the new 'do'

(before)

Ms. Bianca the angora rabbit has a new 'do'. Today was the day. I first brushed and then plucked her fur (she starts to shed easily when she has a full coat) until it was brushing out pretty clean, and then using embroidery scissors I trimmed the rest of her fur as short as I could, keeping all of the fibers as long as possible. I save the plucking 'wool' in one bag, and the long trim 'wool' all facing the same direction in another bag.

plucked

trimmed

Angora rabbits can be plucked/trimmed about 4 times a year...she was getting pretty full for warmer days, and I'm sure she feels much cooler now. I managed to finish about 85% of her, and she has a little skirt for the day. Tomorrow I will trim the belly, which is more of a challenge, as rabbits don't really like being flipped over ... so all that is left can be done quickly after a little break so it doesn't stress her out.

(after)

She looks about half her size now - the cat isn't quite so intimidated! ;)

bunny!

We have had a busy week - a 3-day trip to Minneapolis, and a new rabbit! The first thing I must share, of course, is the rabbit. Her name is Bianca, but the boys call her Hunka (as in hunka hunka bunny love). ;)

She is a lovely angora rabbit. The lady who held her for us for the past month so that we could pick her up on the way home from our trip clipped her for us, as when we last saw her she was fully fuzzy. So we came home not only with a sweet bunny, but a nice big bag of fur to spin into angora yarn!


She is sweet and curious, and the boys are thrilled she is here. She lives both in an outdoor hutch and indoor cage...and is getting more used to us, so is almost sitting on laps. The boys have been spending every moment they can near her, getting her used to their voices and keeping her company in her new home.


Our cat seems to think she is pretty interesting too, and gives her nose kisses often. The boys have been reading and learning about rabbits for the past few weeks, and are enthusiastically helping with cleaning, brushing, and feeding.


Very exciting!


Now I just need to (significantly) improve my hand spinning skills so that I can make yarn from this delicate fur!

sheep & birthdays.

Last weekend we headed to the Sheep & Wool Festival. The boys were so excited to see the animals! We first wandered the animal buildings, checking out the amazing diverse breeds of sheep. So much variety. When we sat down for the sheep shearing demonstration we got lucky and sat next to a little boy (above) whose family owned most of the sheep being shorn. He chatted with my boys for a long time, telling them about his farm, his animals, lambing, and of course shearing. The shearer doing the demonstration shears pretty much all of the sheep for that farm. The man was a whiz - lightning fast - and the boys watched in awe as he gently and expertly removed their wool one after the other.


The boy then took A & G over to the other side of the building to show them the lambs. He climbed the fence and expertly grabbed one lamb at a time - holding it up for everyone to see (he had drawn quite a crowd by then), telling the boys all about them.


After a stop for a snow-cone (hot day!) we wandered the vendor buildings together - with a looooong stop by the angora rabbits. The boys pet them, asked questions and looked them over. From there we split up so I could wander and shop while the guys had lunch. While I am allergic to the lanolin in sheep wool, I am just fine with alpaca and angora, and I found so many yummy yarns that I couldn't even choose. I ended up with a little of this, a little of that.


I think there is a theme with this fall and winter, though. I managed to pick all warm browns. Raw alpaca, alpaca roving, alpaca yarn, and a few ounces of angora fur to see how I do spinning it into yarn. And of course a lighter spindle for the more delicate fur.

At the end I accidentally found out that A & G had bought me a *very* special birthday gift while I was off shopping. An angora rabbit (yep, the rabbit!)!


She is a gorgeous and fluffy girl and will come home with us in a few weeks when we have her home setup. We plan to use her lovely fur to spin yarn, and of course the boys are super excited to take care of her. What a great birthday gift! And a fun day. :)