Summer is Here!…June 14, 2005

Do you know
Where you are
On your journey?

If you are confronted with a pivotal decision and cannot think of any other way to act, write down all the good things and all the bad things about a given situation.  Also include how much more you want to do.  See if staying your course will give you what you want.  If not, change, no matter how deeply that will disrupt your routines.  Some people never know where they are in life, and that is one of the biggest reasons that they are unhappy.
Deng Ming~Dao

The above quote is meaningful to me this week as I am at a pivotal point in my life, in regards to continuing forward with breeding dogs.  We are facing some difficult challenges with some new health issues in the breed.  I will do exactly what is suggested and spend some time contemplating before making any decisions.

Fiber Frolic

Oh boy…….do I ever feel like a bad blogger!  I had my camera and my empty disk loaded and did I take any pictures at the Fiber Frolic?? 

Nope…….I was soooooo bad!  I did take this one picture of Mr. (or is it Miss) Llama that visited our building a few time.  He was an entertaining fellow and a good sport in the dreadful heat.

It was HOT, HOT, hot!  Who would ever imagine that it would be 90 plus degrees and 90% humidity in Maine??  However, in-spite of the heat, many NETA members and bloggers made the trek to Maine.  You can see some great pictures at Julia’s, Liz and Kristen’s blogs.  It is always fun, no matter what the weather to meet with fellow fiber enthusiasts.  As always, it was wonderful to chat with my good friends Robin and Gil Gonsalves of Robin wheels.  Gil has just finished the protocol for his new traveling wheel and is taking orders……what a sweet little traveling wheel!  Now it is time for him to start working on that Production wheel that we have been chatting about.  I have already put my order in for the first one…..in a nice curly maple…<VBG>

I was amazingly well behaved this weekend.  My only purchase was 4 oz of the luscious dark grey cria alpaca in the picture above and some all natural herbal spinning wheel wax from Bristol Springs.  It was nice to meet Angela of Bristol Springs…….another angora rabbit breeder.  I do like to support fellow fiber people when it comes to purchasing products. 

Bunny Genetics 101 cont.
Last week I spoke about Agouti Angora Rabbits and some of the things that defines an agouti.  This week I thought that I would write in layman terms (the only ones I know..LOL) about Self colored angora rabbits.

Self colored angora means that the color goes right to the skin.  Where as the agouti’s had those very definite bands of color, a self colored angora should not have distinct bands, although, in a baby coat, you will usually see some.

Above is a picture of a black angora and the reddish torte baby from my current litter.  If you look at the closeup of their wool that has been parted, you see that the obvious banding of last week’s rabbits is not there.  There is a faint shading of color in the smaller rabbit, but after a few clippings, it will be much the same as the black rabbit’s coat, except it will be a nice apricot color.

I have also included a picture of an adult torte, so that you could see the distinct face mask that distinguishes a torte from a solid colored rabbit.  Although, both rabbits are self colored, the torte rabbit has an additional color pattern over the original color.  You will see that pattern as a face mask, deeper colored ears and feet, as well as markings on the hunches and sometimes on the belly.  This adult torte is considered a chocolate torte. Her name is Belinda, daughter of Glinda.  Glinda was bred here and then went to Claudia of Countrywool.  Belinda came back here when she was a wee one.

The black girl is Spinning Bunny Sambucca.  Even though her body color is grey, she is considered a black rabbit (with excellent body type) and one with very nice complete color.  She will be bred later this summer.

Fibery stuff

Not much knitting has been happening here as it has been just too darn hot to have a lapful of wool.  I did however get a little spinning accomplished. 

I like to spin up some of the roving that I am selling, so that I can make sure that I am giving correct information to people as to the ease or difficulty of spinning.  This blend is call opalessence and I will definitely be doing up more of this fiber blend in different colors.  The silk gives nice strength and shine with extra softness from the angora.  I’m thinking that this may become my first Smoke Ring

And finally…..

Emperors uphold censorship,
But extreme repression leads to extreme reaction.
Individualists believe in freedom.
But extreme expression leads to extreme reaction.
Deng Ming~ Dao

Those in power should be careful: Push the people too far and they will rebel.  Those who create must also be careful:  Challenge the people too much and they will rebel.
also Deng Ming~Dao

I placed this down at the bottom of my post as I do not like controversy.  However, there have been some goings on in an organization that I have recently resigned from, that have caused me some angst and I couldn’t stay completely silent.  I feel very very strongly about censorship, so when I read today in my little devotional book the above excerpt, it just jumped out at me.  Life is a balance………if you swing too wildly in either direction, there will be problems.  Censorship is wrong.  I strongly believe in giving people ALL of the information, so that they can make informed decisions, and that is all that I will say………..

~Keep Smiling and Enjoy Your Week~