Maud is enjoying her role of mom these days , as her 4 wee ones continue to thrive.

 I spent yesterday watching them while I tidied the barn. They relaxed after I was there for 10 minutes, so I could get close enough to take some pictures.

This marten patterned bunny on the right is a shade darker than his (or her?) mom, while the white one is a clear contrast!

  The last 2 are also marten patterned:

Posted by countrywool at 7:15 AM EDT

Updated: Friday, 4 June 2010 7:18 AM EDT

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Spring's welcome energy has visited Countrywool's Bunny Barns,and Maud and Miles are proud parents of 4 wee ones.Just 4 days old, these bunnies are full of it! Getting them to sit still for a photo was a 30 minute job! 

This crew has two clear colors present at 4 days...3 are patterned like Mom,who is a Silver Marten pattern, more broadly referred to as a Tan pattern(notice the white on the inside of their ears!), and one appears white.

The white bunny is a total surprise.

 Here is a picture of Grandma Merry, who is a Silver Marten pattern:

All these bunnies are spoken for.

If you are in the market for a Countrywool German crossed angora bunny,check back in a month to see if Merry herself has decided to produce a litter.

Posted by countrywool at 6:48 AM EDT

Updated: Saturday, 15 May 2010 6:49 AM EDT

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Ahead of schedule, these wee ones have escaped the watchful eye of their mom:

 Maud and Miles have produced 4 perfect bunnies. Three are black and one is a Marten pattern like Shady, pictured above. All have just started to eat oats and hay at the ripe age of 18 days! Quite precocious.

And brave. Here's Shadey peaking over the edge of the grooming table:

and Smokey exploring all the far reaches of same:

Posted by countrywool at 7:32 AM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 31 May 2009 7:34 AM EDT

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Bunnies for sale this spring

As usual. each year I rotate adult rabbits, aiming to perfect the coats I am breeding for. This spring, I have decided that Klaus (3 years old)

and Senta (one year old)

need to move out.

Both have recently been clipped and are in excellent health. Klaus is Senta's father.

Drop me a note at claudiakATcountrywoolDOTnet if you are interested.

Posted by countrywool at 7:15 AM EDT

Updated: Friday, 15 May 2009 7:18 AM EDT

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Oh, the balmy weather has made for dandy spinning opportunities on my deck this past weekend. I am spinning through some lovely gold roving I made a while back, to get ready to work on the Quartzy Blue above. I am busy dreaming of the ocean I will visit next month, and the colors of the rocks on Long Beach are my yearly inspiration as I blend angora based rovings on my carder.

 Next month at the Designing and Hand Spinning Yarns From Your Stash Retreat we will all be finding ways to creatively blend fibers and I CAN'T WAIT to be a part of that energy. As the days lengthen, I find spinning becomes a perfect way to relax in the new evening daylight.

Posted by countrywool at 7:30 AM EDT

Updated: Monday, 9 March 2009 7:32 AM EDT

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COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND SPINNING RETREAT

October 10, 11 & 12, 2008
Cape Ann, Massachusetts

Learn to Spin, Spin Better,

Blend Angora With Wool, And Knit Mittens

We are heading off to the ocean in a few weeks to get our twice yearly water fix AND spend three lovely days LEARNING TO SPIN angora into soft spun bulky yarn to then knit easy mittens from.

This retreat is ALL about community. If you live nearby and would like to come to the OPEN EVENING SPIN & KNIT on Friday and Saturday from 7-9, you are MOST WELCOME!!!! 

Posted by countrywool at 8:32 AM EDT

Updated: Wednesday, 17 September 2008 8:36 AM EDT

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The summer is here and the spring bunnies have all found new homes. Now is the time I reorganize the breeding adults I keep.

I have made it a rule that only the few select that I need for the following year can winter here. This process has served me well over time, but occasionally the choices are very hard. This is one of those summers.

I need to let two move out, and they are all so spectacular, that this will hurt. If you have been waiting for an excellent adult doe or buck to use for breeding and fiber production, I can assure you that the choices this year are phenomenal.

First, those of you who know me, know that I rarely breed or keep white rabbits. I just like the natural colors better. That said, Merrill

has been the best keep-him choice I ever made. He is sweet tempered and has made many good babies here, while providing one of the best harvests a buck has had. (I am keeping one of his black sons) He is 1 year old, 70% German. You see him above with a 2 month coat. I routinely harvest a 5" staple at 4 months from him, and close to 12 ounces. I clip everyone to the skin on July 1 so they can weather the heat, so his coat will be a little short this time. 

 Melody is a wonderful doe.

 Here she is with a 2 month coat, after just weaning her last litter. She, too, will be clipped to the skin in 2 weeks for the summer. She is kind, a good mother, and a great fiber producer. She is 1 year old and 53% German. Her black coat is on the fine side for a German cross, but nontheless easy care and non matting. I am also keeping one of her daughters. 

Alas, I cannot ship them. I am located in Hudson, NY. If you would like more info on either of these rabbits, please e-mail me from the link at the top of this page.

Posted by countrywool at 6:54 AM EDT

Updated: Friday, 20 June 2008 7:01 AM EDT

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Spinning for socks...what could be more creative and satisfying? And tricky! We want our socks to wear a LONG time, and adding the right amount of twist and strength to our favorite wool/mohair/alpaca/llama/angora/dog fiber requires experimentation and the willingness to sample.

How strong should sock yarn be? How do we reinforce? Can we use natural reinforcing fibers or is nylon all there is (and it DOES work well...) How much twist is enough? Too much? How many plies work well? How many plies are too much?

All these questions and more will be answered this weekend at the Socks from Fleece To Foot Spinning Retreat, held at the Winterclove Inn on North Mountain in the Catskill Mountains of eastern NY State.

We will hand card, spin, ply, sample, sample, sample and then knit WEE SOCKS with our samples to find the PERFECT fiber/color/twist/ply combo:

Two spots left! Hope to see you there.

 The next spinning retreat is in October over Columbus Day weekend at  Long Beach in Rockport, Massachusetts. There we will handspin soft, soft yarns for mitten making, and we'll knit mittens on the last day!

Posted by countrywool at 8:58 AM EDT

Updated: Monday, 12 May 2008 9:01 AM EDT

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Spinning and knitting with angora in the winter is the most sublime pleasure. The winds are raging, but dressing in angora keeps one comfortable out in it all. These Easy Mittens (the free pattern is available here) suit every year, and I keep making them for new sets of cold hands that appear in my life. 

There is a spinning class this weekend here at Countrywool and we will blend angora with merino and cormo wools and then spin the yarn for a neckwarmer that will match the yarn in these mittens. Can't wait!

Posted by countrywool at 2:57 PM EST

Updated: Thursday, 31 January 2008 7:31 AM EST

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  The heat is still lingering this late August, and the last of the surplus  rabbits and bunnies were sold just this week. All in all, over 20 rabbits were born, raised and sent off. I have not had this amount of business in angoras in some time, and it is heartening to see the local folks gravitate to keeping these sweet things.

Along with breeding choices I have made in the stock I keep over the winter, I am slowing losing my torte color pattern genetics, which grieves me, so I am on the lookout for a torte mostly German buck. An older guy is fine, as long as he is still making babies. I made some choices for disposition this year which led me away from serious German lines, and back into my own. I am determined to keep the easy handling quality of the angoras I breed. So, I need some good genetics to breed into this next year. I also have a waiting list for torte angoras, that I was unfortunately, not able to fill this year.

 I have been working on my barns this summer, and have upgraded the cages here. To this end, there are now six 24"x 36" all wire 12 gauge cages for sale. They have seen some use, but are in good shape with 1/2" x 1" flooring, 1"x2" sides and escape proof one-hand door closures that swing out. Made by the now-gone-but-remembered Damars, they were $55 each brand new, and I will sell them for $25 each or all 6 for $120. They are assembled, and there can be no shipping. Send me an e-mail if you are interested.

Posted by countrywool at 7:37 AM EDT

Updated: Tuesday, 28 August 2007 7:39 AM EDT

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