Tenuous link title, i was going to call it getting run over by a bus... but didn't think it appropriate. What I really meant was, you know when your mother makes you have clean/new/matching underwear in case you get run over by a bus...
well showing your stash of yarns is a bit like that.
I'm going to be honest, cos it's more fun.
I was going to show you the box of threads that my mother and i dyed last week, so took the picture...








Then realised what a terrifying and shocking mess it was so I had a sort out!!
wow how much of a control freak am I. I knew my collection of large Floras boxes would come in handy.













Thought I'd show you the box of threads I use for sparkly interest
in the cords as well, mainly rayon and rayon boucle.
the blitz didn't get that far.



And also the ones I'm using for fuzzy interest. al x

We rocked! well jived actually

Dear all!
We survived, no broken bones or anything. A fab night was had by all at the Ceroc night in leicester (www.ceroc.com) Luckily for you, there weren't any paparatzzi, so no pickies.
Aunty Catherine was a natural, she had them cueing up to dance with her. Not bad for a first night. Needless to say I have booked my babysitter for next week. who needs aerobics.. give me 3 hours of dancing with rather nice fellas ( who can really dance). lots of fun.
Other stuff... Emi lou had her MMR and so far so good. Her brother sang "there's a worm at the bottom of the garden" to her during it.. much to the nurses amusement. I can really recommend it as a diversionary tactic.
Hubby and I have spent the whole day cleaning the house, whilst the inlaws have the kids. We're both really fed up now.
I've hoovered the whole house so feel very virtuous. now it's fun time and I'm going to play making more cords. the problem with 3d stuff is it takes lots of cords. so have to make lots before I can start.
Here's the ones I made on tuesday.












The plain ones are linen, dyed with procien dyes and the fuzzy ones are linen again, but with fantasy threads from www.knitting4fun.com.
more soon
al x

A bunny of many talents

Dear all,
I'm glad you liked the bags. To answer Mama Grouch's (oscar.wurdock.com) question, they were wet felted, and yes it was quite messy. Sheila Smith does some quite good basic felting books, on her web site ( see previous post), but there are lots of bits of knowledge on the web. plus the IFA does all sort of workshops. Mum and I are going to do some smaller bags over the summer.
Although mum is working on lots of knitted bags at the moment... her moment of fame... she will be so embarressed.



















Only a short post today as hubby is online gaming tonight, and I'm at work tommorow and dancing tomorrow night. Ah its terrible being so talented.. I've not been dancing for a while, as my heads not been up to it. But I need some exercise so tomorrow night I'm going to CEROC in Leicester ( modern Jive). Should be fun If it doesn't kill me first.
Al x

felt pickies

These are the bags that the group produced mine is the purple one and mums was the turquoise one.















And then this is mine up close and personal.

Mine is made up of black welsh rovings and a purple mixed selection pack of merino.












It's not quite finished yet as the handle needs finishing, but that involves sewing, and sewing and I don't really get on.
I will finish it soon, honest. Cos I want to use it.
al x

da boy

ooppps forgot to say the boy's temp went down and up and down and up, but he seems to be on the mend, you can tell this by the way he's annoying his mum and doing stunt tricks with his baby sister!
gotta love him
al x

Whilst the mice are away....

Whilst the mice are away the cat runs about like a headless chicken!
All mums will relate to the situation.... that moment when the midwife says make sure you sleep whilst the baby sleeps dear!! and you run about doing the cleaning and washing up and washing and... sit down just as the baby wakes up!
well I have a situation like that.
My wonderful hubby as taken the kids out for a couple of hours so I can have a break, but do I do all the house work, write the blog or wind cords?
of course you do all three. one and a half done, but will the kids walk in just as I thread up my first cord?? of course they will.
never mind.

Thankyou all very much for your lovely comments about my blog, I really must keep doing the textile bit else it's going to be a look how cute Emi looks today blog... I'm sure that wasn't why i started this.

So for all you textiley people out there, here is the end result of a wonderful two day felting workshop that I went on last month. It was run by the IFA (www.feltmakers.com) and taken by Sheila Smith www.feltbydesign.co.uk. I went with my mum, did I mention she's a textileling genius as well! I'll show you some of her stuff sometime, its fab. We had a great weekend, although it was hard work on the arm muscles.
This was the result of the workshop....
aaaaaahhhhh
I'll post it in a bit, few technical difficulties.
Gonna wind cords for a bit, make cords whilst the sun shines.....
al x

Oh what a beautiful morning!!

I feel a song coming on


Oh what a beautiful morning!
well it is, and I am determind to only say positive things on this blog!
Over the last few months I have come to opinion that I am a natural born pessimist. So whenever I feel a negative comment coming on I now replace it with a positive. Quite good fun really.
The name the Good Kharma bunny comes from my naturally calming ambience that I exude. people like to talk to me, and I am always very happy to listen and help if I can. I like helping people. I'm a bit of a nutter inside, but aren't we all.
This picky is of my garden this morning! lots of blue sky and sunshine ( lots of weeds, and a newly trimmed hedge).




and emi lou is going around in her jimmy jams, and her new shoes, trashing the joint!

Adam is still fairly poorly, with a temp of 39.2 last night, bit concerning.
we're supposed to be doing all sorts today, ah well.
I did lots of crochet yesterday, but I can't show you yet, cos it's a pressy!
Off for brekky, else emi lou will start eating the chair!
al x

the new shoe gang!

The cox house is a calmer place today!
Spots are almost gone!
Adam is calpoled up to the limit, sitting on the sofa looking sorry for himself.
A very nice man has just taken about 5ft of hedge off our boundary fence, fab!!
Si and emi have gone to loughborough to get Si a charger for his new phone... did I mention that some br*t stole his bag on thursday and nicked his phone, i think the joke is on us though, it was a brick with only £2 credit on it! The best bit is that the girls footy team found Si's bag scattered over the footy field and gathered it all up and brought it back to him!
As promised emi's new shoes and adam's















please note the great escaping baby in the background





going to do some cords today, so i can do some more ply splitting, may do some more crochet as well. I've got the next lesson in the online guild workshop, v exciting.
al x

Good start to the holidays

Si breaks up today for school holidays and what better way to spend the start of the holiday.....Just got back from the walk in center!
Adam's had an allergic reaction to a virus!, he's fine, drugged up in bed asleep.
I had great intentions of things to tell you about tonight, especially emi lou's new shoes!
But it will have to wait. I need sleep.
Needless to say Adam as well as lots of spots, now has all of his stuff for school. He can go now!
Was really good today only bought a new crochet hook...a 5.5 for mega sized crotcheting!
Saw the new Louisa harding range of yarns , got some I liked some kimono ribbon with glitter. But I fell in love with the Noro yarns, why is it always the very expensive ones I love?

Hoping it will be an alright night, off to see if he's cooled down a bit ( adam)

Al x

Ply Split Braiding

This is what I do for fun!
Ply splitting involves making cords using a cord winder and plying them together using a gripfid or latchet hook, I post a picky of the tools later.
I mainly do bracelets and wind chimes.




This is part of a hemp windchime, I put big ethnic bells on the end.











These are examples of the bracelets that I make. They look a bit better on, I will do some other pickies later.










But most recently I have been making 3D organic structures and 3D bracelets.




lots of fun!

off to fall asleep in a corner
al x

Going live!!!!!

Hello all!
welcome to my blog!
It's still small and definitely early days.
For all those viewing this cos I've sent you an e-mail saying look at my blog, i hope your not disappointed.
but now you will know where I am and what I'm doing even when you've not seen me for ages.
You will also now realise that my spelling and english has not improved!
The whole point of the blog is to show what the Good Kharma bunny is doing at the moment, in terms of textile stuff, but i feel there will be a large amount of the family Cox as well.
I hope you will enjoy.
AL x

My other love

Of course is my Hubby ( my first love).
But this blog is really supposed to be textile related.
So here is what I'm working on at the moment.
I'm a member of the Online weavers spinners and dyers( www.onlineguildwsd.org.uk), (very cool) and they have monthly workshops, and this month is freeform crochet, so here is my contribution for the first week of the workshop.
Hope you like it al x

This is the other one

And this is my other bundle of joy
Adam
He's Four and starts school in about two weeks!
He's doesn't look like trouble much does he?!?

Start small, think big

I thought I would share with you a few of the most important things in my life!

This is Emi lou!
She's just turned one, and can now walk everywhere ( hooray)

The start of a Beautiful Bunny Blog!

Why are you at a loss for words when you need them.
I've been thinking about starting a blog for ages and when I finally pick up the courage to get one, I'm at a loss for words.
I'm sure I'll think of something thought provoking in the next few days.
But just as a quick introduction I am the Good Kharma Bunny.
I like to think I am a budding Textile artist with a penchant for braiding and yarns.
Based in the UK, I'm a mother of two with a fab hubby (The Hot Cross Bunny), Yes I married a bunny!
I'll sort photographs out later, first I have to see if I can successfully post this, without deleting it!
al x