So.
As I was carding bunny and sheep bits this afternoon, I considered what I might could blog about, concerning the fiber. (I really do not want this blog to be so much about the business. Boring.)
Firstly, when I write "mats," what I mean is the short bits of feet, belly, and tail wool of the bunny, plus the less than perfect bits. (I save it all, and sort it into categories.) Some bits are matted, and those I cut into small pieces. Once all of these so-called mats are run through the carder and mixed with a bit of sheep, they begin to look mighty fine.
The four categories I use in wool sorting are: best (3 inches or longer,) shorts (less than 3 Inches in length), combings, and mats.
I spun up some of the Lumpy Bunny and plied it with thread, and it is lovely! Soft and slightly textured. Nothing "matted" about it.
Doesn't matter! har har
I feel as though my life-force has returned lately and I am happy to be at work. I am happy to be doing what I am doing.
Spring is burgeoning.
Fuzzarelly is Back
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Resume Safe Speed
Today, life is good.
I love it when work is fun! I've had a bucket of dyed angora mats hanging around for months, not really knowing how to use them with the new carder. The trick is to turn up the carder's speed! Last night, I ran it through the carder with a modicum of merino, just enough to hold the bunny together. The higher speed keeps the mats from being completely smoothed out.
Vi-ola! Lumpy Bunny, 90% angora and 10% merino. Sent 8 batts of this plus 16 others to Susan just now. And I am pretty darn happy.
I have just a smidgen of the LB to spin and will do that tonight. Or as soon as I get off the pooter.
Babies are well. This shot is from 2 days ago and yes, they have grown since.
I have released the 2 little outdoors bunnies to roam about the house. They are appreciative. And poop a lot. Everywhere.
This is Spot's pelt, almost completed. Need to rewet and condition it more.
I love it when work is fun! I've had a bucket of dyed angora mats hanging around for months, not really knowing how to use them with the new carder. The trick is to turn up the carder's speed! Last night, I ran it through the carder with a modicum of merino, just enough to hold the bunny together. The higher speed keeps the mats from being completely smoothed out.
Vi-ola! Lumpy Bunny, 90% angora and 10% merino. Sent 8 batts of this plus 16 others to Susan just now. And I am pretty darn happy.
I have just a smidgen of the LB to spin and will do that tonight. Or as soon as I get off the pooter.
Babies are well. This shot is from 2 days ago and yes, they have grown since.
I have released the 2 little outdoors bunnies to roam about the house. They are appreciative. And poop a lot. Everywhere.
This is Spot's pelt, almost completed. Need to rewet and condition it more.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Click here to submit. link fixed. again.
The Giant and the Runt.
Umm, and the new scarf!
I must have been high or something when I spun this yarn because it is - is - is gossamer! This entire scarf weighs .6 of an ounce and it measures 4" x 50."
I have written out the pattern and sometime in the future, maybe Susan will format it all nice and offer it with my Bunny and the Beast fiber.
Because Sweetie and I are too cheap to invest real $ into software and thus are relegated to using freeware for things like, oh, letter formatting and such. I have tried to use Gimp today, an open source Photoshop kind of thing and now my head aches and my eyes are tired.
This is a view to the west of the house, looking out the front door, with the Laconia School on the hill and the spring about amidships, running behind the neighbor's shed.
Umm, and the new scarf!
I must have been high or something when I spun this yarn because it is - is - is gossamer! This entire scarf weighs .6 of an ounce and it measures 4" x 50."
I have written out the pattern and sometime in the future, maybe Susan will format it all nice and offer it with my Bunny and the Beast fiber.
Because Sweetie and I are too cheap to invest real $ into software and thus are relegated to using freeware for things like, oh, letter formatting and such. I have tried to use Gimp today, an open source Photoshop kind of thing and now my head aches and my eyes are tired.
This is a view to the west of the house, looking out the front door, with the Laconia School on the hill and the spring about amidships, running behind the neighbor's shed.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
U.S. Postage Paid
There are days when the best I can muster is an expletive. Today isn't quite that bad, but..well, shit.
I found Ginger cold in his cage this morning. Food from last night, all eaten. Poop, current. I'm starting to call this SBDS, or Sudden Bunny Death Syndrome.
I am also thinking that this may be some genetic quirk, as Sheila and Candy were also victims and they all were related. Except we found Sheila just before the death part. It is always sad for me to lose a bunny like that. Or any way, really. Outside, Little Grey has gone missing and I assume he is also dead. I had noticed some listlessness on his part over the last month.
On the plus side of bunnies, all of Virginia's babies are doing well, even the runt whom I have had to nurse on mom separately. Bless his heart, he is a fourth of the size of the biggest one.
Heizen, Whiffleball, Li'l Bit and the other two "outsiders" are well.
Li'l bit lurves Whifle ball.
Sweetie has a job, we are not underwater, and I am (Susan is) selling lots o' Fuzzarelly Fiber. Could be worse.
I found Ginger cold in his cage this morning. Food from last night, all eaten. Poop, current. I'm starting to call this SBDS, or Sudden Bunny Death Syndrome.
I am also thinking that this may be some genetic quirk, as Sheila and Candy were also victims and they all were related. Except we found Sheila just before the death part. It is always sad for me to lose a bunny like that. Or any way, really. Outside, Little Grey has gone missing and I assume he is also dead. I had noticed some listlessness on his part over the last month.
On the plus side of bunnies, all of Virginia's babies are doing well, even the runt whom I have had to nurse on mom separately. Bless his heart, he is a fourth of the size of the biggest one.
Heizen, Whiffleball, Li'l Bit and the other two "outsiders" are well.
Li'l bit lurves Whifle ball.
Sweetie has a job, we are not underwater, and I am (Susan is) selling lots o' Fuzzarelly Fiber. Could be worse.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Soak overnight.
The babies have landed!!! Virginia delivered us a wonderful Valentine's day gift of six young ones, all healthy. No pictures, as they are still only pink squirmy things.
And yesterday, a young couple with two really nice little kids adopted the littlest black bunny. The runt. The little girl named her Midnight.
I don't usually encourage little kids, or their parents, to adopt a bunny, but...the kids were so good, I knew the mom and dad, and so agreed to the transaction. The bun was a prize for the kindergarten girl, who had aced some reading thingie, the only kindergartner to do so at her school. So far. But she seemed willing to share with her slightly older brother.
And yesterday, a young couple with two really nice little kids adopted the littlest black bunny. The runt. The little girl named her Midnight.
I don't usually encourage little kids, or their parents, to adopt a bunny, but...the kids were so good, I knew the mom and dad, and so agreed to the transaction. The bun was a prize for the kindergarten girl, who had aced some reading thingie, the only kindergartner to do so at her school. So far. But she seemed willing to share with her slightly older brother.
Friday, February 13, 2009
US Gov't Aprvd. - link fixed
Barbara McNair. Beautiful video of The Best is Yet to come.
I've noticed this return to the images of the sixties. Kennedy era. The hair was good then. Short and clean. A little curl. (I mean, am I the only one that thinks "celebrity hair" from the last decade is just messy looking? Give the girl a comb or brush, for goodness sake!)) Although, let me say, as an aside, I loved Aretha's hat! Day late, dollar short. Heck darn!!! She was beautiful. Nuff sed.
Anyway. Damage from ice is different from damage from wind. Ice cakes on the branches which succumb from the weight. The branches resemble the spokes of an umbrella - some spokes are folded and some are not. There is random limb breakage. There are lots of trees down. First there was Ike, then came ice, and now this wind. It'll take a while to clean up.
I've noticed this return to the images of the sixties. Kennedy era. The hair was good then. Short and clean. A little curl. (I mean, am I the only one that thinks "celebrity hair" from the last decade is just messy looking? Give the girl a comb or brush, for goodness sake!)) Although, let me say, as an aside, I loved Aretha's hat! Day late, dollar short. Heck darn!!! She was beautiful. Nuff sed.
Anyway. Damage from ice is different from damage from wind. Ice cakes on the branches which succumb from the weight. The branches resemble the spokes of an umbrella - some spokes are folded and some are not. There is random limb breakage. There are lots of trees down. First there was Ike, then came ice, and now this wind. It'll take a while to clean up.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Fresh Baked!
Another reason to like living in a small community. And banking at a local branch.
Today I went to town for groceries and stuff, and left my wallet at home. I had my purse, but no wallet. The wallet that has my debit card, driver's license, checkbook, proof of insurance. My official life, in other words. At least I discovered this before I got to the cashier.
I drove to my bank, and since it is Wednesday, there was only drive-thru service. The teller recognized me, and I her, and she was able to cash a counter check for me, even though the only ID I had was my face and her memory. How cool is that? I didn't even know my account number.
Had to go to the MalWart, (your place for cheap plastic shit,) looking for dowel rods. The Walgreen's didn't carry them, neither did the Tractor Supply, or my regular grocery store. MalWart didn't have them, either. Dammit. I need dowel rods to finish making several spindles for my drop spindling class. However, nobody has signed up yet, and the class is February 27th, so I might not have bothered. I have three or four ready anyway.
It was so nice yesterday that I took a walk around my part of the town. Here is the spring that is the reason Laconia is where it is. Fresh water. The town was platted in 1816, and about 2 years ago the town council agreed to dredge and rock the overgrown ditch that the stream had become. Very nice.
Work on the old school building is still underway.
The gym has been refloored and restored and has hosted a couple of dances over the winter. This is one of the old schoolroom floors that is being completely rebuilt. That's a lot o' money in treated lumber.
Today I went to town for groceries and stuff, and left my wallet at home. I had my purse, but no wallet. The wallet that has my debit card, driver's license, checkbook, proof of insurance. My official life, in other words. At least I discovered this before I got to the cashier.
I drove to my bank, and since it is Wednesday, there was only drive-thru service. The teller recognized me, and I her, and she was able to cash a counter check for me, even though the only ID I had was my face and her memory. How cool is that? I didn't even know my account number.
Had to go to the MalWart, (your place for cheap plastic shit,) looking for dowel rods. The Walgreen's didn't carry them, neither did the Tractor Supply, or my regular grocery store. MalWart didn't have them, either. Dammit. I need dowel rods to finish making several spindles for my drop spindling class. However, nobody has signed up yet, and the class is February 27th, so I might not have bothered. I have three or four ready anyway.
It was so nice yesterday that I took a walk around my part of the town. Here is the spring that is the reason Laconia is where it is. Fresh water. The town was platted in 1816, and about 2 years ago the town council agreed to dredge and rock the overgrown ditch that the stream had become. Very nice.
Work on the old school building is still underway.
The gym has been refloored and restored and has hosted a couple of dances over the winter. This is one of the old schoolroom floors that is being completely rebuilt. That's a lot o' money in treated lumber.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Simple, reliable, and affordable.
Just a note to say that I worked on my business website today. The hi speed internet makes it so much less of a chore. Slaps forehead.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Cannot combine with other offers.
A quiet day here. Most days are quiet here.
We've gone from 10 degrees earlier in the week to this:
It's nice to be in sandals again, and short sleeves. Even better is that the furnace/heat pump doesn't have to work. I opened the kitchen window.
I've been in the studio with my beloved drumcarder. Turquoise is the dyepot du jour.
New babies under the front porch and the Evul Kitteh has been hunting them. I found its lair after shooting at it with the bb gun, and missing. In our neighbor's shed I found entrails and assorted brown and black bits of fur. Plus the remains of a mourning dove. The live trap has been set over there. Fortunately, I have been able to capture two babies before the kitteh did, and I have my eye on the last little one. If he will just get up on the porch, I can get him, too.
So I have the two black babies, (one is so tiny that he fits in half of my palm,) (in the photo below,) Sable, and the smaller brown. Larger brown, released earlier, has learned to beg for carrots.
We've gone from 10 degrees earlier in the week to this:
It's nice to be in sandals again, and short sleeves. Even better is that the furnace/heat pump doesn't have to work. I opened the kitchen window.
I've been in the studio with my beloved drumcarder. Turquoise is the dyepot du jour.
New babies under the front porch and the Evul Kitteh has been hunting them. I found its lair after shooting at it with the bb gun, and missing. In our neighbor's shed I found entrails and assorted brown and black bits of fur. Plus the remains of a mourning dove. The live trap has been set over there. Fortunately, I have been able to capture two babies before the kitteh did, and I have my eye on the last little one. If he will just get up on the porch, I can get him, too.
So I have the two black babies, (one is so tiny that he fits in half of my palm,) (in the photo below,) Sable, and the smaller brown. Larger brown, released earlier, has learned to beg for carrots.
Monday, February 02, 2009
We use only the finest ingredients.
It is six pee em, and the sun has not quite set. Snow is expected tonight and tomorrow. No ice. Yay.
I was able to free my car from the driveway today and go to Corydon for groceries and lipstick. It was the first time I had left the house in a week.
Knitting Linguist remarked on the work it takes to dye angora. It also takes time to shear the wool, and all the bunny care that goes into insuring an animal has good wool. After dyeing, there is the carding, which also has to be done with care. Angora is a luxury fiber for a reason.
Someone commented on the number of barn bunnies I have. At the moment, there are a mere 24, and all of them have names and personalities. They are:
Andy, Spike, Zero, Walter, Saber, Sister, Claudia, Silky, Whitey, Grumpy Daddy, Grumpy Junior, Anna Belle, Louise, Kelly Bob, Oscar Wilde Hare, Bongo, Goober, Tutu, Icky Thump, Precious, Fuzzy Bob, Ginger, Sugar, and Bobby Bob.
Inside, I have Virginia and her baby Whiffle Ball. Plus three outside bunnies that are being kept until they are large enough to live outside in the big, bad world.
This is Sweetie on the couch with Whiffle Ball, Reese's, and Buster.
The outside bunnies that I normally see and tend to are: Ramsey, Smokey, Little Grey, Frankie, Harriet, Chocolate Chip, Wild Brownie, and the newly released Bigger Brown who is in fact, not so big compared to his outside brethren.
I am fully aware of the risks of stopping anti-robotics mid-course and I did not do it without some compunction. And I ate good yoghurt during dosing. My system is back to normal now and my sinuses are much less clogged.
The ice is gone from the trees and the aspen out front is no longer a perfect arc, but rather an upright tree. Here is a shot from the barn window of the back of our house.
I was able to free my car from the driveway today and go to Corydon for groceries and lipstick. It was the first time I had left the house in a week.
Knitting Linguist remarked on the work it takes to dye angora. It also takes time to shear the wool, and all the bunny care that goes into insuring an animal has good wool. After dyeing, there is the carding, which also has to be done with care. Angora is a luxury fiber for a reason.
Someone commented on the number of barn bunnies I have. At the moment, there are a mere 24, and all of them have names and personalities. They are:
Andy, Spike, Zero, Walter, Saber, Sister, Claudia, Silky, Whitey, Grumpy Daddy, Grumpy Junior, Anna Belle, Louise, Kelly Bob, Oscar Wilde Hare, Bongo, Goober, Tutu, Icky Thump, Precious, Fuzzy Bob, Ginger, Sugar, and Bobby Bob.
Inside, I have Virginia and her baby Whiffle Ball. Plus three outside bunnies that are being kept until they are large enough to live outside in the big, bad world.
This is Sweetie on the couch with Whiffle Ball, Reese's, and Buster.
The outside bunnies that I normally see and tend to are: Ramsey, Smokey, Little Grey, Frankie, Harriet, Chocolate Chip, Wild Brownie, and the newly released Bigger Brown who is in fact, not so big compared to his outside brethren.
I am fully aware of the risks of stopping anti-robotics mid-course and I did not do it without some compunction. And I ate good yoghurt during dosing. My system is back to normal now and my sinuses are much less clogged.
The ice is gone from the trees and the aspen out front is no longer a perfect arc, but rather an upright tree. Here is a shot from the barn window of the back of our house.
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