Back From Rhinebeck

One of the most jam packed weekends I submit myself and my business to is vending at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY. Packing and unpacking makes this a 4 day affair, and by this afternoon at 4 pm Countrywool will be unpacked, organized and back to business as usual.

But the festival is full of knitting and spinning energy and inspiration as well as new angora rabbits. I truly love being there and getting a chance to catch up on seeing everyone (gossip) and new products/stuff/businesses. I always see lots of folks who have angoras that were born here, and I enjoy saying hi, and catching up on how they are all doing.

I don't normally buy rabbits at fairs but Angela at Fiberworks had great luck last year with a doe purchased from Twin Pond Farms in PA, so I went and got one there. Vanessa, (named by my daughter for Johnny Depp's significant other) has been happily munching hay here since Saturday. Pictures will come tomorrow.

There is no litter news as of yet. Perhaps when I feed everyone shortly there will be something to report. Stay tuned!

...while waiting for bunnies


...we made more new bunny plans. I really love to have bunnies born during the astrological sign of Scorpio. Some of my best rabbits have been Scorpios, and my best doe ever was born on Halloween. Last year we had dreadful luck during this time, but we will try again. Neo got clipped on Monday. Gretchen got clipped on Tuesday, and spent some time with Neo. These two have the silkiest coat textures and so I am very hopeful about their offspring.

Things did not go as clearly as I had wanted. Sometimes bucks do not do what they are "supposed to", and does appear less than willing. But, I have been surprised by litters when I was unsure if the match had been consummated. So, this was, yet again, an instance where I cannot say for sure that bunnies had been made, although there was ample opportunity for it to happen. And it may have. Hmmm.

So, I mark the calendar for 17 days from now to see if a nest is being made by the doe (generally a false pregnancy), and again for 32 days in hopeful prospect of a new litter.

This is the last breeding for 2004. I gave everyone in the barn the word that the bunnymaking shop is closed until March. This is an EXCELLENT time to treat aggressively for fur mites, and I have started already. As soon as Neo was back from his date, he got a dose of Ivermectin. Although his last clipping looked mite free, I will repeat this in 30 days, as he had a dreadful case of them this past summer and I want to be extra sure we get all the critters.

Nesting Activity!
Topic: Breeding
I try not to get too anxious about the timing of when the does who are bred start to nest. The exception to this rule is when they start a nest at 17-21 days, which is a sign of false pregnancy, although there have been exceptions. We passed that hurdle last weekend with no movement on their parts. So, I was prepared to fill their nest boxes with hay on this Monday up and coming, which will be 6 days before they are due.

Lo and behold, when I went out to the the barn this morning, Gretel greeted me with a mouthful of her hay ration from last night.

I am not heartless, and proceeded to fill her nest box early with fresh hay so she can start the pre-kindling activity that is so typical of does. The doe's energy needs an outlet, and frantic nest building is it for cage-bound rabbits.

I have constructed deep nesting drop boxes, 24" x 7" x 7", to allow for lots of hay digging, and also so the does can find the perfect spot to remake and rearrange hay to their heart's content.

Here is Gretel, nose deep in her nest. Making plans, I am sure!

Thickly Spun Angora Yarns
Topic: Spinning Retreats
Angora yarns that are extremely quick and fun to spin are not the longest lasting ones, or the ones with the most halo. But they are very dramatic and satisfying, I find.

Starting at the left, a MARLED yarn that is composed of one strand of angora (tortoiseshell, in this case) and one of natural brown wool. This kind of yarn is easy to make, and beginning spinners like it as there is a minimum of carding involved.

At the center is a HEATHER BLENDED yarn that uses the whiteness of angora (from a black rabbit!) as a stark contrast to a wool dyed Scarlet with Cushings Acid Dyes. The class kept some before-and-after samples to see how the wool color changed with the addition of angora. It is always amazing. Careful blending on handcards keeps the angora from being shredded while carding, one of the biggest problems folks have with blends.

At the right is BULKY ANGORA 2-PLY. This is the yarn I make for all the knitting kits I sell at Countrywool. This stuff knits up between 3-4 stitches to an inch and I can fill a 4 oz bobbin in 1/2 an hour. This fiber started off as roving carded on an electric Supercard.

Angora Yarns
Topic: Spinning Retreats
At the spinning retreat this past weekend,one of the yarns we made was the "standard" 2 and 3 ply fine angora.

Angora, because of its tiny micron, spins best/evenly at a lacy weight. At this stage it is easier for the spinner to get the fibers aligned, and will provide the maximum fluff, and wear. To make this kind of angora yarn thicker, many plies can be worked together.

This kind of yarn is real work for me, because I tend to fall asleep while making it. I much prefer to make thick and chunky yarns with angora IN them. They will be posted later this week.

But, it was a good exercise for all of us to make this yarn. It does require a very light take up on the wheel, and we had fun experimenting with getting Louets, which have a very strong bobbin lead draw, to behave. But, we whipped them into submission!

Scotch tension wheels have always been easier for me to adjust for varied yarn thicknesses/twists. I spin all my angora yarns on Ashford wheels, with the JOY and ELIZABETH 2 being my favorites. But Shelia tells me her double drive wheel Winsome Timbers "Patience" does all this.

Now, I need to visit Shelia and try it!

Lake George Angora Spinning Retreat
Topic: Spinning Retreats

Beautiful Lake George was stunning to gaze over all weekend while we were spinning away. We had a wonderful time, made new friends, and lots of angora yarn got sampled and made.

This was the first all-angora spinning retreat I taught. We experimented with 50% and 100% and 12% angora blends, along with 5 different colored wools, and made a pile of yarns. Tomorrow I will post pictures of what I brought home, and if any attendees will send me pictures of what they made, I will be glad to put them up here for all to see.

Right now I am delighted to hold the yarns in my hand. They simply radiate warmth. Just like the bunnies!

Silky Fiber

I spent yesterday carding angora for the retreat. When starting up the electric drumcarder, I generally put many coats of the same color together, taking a handful of each together to better mix the results. I was again amazed at the difference in texture I have here among my rabbits.

The chocolate German cross doe I started with 4 years ago had the silkiest coat. She was part French. When Leslie Samson saw it she remarked on its "satinized" sheen. Her offspring have predominantly exhibited the same texture, but others from other lines, even crossed into her , have not. I bred two of her kids (different fathers) together and THEY ALL had this coat.

My new goal is to keep that texture going. So, when I select rabbits for breeding, that will be one of my criteria.

Both Gretel and Liebchen have these coats (they are daughters of the wonderful Matilda) and one of Gretel's daughters that is earmarked for breeding this Fall, Gretchen, also has this texture. Neo, over in the buck barn, is Mr Silky himself. So, no surprise who is going to see who in a few weeks.

Getting Ready For The Angora Spinning Retreat

Greetings all! Two rabbits have been bred and now we sit and wait for bunnies to brew.

... but while that is happening I am busily packing angora and wool fibers for the Lake George Angora Spinning Retreatwhich happens next weekend. Three days of spinning angora and chatting by the lake. I am SO looking forward to this outing.

For this retreat, 5 rabbits have shared their coats with me and we will spend time working on making perfect spinning fiber blends and fine tuning our wheels to work with angora. I am bringing raw clipped angora fleeces as well as rovings created on the Supercard. Also in the line-up: rambouillet and merino wool tops and rovings, as well as superwash wool top, which makes a fluffy blend with angora.

I have had one last minute cancellation, so if any of you would like to join us, there is one opening. The Retreat class fee is $160, which includes all materials and a handbook, and the hotel has a single studio room left for $120/night (you'll need it for 2 nights for the retreat). Do e-mail me if you are interested so I can tell you how to get the low room rate and pack fibers for you.

Cleaning and Fall Breeding Plans
Topic: Breeding

Clean, clean clean....it's all I do right now. I've bleached and blasted every surface I can in the barns to get them into shape for the fall breeding season. After using the same space for almost 10 years, there are spots that needed it desperately! Yesterday was quite nice for barn work, and so I swept and cleaned even more.

All the cages have been outside in the sun for almost a week and I think on Monday I will move them back in. We are due for one more week of humid weather, and then a Canadian cold front is predicted to drop in, which will be nice for all of us.

I have been chatting with potential parent rabbits while I have been cleaning to see if I can pick up on their vibes. Gretel and Liebchen, who have been this route MANY times, are somewhat detached from any commitment, but Gretchen, who is new at this, seems delighted with the potential activity. As does Zwart, who had a few opportunities last spring but wasn't too eager for some of them. Neo is always ready, but he is on hold while I get his fur mites under control, and will be out of the breeding game until later in the Fall when the Ivermectin now in his system wears off.

The first breeding will probably be in 2 weeks, and I suspect I will try Liebchen, Gretel and Zwart. Two weeks later, Gretchen and Zwart. Breeding in the Fall is somewhat dependent on the viability of the buck's sperm, and if he has been affected by the heat of the summer, it can take 6 weeks for him to be fertile again. This first go-round will probably be too soon, but we'll give it a try.

Wool Mites
Topic: Wool Mites

Diana sent some questions about wool mites, and I thought it a good idea to answer them here. All are situations I can identify with!

Are the signs for wool mites conclusive? (e.g. dandruff, wool matting? Other?) Yes, yes and yes! How about this one; eyes tearing. I have one rabbit whose eyes will tear and crust slightly when (untreated and unchecked and multiplying) fur mites end up near her face. The "normal" cycle generally runs like this; a rabbit will have a free flowing coat with two small mats near her ears and a tail area that seems compacted. This rabbit is about to be invaded with many fur mite colonies. Treat this bunny with Ivermectin now and again in 2 weeks. If her quarters are sterilized at this time, and again in 2 weeks, then you may be symptom free for a good long while (6 months). As I have written, and will repeat here, Ivermectin is a pesticide and its misuse/overuse MAY alter genetic information in any creature it is used on, so don't treat your breeding stock for 60 days prior to breeding, which means you WILL have fur mites in your rabbitry from time to time if you are breeding your bunnies.

This brings me to the story of Neo. I used him a lot this past winter and spring as stud, and as a result, could not keep up with the fur mite colonies that moved in. The wet and warm summer gave them license to thrive, and the matting of his coat has been a nightmare. I have had to clip off his last 2 coats and just toss them, but he is one of those rabbits who mats to the skin, and I hesitate to clip too close until the Ivermectin wipes out the colonies under the mats, which takes a week or two of growth after treatment to happen. We are, just now, after 3 Ivermectin treatments, getting to the point where some of his coat may be salvageable for the October clipping.

Do some rabbit lines tend to mat, and is this a factor with wool mites, also? Yes, some rabbit lines tend to mat. And some rabbits tend to get fur mites more easily than others. The finer the undercoat, the more this happens. I dealt with the matting issue by moving to German crossbred angoras exclusively, as they tend to NOT mat no matter what. I deal with the fur mite victims by treating them every 1-2 months WITHOUT FAIL in order to get a nice coat. Mites are not easy to keep at bay without Ivermectin here in my barns. I have tried lots of other things, and they all work to some degree, but that pesticide, if given at the right times, works no matter what.

So, how about fiber that is infested with wool mites? It is weaker than prime wool, for sure, so do everyone a favor by recognizing that and marking it as second quality if you intend to sell it. The critters will eventually die, but sooner is better than later, so sprinkle flea powder containing CARBARYL into a bag of harvested wool and leave it for a few days. Shake out the excess and you should have "de-mited" fiber.

My advice if you are testing your herd for the matting/fur mite tendency before deciding to breed them as is or add new blood in...Give up on breeding for 6 months and treat them through 2 coat harvests. Treat with Ivermectin at month 1, 2, 3 (first coat off), and again month 5. Then see what coats you get with the second harvest. The whole treatment regimen was fully discussed in a few older BareHare posts:Ivermectin and
Fur Mites and Shearing