The Woolen Rabbit

Websites N' Wabbits........Apr.26, 2005

Accomplish your visions.
Persevere in your ambitions.
Only then can you negate
Visions and ambitions

....................Whatever you want to do, do it to the fullest.  There are just a few provisions.  First, you must realize that nothing is forever.  You may achieve your goals only to find out that they are no longer important to you.  This is all right.   That means you have come to the end of your interest and are now free to go on to something else.  Secondly, your ambitions should not determine your life.  You are a human being first, and your goals are merely adjuncts to your basic quest as a person.
Den Ming Dao

Occasionally I put these quotes up from my Tao Daily Meditation book and I hope that it does not offend anyone.  When I put one of these passages up, it is because it speaks to me at the time.  Today's passage was very meaningful to me in a few ways.  My DH can attest to my tendency to become obsessed with a new interest.  I love how this passage says that it is OK to achieve your goal and then look forward to the next interest on the horizon.

A number of years ago, building websites was my obsession passion.  This was back when ISP's were first making their appearances.  I learned how to build websites by typing code and then moved on to Adobe Page Mill.  I have been able to maintain the websites that I created back then, but I am feeling that it is time to move into the new millennium.  Feeling the need to build a website for my business, the dogs and the bunnies, I am struggling with just how little much I really want to go back to the pick and learn method of learning a new software.   To all you computer geeks out in blog land......which do you prefer?  Front-page or Dreamweaver??

OK.........enough with "Websites and on to "Wabbits"

Isn't it amazing what a difference one week makes with baby bunnies?  No longer do they look like pink little mice.  This litter is looking like it will be a litter of Tortoiseshell bunnies.....although, one may be a fawn.   I am so excited to see how many of these babies seem to be carrying what is called the "rufus" gene.  Rufus is another term for red.  This is a repeat breeding for me.  In the last litter I had a gorgeous red torte, named Glinda, that I sold to Claudia of Countrywool.  As much as I regretted letting her go.....I knew that she had a good home.   Unfortunately, she was frightened by a dog that made it's way into Claudia's barn, which resulted in a broken back and she had to be put down.  So there are a few of us, hoping for a few red babies in this litter.

Twice a day, I check in on Bonnie and her babies.  I check to make sure that all are still alive and thriving and that no one is tangled up in the fur that Mom pulls to line her nest with.  The last few days, it has been a bit colder here and today, I had a hard time finding the nest.  I use what is called a drop nest for babies.  Somehow, Bonnie had completely covered her nest up with hay.  I literally had to dig the babies out.  From this picture you can see how deep Bonnie made her nest.  After I took the babies out for the above picture, I cleaned out alot of the hay and put the babies back in.  As I was putting them back in, I noticed that a few looked a bit dehydrated and Bonnie's nipples were very very swollen.  That told me that most likely, Bonnie couldn't find her way back to her babies either to feed them...........yikes!

Seeing how swollen Bonnie was, I decided to take the babies that looked the most dehydrated out of the nest.  I popped them into the pocket in my jacket, sat with Mom in my easy chair, and let them nurse one by one.  Mom got some relief and the needy babies got an extra fill up at the milkbar.  Needless to say, I eliminated a good amount of the hay that was in Bonnie's cage, so that she couldn't fill the nest up again.

Knitting Progress

Paprika is almost finished and it has been a complete joy to work on.  All that is left is to block it, put the button bands and neckband on.

I will head down south to look for buttons on Monday.  My DH has to go to Concord for a business meeting and I will go with him.  Three uninterrupted hours to shop at places like "The Elegant Ewe", "The Fiber Studio" and maybe a trip over to "Harrisville"...........YIPPEE!!!

I love days when I actually have an excuse to aimlessly wander around in my favorite stops...

A finished object  .............finally.....woohoo!  This is the Branching Out Scarf on the new knitty.  Fellow blog writer, Susan, wrote this wonderful little pattern.  This is such an enjoyable pattern to knit.  There is a wonderful rhythm that you move into as you work on this pattern.

Made with my own rovings, which is a blend of 60% merino and 40% angora from my bunnies here.

In this close-up, you can see the lacework a little better.  An easy, yet fun knit.  I will definitely be making a few more of these in the future.  Thanks Susan!

Enjoy your week~

New Babies!! .......Apr. 20, 2005

Happy Birthday, my wee little ones!!

Exactly 31 days after breeding, Nordic Bonnie Lass gave birth to 6 fat, squirmy babies.  Early this morning, I checked the nest that Bonnie had made and even though she had pulled fur for the nest it was still empty.  An hour or so later, I checked in on her and saw that she was in the nest delivering babies, so I quietly left.  Unlike the dogs, who like you to hold their little paw and give them reassurance, the rabbits do NOT like you to be around when they are kindling.  After a few hours passed, I went back into the barn and found Bonnie lounging in her cage.  Luckily, I checked when I did, as I found one baby on the wire, thankfully still moving and only a little chilled.  I put the baby back in the nest and covered it up. Again, I quietly left the room.  Early this afternoon, I peeked in, and it was obvious that Mom was finished birthing......6 fat, sassy babies.  The chilled one, is fine.

I have been very fortunate with my bunny mothers.  Knock on wood, they have been very attentive, devoted Mom's.  Good work Bonnie!!

Knitting
Wool n'Wine
The temperatures here have been down right balmy!  In the evenings after dinner when I have a chance, I like to sit in the yard with a glass of wine to watch the dogs and puppies play.

This weekend I had the opportunity to sit with them one evening.....what a treat!  As I watched the dogs, I also worked on Paprika.  It is coming right along........in fact, I hope to be finishing up with it this weekend!  It has been such a joy to work on.

I am also working on my DD's roommate's scarf.  I managed to get all of the Water Lily colorway spun and decided that I would give Susan's pattern in the new Knitty a try.  It is very well written and is nice, easy lace work.

Kudo's Susan!!!

One of the reasons why it is such a treat to finally get outside with the dogs, is the lack of MUD.  Thank Goodness for small pleasures!!  One of the curses living in the Mountains, is the very long mud season. 

As you can see in this picture of Dora and her brother, there is a layer of straw in the yard.  I have found that the straw helps keep the mud that they track into the house at a minimum.  It also helps keep their little feet clean.  You should see the puppies tear around the yard with the straw flying in every direction.....too funny!!

I'll be out enjoying the yard again this evening.........have to do it now, before those nasty Black Flies make their yearly appearance

~ Enjoy the Day~

A Fleece.......It MUST be Spring!!....Apr. 13, 2005

Hands grasp, but also give.
Mouth tastes, but also speaks.
Nose breathes, but also smells.
Eyes see, but also show.
Ears hear, but also balance
Den Ming Dao

Isn't this a wonderful verse?  All parts of ourselves both give and receive.  If our senses are so noble, shouldn't we be as well? (also Dao)

Spring is the season for senses.  The fresh air smells as we throw open our windows.  The sounds of the birds coming back home from their Winter journey.  The colors of Spring as they break thru the dullness of Winter gone past.......and the flowers that become eye-candy.

What a week!  I apologize to anyone that I may not have responded to over the week.  I dislocated a finger, slipping on a dog toy and catching it on one of the crates.  Needless to say, typing, knitting and spinning have been very painful. Not much on the fiber front was accomplished.  The Paprika sweater is moving along at a nice steady pace though.  I'm gonna LOVE this sweater!

Fleeces!!

Every Spring I allow myself 2
fleeces that I keep just for myself.  The last few years, I have purchased Romney fleeces from Skyline Farms.  Great fleeces and wonderful customer service!

I contemplated this week's post, as I read from my Tao daily book this morning, where the above verse was found..........  Spring really is, all about the awakening of our senses.  With Spring comes shearing and there is nothing quite like a raw fleece to awaken those senses.  The smell of lanolin (and other things) and the softness that it imparts, along with the fabulous crimp, is truly wonderful.

Of course, being the impatient person that I am, I always pull out a few handfuls of the raw fiber to see what potential lies before me, in all of it's greasiness.  I snap it next to my ear to listen for sounds of weakness and I check the crimp.  More crimp = softer fleece.....but soft isn't always what you need.  It depends on what you had in mind for the fleece.

After checking the locks over carefully,
they get tossed into a couple of very hot water soaks with dish detergent.  The detergent and the heat of the water, helps to dissolve a years worth of dirt and grease.  These fleeces were covered, so they are not that dirty.  You would be absolutely amazed at how much dirt that these washes will yield sometimes, with fleeces that have not been covered.

Next comes a couple of rinses, where I
let them soak for a bit.  What I end up with is two fluffy balls of nice clean wool.

What they will become is limited only to one's imagination.  Dye, spin, weave, felt.........so many things they could become.

Then, I will comb out the samples on a
pair of fine Louet combs that I have for combing Angora.  This wool is slated for carding on my soon to be here, "Super Carder, ("happy dance!!), but for sampling, the combs are quick and will give me a good idea about the qualities of the wool. 

From there it goes to my drop spindles, to see what the finished yarn will could end up looking like.  This will let me know how fine or thick the yarn should be spun and what the quality of the finished product should be.

  This winter, I sold a good amount of my spindle collection, as I felt the need to simplify........but I hung on to a few favorites.  Featured here is a Hatchtown Amelia (with the brown fleece), and my all time favorite Forrester (with the white fleece).  As quickly as I picked up spinning on a wheel, any one of my friends can attest to how difficult it was for me to master the Drop Spindle (there really is a reason why it is called drop!)

I am looking forward to working with both of these fleeces...........Yummy stuff!!!

And Then There Were Three..............

The hardest part of breeding is letting go.......but in letting go, we are giving.  I have decided that I am going to let all of these babies go........but it is never easy. 

As not only a breeder, but a pet owner....... I feel that it is so important to make sure that each dog, gets the individual attention that they deserve, so I have to be ultra choosy about what I will keep here.  The littlest one will be here for a good spell as she still needs to catch up with her siblings and I do need to make sure she is completely healthy, somehow, it will make it a wee bit easier :-))

With Spring coming...............new beginnings!  Baby bunnies will be making their appearance next week, Lord willing.

~Enjoy Spring in your corner of the world~

A Breeder's Choice.......Apr. 6, 2005

The puppies continue to grow and as they have been growing, I have studied each of their little bodies, temperaments, heads and expressions.

Most reputable breeders are breeding for themselves in hopes of improving their line of dogs with each generation.  Sometimes you will get lucky and have a litter with all puppies being outstanding examples of the breed, but truly that is the exception.  Most breeders are happy to have one fine dog that stands up well to the standard that the breed club writes for the breed.  It is the blueprint for which you go forward with.  Temperaments and health are equally as important, as we do not live with all of the dogs that we produce and it is not fair to the puppy buyer to have to live with difficult or unhealthy dogs.

The puppies hit the 8 week mark, which is the critical time for evaluation.  Whilst I had hoped for another wonderful girl from this repeat breeding.......it was not to be this time.  Here are the four puppies profile pictures...........can you tell me which one stands out to you?

Standing with the puppies is my youngest daughter, Hannah.  Hannah has been raised with the dogs as she and my oldest Cavalier are only months apart in age.  She is a fantastic little dog handler and just adores all of the dogs.  You may ask.............."how did you get the puppies to stand so still?"  Peanut-butter.......LOL.

With one of the puppies though, you will notice that she is nibbling on a piece of ham instead.........she loved the peanut-butter so much so that I was afraid she was going to choke on it..!

The puppy that I call Big Boy (I need to come up a real name now) will stay, at least for a while.  I will run him on to see if he continues to hold his body together as he grows for the show ring.  Breeders are much harder on the boys at evaluation time, than the girls because you can not improve on them.  With a girl, you can try to find a boy that will overcome a fault or two, when breeding for nice puppies........but the boys don't have that luxury.......they need to be really nice to go forward in a breeding program.

Whist all of these puppies have great temperaments and will make lovely companions, only one meets the standard close enough to go forward into a breeding program.   The other puppies all have wonderful homes waiting for them.

Now Back To Knitting
(Too many hobbies my dh keeps telling me......too many hobbies)

With my morning coffee, while I read my favorite blogs, I have been slowly working on this Morehouse Merino Scarf.  As it was moving along, I wasn't sure that I liked the striping effect.  Morehouse recommends using 2 skeins at a time, alternating every 2 rows, which I decided to do after the second narrow green stripe showed up.  I still wasn't sure that I liked it and was going to rip it out and work on a lace scarf instead, but something held me back.....................

If you could feel just how soft and extra cushiony (is that a word)  you would understand my hesitation.  The stitch in this pattern gives the fabric a WONDERFUL handle.  I decided that given it is Paprika and I plan on wearing that paprika sweater and the paprika vest planned for my hand-spun yarn, a lot, that the softness of this fabric outweighed any of my questions about the striping.

Spring IS coming.............did you see the grass that little puppy is standing on? 
WOO~HOO!!!!!!

Spring Melt.........Apr. 4, 2005

~The Seasons they go round and round~

Just a few short weeks ago, I posted pictures of the incredible amounts of snow that were dumped on us during the month of March.  Someone may ask........"Where does all that snow go?"

After 2 full days of steady, pouring rain, the snow melted quickly. Rivers, brooks and ponds were overflowing.  The above picture is the Swift River Covered bridge, where I snapped the first photo.  The Swift River joins up with the Saco River at this bridge, which is around the corner from our house.   The rivers were wild this weekend!  It is going to take some time for everything to dry out.  Mud season......ick!

Knitting

Could Paprika become the new neutral??  Or is it just a color that is forever landing in my knitting basket?? 

Both sleeves are finished and the sweater's cabling along the bottom, is moving right along at a nice steady pace.  As I was sorting thru one of my stash piles this weekend, this Morehouse Merino Scarf kit that came from Norma when she was destasting, jumped out at me and into my basket.

To give my fingers a rest from the cable needle, I cast on for the Stellina scarf pattern that came with the yarn.  (Actually, 3 scarf patterns come with this kit.....a very nice little kit).  Thanks Norma!

I love working with Morehouse lace weight merino.....it is so soft and after it is washed, it has such lovely drape to it.

X and O is all finished!   While I was in the southern part of the State, having the puppies eyes certified by the opthamologist at a clinic this weekend, I scouted a few shops, looking for the perfect button.

Pattern: Folk Vests
Yarn:  Black Water Abbey
Color: Silver
Needle size: 6
Started:  Nov 30, 2004
Finished: April 3, 2005

Puppies
 The puppies continue to grow in leaps and bounds.  This weekend, I doubled their playpen and added a crate.  I am a firm believer in crate training dogs.  It is the easiest way to potty train a puppy.

Dogs are natural den creatures and enjoy the safety of a crate if it is used properly. It should never be used as a punishment. My dogs sleep doubled up in crates at night and each dog is fed separately in a crate.  This way I can tell if one of them is not eating and it keeps the chow hounds from getting fatter than little houses.
During the day, I leave the crate doors open in the dog room and many days you will find all 6 of them crammed into one crate, taking their afternoon snooze together.

Mom (Breeze) and sister Dora are enjoying the afternoon romps with the puppies.  Most everyday, they all play together in the dog room.  Unfortunately, the dog yard is underwater right now, so the puppies have to settle for playing with the adults in the dog room.

With the warmer temps coming this week, hopefully the yard will dry out.  This morning as I was taking a look at my perennial garden on the side of the house, I saw the beginnings of my tulip leaves, poking their noses out.  Spring is definitely on it's way!