Good Girl!

I keep our bed covered with a sheet because we let Daisy lay on it and I don't want my bedspread to get dingy looking (and pilled) from her repeatly wallowing on it because then I have to wash it more often and it will wear out sooner. In the evening I take the pillows with the decorative shams on them off the bed and I turn the top of the bedspread down a few inches and recover it with the sheet before we go to bed. Sounds like a lot but really takes about 5 seconds.  Last night I found Daisy in bed laying on Andrew's pillow. She had shoved one of the decorative pillows off onto the floor and the other off to the side and had pushed the bedspread down so she wasn't laying on it.  She's a smart and good girl and I told her so!

Stansborough Grey and a Surprise

I purchased some Stansborough Grey locks from a blogging friend and fellow fiber enthusiast.  I'm always interested in spinning different types of wool just for comparison. Here's some information on the breed (thanks Sherry). Apparently Stansborough sheep were discussed in a recent edition of Wild Fibers magazine (btw-the summer issue features an angora rabbit on the cover).  Yesterday my sister in law helped me card my washed locks on her electric carder and then we added some sable colored french angora fiber from my rabbit Dylan to the roving. The Stansborough alone was had a wonderful sheen and was fairly soft as far as wool goes.  The angora added some additional loft and softness to the roving. I'm anxious to spin it and will post photos of the final product. Also the day that my locks arrived was one of the crappiest I've had in recent memory.  I had a migrane and overall felt like dog doo.  Inside the package was a small envelope and inside it was a darling little shrinky dink bunny.  That made my day!  Sherry and her daughter had been busy crafting shrinky dinks this summer and sent along one for me to enjoy.  Haven't seen a shrinky dink in years-had them myself as a kid and Elisha had them when she was little too. Anyway I made a necklace out of it!

 Roving from Stansborough Grey

Dylan

A shrinky dink

And a necklace...

Trick or Treat 2011

It rained all day and was really cold for T or T.  Luckily I procured some warm costumes which enabled me to wear long johns underneath.  There are as many adults dressed up these days as kids.  It was a nice night despite the chill and we had a hoard of little ghosts, goblins, space creatures, monsters, and lady gaga's. The neighbors were all out cavorting about and taking photos and were in general having a good time.

Angora in Art

A friend of mine suggested I look at Pinterest.  It's a website where you can look up anything and everything to get ideas or to just to look. Then if you see something you like you can pin it to your own "board" and start a collection. Users can follow each other and share boards too. Very addicting so don't say I didn't warn you.  Anyway I was browsing today and found the artist, Angelina Wrona.  She's got some ususal and dark artwork which you will either like or hate or it will grow on you. She describes it as an anime, folk art and representational style blended to create a fairy tale sort of a figure.  I was attracted to it because a) the subject in the painting below (which I first saw) has an angora rabbit on her head,  b) I am a fan of those big eyed children of the 70's and c) I love Pullip dolls. Call me crazy....

 

Angora

Rabid LE

Fashion Diva

I finished knitting Daisy's coat last evening. The yarn is an angora/BFL blend (what else).  She seems to like it and she sure looks cute wearing it. Next up - hat's for holiday charity endeavors at Andrew and my work places.

Working with Wool

I got a third wind this weekend. I've knitted a hat for my uncle and am working on a coat for Daisy. I'd like to have her coat done by the weekend so she can wear it for Halloween. She has a pumpkin hat that she hates so I thought I'd give her a reprieve from the dorky outfits this year.  I've been grooming rabbits all weekend. They don't look too bad but their cages are a mess with wool strands all over the wire on their cages that drive me nuts. The moisture in the air doesn't help in regard to sanitation matters either because nothing dries.  

 Raw Satin angora fiber

 Hand Spun Yarn

Sweet Ryan relaxing

These Days...

...Pip meets me in the rabbitry twice a day. She peeks her little head just inside the door to let me know she has arrived and then takes a couple steps back and waits on either breakfast or dinner. She's definitely showing signs of her advanced age as tonight when I looked at her eyes they were cloudy, which is often the case in older animals, and she seemed weary. She has taken up residence underneath the deck for the impending arrival of winter like she always does and the other evening when I came out the back door she was sitting on top of the deck waiting for my arrival.  Two nights ago we saw another rabbit in the yard and other than that every bunny seems to have moved on. I know I am breaking my own rule of leaving wildlife in the wild but we are admittedly smitten with this little bunny that has thoroughly charmed us over the years and have made an exception just this once.

Pip eating her dinner this evening

Pip and Duke in spring of 2007