The actual
Is only actual
In one place
And one time.
What we do only has meaning in the here and now.  It will not remain in the next instant.  Just do what you can for the present, and leave everything else to happen naturally.  Be born again each morning.
Deng Ming~Dao

I have mentioned over the last few weeks about a difficult journey that I had to undertake.  This weekend our trip had a much better result.

Two years ago, a big fat singleton puppy was born here.  He was doted on and much loved.  Such a fat little puppy, he was dubbed "Bubba Louie" and it was a name that stuck, although the Bubba part was dropped.

Louie went to live with a very dear older breeder friend of mine, who owned Louie’s father.  Due to some unforeseen and difficult circumstances beyond his owner’s control, we decided that it would be best for Louie to come back home.  This is one of the dearest and sweetest dogs ever………he encompasses everything a true "Cavalier" should be.
~Welcome Home my little traveler~

Will the rain EVER end??
You guessed………it is STILL raining!  There must be a huge rain cloud hanging over New England, that just does not want to go away.  May has been a complete wash-out! 

Being stuck in the house away from my flowers, I have had to bring the colors inside.  Working on the carder again, I dyed this angora blend with the soft pastel colors that I love in the garden, with a splash of brightness here and there.  This is a 20% angora blend, for those that do not like all of the bloom from my usual higher angora percentage blends.

Staying with that pastel theme, I picked up the sock needles again to finish the mate to the Folk Sock sock that I started back in March.

I always whip thru the first sock as the excitement of a new project always keeps me interested……..but somehow that second sock, seems to languish a bit.

The pattern is Latvian socks, done on size one needles in Lorna Laces sock weight yarn. This is a great lace pattern for beginner’s……very easy to remember and very easy to pick up any mistakes right away.

I hope to get these finished up this week.

Red……I LOVE that color!
Years ago, I went to a Color Me Beautiful party, where they told you which "season" you were, dependent on your hair, skin and eye colors.  I was told that I was an "Autumn".  I guess it is no wonder then, that I am perpetually attracted to various shades of red.  Paprika, Russet, Apricot.  When I try to steer away from those shades, it then is green, gold or brown that I choose.

I guess it is no surprise that this little guy will be staying in my rabbitry.  Even though, I really don’t need another buck here……..who can resist such a lovely redhead??  Not me………..

~Enjoy your week!~

        Candy Apple Angora Batts

What a long and dreary week it has been up here in the mountains!  I believe that it has rained something like 17 out of the last 25 days and we have not had a rain free weekend in 5 weeks!  YUK!!!

To keep myself busy, I have been playing with my new carding machine and the above Angora blend batts are the result.  So incredibly soft these batts are!  I have a bunch more to work on, then I will have to snag one or two for myself, this time.  My Spring  Angora Rovings and Batts will be up on this website next week.

Having played with Angora on the carding machine all week, my fingers were itching to knit up some of that softness.

This lace hat, is patterned after the one on Fall 04 Spin Off cover and is going to a well deserving friend, who could use a lift.

There is nothing quite like the softness of angora, especially in a hat or a scarf.

Puppies

Needless to say, with all of this rain, you can well imagine what my back yard looks like……..pools of water and Mud………great if you are a duck…..or a puppy.  The puppies love getting dirty……YUK!!!

Last night, the puppies and Hannah, all freshly bathed, sat for a few photos.  I thought I would share a few with you, before the last of the bunch started heading off to their new homes.

This is Nellie, she will be going to her new home in a few weeks.  Her new parents are school teachers and asked if we could keep her here until school gets out in a few weeks, which we were happy to do. 

Little Miss Mouse, is finally big enough, that I am feeling comfortable enough to contemplate letting her go to a new home.

She maybe small in size, but she lacks in size, she has in spirit.  This is one happy and busy little girl, who doesn’t let the other puppies get the best of her.

How can you not love a face like that?

Lastly, our boy, Kai.  Remember when I wrote that I would not be keeping a puppy from this litter?  Famous last words……LOL. 

Keeping a boy in a household with girls, is always a challenge, but this little boy is just as quiet and as sweet as they come.  Not only is he such a dear boy……..but he has a fabulous  little body and a lovely head.  These are the assets that a breeder is looking for when continuing forward in a breeding program, soooooooooooo…………….this little guy is staying…at least for now 🙂

I am heading out once again, this weekend, on the same trek that I made last week, but this time I believe it is going to be a better trip.  I will post more about it when we come home.

I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you who offered such kind words of support this week.  It is so nice to know that there are so many caring people out there.  Thanks!!

~Enjoy your weekend…….and keep dry~

          Farewell my Dear Little One
                  ISeeSpots Dandy

There are no ancients before me,
No followers behind:
Only the vastness of heaven and earth
On this mountain terrace
Though heaven may know the ultimate
Joy or Sorrow is our own will.
Deng Ming Dao

Today I will be sad……..for my sorrow is great.  My oldest and dearest rabbit passed over the bridge today.  I knew that the time was nearing, as I could sense the changes that were happening with her.  I hated to leave her this weekend, as I feared that she would be gone before I came home.  Thankfully she waited for me to come back.

Dandy was my dearest girl.  A gentle, gentle soul, who would sit quietly and patiently as I groomed her or when the children and grandchildren pet her.  Always a perfect lady and a wonderful mother, my dear tailess bunny.

While I will be sad for today…..tomorrow, I will remember all that she has given to me.  Most of the rabbits in my rabbitry go back to this Grand Dame and I will have joy again thru those that will remind me of her gentle ways.

Sleep well my little one

I want to take a moment to thank everyone that emailed me this week.  My weekend was as difficult as I had anticipated and to lose this dear bunny on top of it was a bitter pill to swallow.  The support of friends in the fiber world is so uplifting……..thank you!

Grrrrrrr……………some days I HATE typepad!!  I had a long post all ready to be published and poof, it was gone, when I hit the wrong button……….gggrrrrrrrrr.  Being that I am heading out of town on a difficult mission, I will leave you with some pictures of what my week has been like……….

  Not great stuck on the sink

………………………..eeek!!!

lovely on the angora though

…………….hehe

Fiber on the bunny………………….

They are getting so busy and cute!

and fiber, hot off the wheels.

I hope you enjoy the few pictures from my hell week….LOL

Losing my blog post, was the frosting on the cake.  Haha

~I hope that you all have a great weekend in  your corner of the world, and keep me in your thoughts, as I take off on a difficult journey this weekend.~

New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival!!

Today, my youngest daughter, Hannah and I made our way down to the NH Sheep and Wool festival.  What a FUN time we had!

Who IS that behind that camera……..and…….who or what is she snapping a photo of??

Why that is our Helen of NETA (New England Textile Arts) and she is snapping a picture of none other than
Stephanie………that Harlot.

What I didn’t realize until after we took this picture, that not only was Stephanie there, but Norma, Cassie and Theresa.

We had a nice time, visiting and it was especially nice to spend time chatting with Cassie in person, as we have come to know each other a bit thru emails.  I love how blogging has opened up our big world and made it a bit smaller for each of us.  That common bond that connects all of us, truly has made the world a smaller and friendlier place.  Cassie’s shawl is more beautiful in person than in pictures, if that is possible.  I was too darn busy chatting to get all of the pictures that I wanted to take, so you will have to take my word for it here.

Next it was lunch with another blogger from New England, Judy of Smatterings, and her friend, Cindy.  I am always a wee bit nervous, when it comes to putting myself out there with people that I don’t know but what I have found with most fiber people is that the bond that connects us, also makes it so easy to become friends.  Judy is a very talented spinner and dyer…….check out her fabulous yarns for sale!!

Now, as I started out today, with the mindset of behaving myself at this fiber festival, as I have so much blessed fiber.  However, the one vendor that I missed out on in Rhinebeck this fall, my regular first stop……….who was almost completely sold out at 9:15 am……Spinners Hill, also comes to this NH festival.  My first visit was to her booth and I picked up this incredible wool/ mohair batt.  As you probably guessed……..yup……..there are those rusty, reddish, paprika colors that I always seem to bring home.

So……….I thought……hey,  why not break out and be crazy?  Get something different for a change?  So…..into my basket landed this yummy grass green mohair/wool blend.  The different shades in the batt are so pretty, blended together.  This will be slated for this year’s vest.  I try to make one every year with this vendor’s wool.

Nestled in all that luscious fiber is a pin…….a handpainted bunny of course!

How could a Woolen Rabbit pass that one up?

Now, that was all I had planned to purchase, as the Good Lord knows, that I do NOT need any more fiber and I am really trying to be mindful of that fact and to simplify…………however, there was one temptation that I just could not avoid, no matter how hard I tried.

To self, I said
……..No………No………BAD…….NO………….NO……..Nooooo

YES!!!

This gorgeous Cherry Vermont Wheel came home with me.

Truly, I did try to resist, but the temptation was just too strong.  I had tried a Vermont Wheel a few times, when a local spinner purchased one a few years ago and I just fell in love with it.

Pat Russo, has made mention a few times that he is contemplating retiring from the fiber show scene, so I thought that it would be foolish for me to pass this lovely wheel up now, if I truly wanted one………and I did!

As a concession to my DH, who sometimes feels completely overwhelmed with the fiber and fiber tools in this old wool house.  I have decided to sell my antique Canadian Wheel.  It is another lovely wheel, made of cherry, with the typical iron treadle, footman and flyer adjustment……which spins like a dream.  I will list it in a photo album this week with all of the particulars.

I truly believe in keeping all wheels happily spinning and I like to pass the ones that are collecting a bit more dust than it should to another happy spinner.

So there you have it……………….

Hannah snapped this picture of a bunch of cute, cute, cute angora goats as we were getting ready to head back up to the Mountains.

We had a lovely day in Contoocook, NH, visiting with old friends, new friends and incredible fiber.

I hope that all of you in your corner of the world, enjoyed your day, as much as we did ours!

Wellspring of energy
Rises in the body’s core
Tap it and be sustained
Channel it, and it will speak.
Den Ming Dao

.

It is hard to believe that just a month ago, we were lamenting for Spring, and then all of a sudden, here it is, in all it’s glory!

Spring is a busy season for me.  So much to do……..so little time.  I have so enjoyed reading the stories of the Maryland S&W festival and I wish that I had time to read them all………….but bunnies need to be sheared, soap and hand cremes need to be made, angora needs to be dyed and the yard is begging for attention………….busy, busy, busy!!!  But isn’t it a wonderful kind of busy?

The highlight of my weekend, was receiving this incredible yarn from Judy. One is her handspun singles, in her flowerbasket colorway and the other is a scrumptious green merino/silk colorway.  I fell in love with Judy’s beaded yarn and she offered to duplicate it for me.  Judy was concerned that it did not come out exactly as the beaded yarn, but as a dyer, I know just how hard it is to duplicate a dye job and how can you not love this green??  Judy, I LOVE it!!!

Last week, I asked if anyone could explain the difference between the 2 bunnies in the picture.  Leslie, guessed correctly.  One is a fawn and the other is a lilac.  Lilac is the dilute of chocolate, but it is a very subtle difference at this young age.  Our little lilac girl is peeking out from behind the yarn in the above picture.  If you have time, go and visit Leslie’s website.  It is a little slice of life in Virginia and it is one of my favorites!.  Her style of writing is reminiscent of John Boy Walton’s narrations.  I so enjoy it!

Lilac is one of my favorite colors in the rabbitry.  Being a dilute, it is subtle…..but oh so pretty.  The little girl in the basket above, is a full sister to this girl, as this was a repeat breeding here.  Truffles was one of the 4 bunnies who received a haircut today. As you can see……she has scrumptious fiber!

Tomorrow, I will start dyeing all of this angora, in preparation for the June Fiber Frolic, in Windsor, Maine.  It is a fun fiber event and this year, Alden Amos is visiting and teaching a workshop.  It promises to be a fun filled weekend and I look forward to seeing familiar faces.  Stop by and say hello!!!

Housebound in a Wool House……..Sadly,I am one of the few, not making the pilgrimage to Maryland Sheep and Wool festival this year, so joining Julia and Margene’s gathering of the housebound, I thought that I would break out of my weekly post for a Saturday Blogger’s Festival post…<grin>.

As you can see, I have been working on the Faux Russian Stole for the Lace KAL….  (whoops….In spreading the lace out, I see an error!)

I still have to add my name to that list and get a button up,  However, I have been having so much fun knitting this pattern, that I just haven’t taken the time to do so.  I have to spin up some more Shetland, so this should give me a little time……………or …………will it?  A new little toy made a stop over at this house of wool…………

To Buy or Not to Buy
That is the question.  I am giving this wonderful Pat Green Super Carding machine a test drive to see if it would like a permanent home here.  As many of my friends know……carding is my LEAST favorite part of fiber preparation, but unfortunately, it is a necessity for me.

This machine has been touted as a one pass machine, meaning that you shouldn’t have to process the batt more than once, unless you are doing some color blending.

Although, I send out a lot of my hand- dyed angora/wool blends to a professional carder, frequently after a show, I will need to re-card the angora roving to fluff it up again.  Angora is almost impossible not to touch, so my little roving balls, usually need some tender loving care when we get home.  (now that should bring some interesting hits…) As you can see from the picture, this carder did a lovely job on one of the few balls I have remaining.

So to those of you out there in blog land……..what do you think?  Of these 2 machines,  a 16" Duncan electric carder that can fit a bit more on the drum…….or this Supercarder, which do you prefer?  I would love to hear from those of you who have used either machine.

My try at Lace Singles
Last night as I was playing with the carding machine, I threw in some freshly washed Shetland wool and some angora from one of my fellow bunnies and tried my hand at spinning lace singles.

I got some lovely yarn from Judy this week (look for pictures later in the week) and I thought that I would see if I could spin as nicely as she does.  Not as nice, for sure…………but I think I got the right weight.  It is fun to challenge ourselves now and then.  As a spinner, I tend to get caught in that happy, mindless spinning mode, which almost always produces a dk weight yarn.  It was fun to try something new :-).  I definitely need a wee bit more practice though…….

I am looking forward to hearing the fun stories about Maryland next week!  I hope that everyone had a safe and wonderful trip~

From a bud, only a promise.
Then a gentle opening:
Rich blooming, bursting fragrance,
The fulfillment of the center.

True beauty comes from within.  Our glory has nothing to do with our appearance or our occupation.  Our special qualities come from an inner source.  We must take care to open and bloom naturally and leisurely and keep to the center.
Deng Ming Dao.

I want to apologize for a lack of responding to comments.  My dislocated finger has been a "pain" when it comes to typing.  After a trip to the doctors today, it will be taped up………which is slowing me down tremendously.  Thanks for your support!!

After joining a few KAL’s, I have found that I am not really not good at them…..<grin>.  I am not a fast knitter and can’t always keep up, but hearing about the Gathering of Lace knit along from Margene’s page, my interest was peaked.

Even though I have not done a ton of it, lace is my favorite type of knitting.  I love to watch the patterns evolve with each yarn over and knit 2 together.

I am choosing the "Faux Russian Stole".  I like the fact that it has a little more weight behind it, then some of the finer laces.  I want to be able to wear it without fear of tearing it.

Not knowing exactly what "Jumper Weight" is, I was excited to give a batch of Shetland that I spun and actually won a first place at Fryeburg Fair a few years ago, a chance.

However, after working a few repeats of the beginning pattern, I was questioning my choice.  It felt a wee bit bulky and just not what I had envisioned for this project.

So……..I pulled out a stash of yarn that someone sent me earlier this year for Norwegian mittens and I discovered that Jumper Weight and Fingering Weight are one and the same.

Because I want this shawl to be made with handspun yarn…..deep into the stash I delved and came up with this lovely Shetland from Lynne Luker.  I worked slow and steady and I think that I came pretty close to the weight of the skein of commercial yarn.

You may not be able to see the difference in the 2 samples that I knit up, as they look somewhat similar in size, but if you handle the samples, you can tell there is a distinct difference in the weights and feel in each sample.  You can also see that the darker sample lays flatter as the yarn is more suited for this project.
All in all, I am looking forward to this KAL!

It’s Finished!!

Yesterday, my DH and I headed down to Concord, as he had a business meeting to attend and I had fibering business to attend to..<grin>.  Of course, I also had to find a bathing suit for my 14 year old……..no easy feat……..trust me!!
I did manage to find buttons though for Paprika and here she is in all her Finished Glory.  I LOVE this sweater!

Pattern: Casual Cables, Michelle Wymann
Yarn:  Elann’s Peruvian Highland Wool
Buttons:  Thistle, Jo-ann’s Fabric Store

YIKES!! OH No………….she’s trying to take a picture…..eekkk!!!

The baby buns are growing fast.  Eyes are open and they are on their feet and running.

Where as puppies need a lot of care and assistance, baby bunnies are wonderfully, amazingly, self sufficient.  As soon as those eye open up, they are exploring every inch of Mom’s cage, including the water bottle and food.  I LOVE baby bunnies….<VBG>

One of the challenges of bunnies it figuring out what their colors are.  If you look quickly at these 2 babies, they look pretty similar………..but they are not……….can you guess what the difference is?

I will tell you next week :-))

I hope that you have a great week and that it is a wee bit drier in your part of the country~

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~

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~