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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New bunnies for Sydney and Klaus! 5 wee ones were born yesterday morning. This was Sydney last Fall, not at all happy to have her picture snapped, but it gives you an idea what a great chocolate color she is. I love the color yarn her fiber makes. Her bunnies are just 1 day old, and colors are not clear yet, but it looks like there are 2 chocolates in her nest. I'll know better on Monday when I will take a good look.

Summer feels like it is here, and I have been spending more and more time sitting outside on my deck. Last night I dragged my wheel outside and spun through 4 ounces of angora. That felt SO good, I plan to make it a nightly event.

Posted by countrywool at 8:13 AM EDT

Updated: Thursday, 24 May 2007 8:14 AM EDT

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Lo and behold, the wondrous Merry Martin

produced 2 lovely wee ones last week. Both seem black on day 4, but with her unique color, I will wait to see how the color comes in as their coats grow. 

Merry had a disasterous experience with her first litter last spring due to cold. This year, she had another adventure. Two days before she kindled, she got loose and spent the day in the woods near the barns. Penny and I tracked her down and got her safely home, but I feared for her bunnies with all that commotion. I was sure she had more kits, but we are grateful for the two healthy and vigorous ones she has now, as well as her cheery self!

 Will report what genders they are in a couple of weeks.  

In the meantime, Sydney failed to conceive this go-round, so she will be rebred today, along with Gretchen.

Posted by countrywool at 7:22 AM EDT

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I spent yesterday pondering my business schedule, my times away from the barns and the list of folks who want bunnies this year. I have settled on a breeding schedule...the first and second weeks of March. That said, snowstorms can interfere. 

Rabbits are seriously moody critters, and if a doe decides the weather is not right, she will refuse a breeding. Then, all bets are off for the timing of the litters. I will breed two the same day both times, to have a backup nest available if something interferes with a normal litter size. That way, the kits are given the best odds.

So now to juggle the final winter clip-off for the girls. I am planning to breed 4 does so there should be lots of wee ones around here by the end of April. If you are at all interested, please know I have a waiting list for bunnies and you can send me an e-mail to get on it from countrywool's homepage.

Posted by countrywool at 7:15 AM EST

Updated: Thursday, 8 February 2007 1:47 PM EST

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Cathy sent me a note to see if all is well. All is well! I have not been posting due to some complicated geriatric family situations. Sometimes there isn't time to do it all. 

When I sheared Sydney in December I promised some chocolate pictures of her for the new UARC website, and I took them but haven't sent them to Angie yet.

The sun was too bright for a good picture, but I only had 15 minutes to spend, and so this is what I got. I then tried to get her less-than-brown eye:

So how about an old picture?

 She is sheared to the skin now, so we'll try again in April for a better picture. 

This warm weather has been a blessing and a curse for the rabbits. They are all hot-to-trot and I have been hard pressed to keep everyone calm, BUT, their water does not freeze, and so they are in really, really good condition this January for a change.

 I have been continuing a massive angora spinning project. I hope to get all my extra angora spun by the summer and on the shelves at Countrywool.

Posted by countrywool at 3:30 PM EST

Updated: Wednesday, 10 January 2007 3:32 PM EST

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I've cleaned off all fibers-in-process on my drumcarder and wheels to get to the angora on the left, but have come up with a neat game plan for the shop. I am spinning skein sizes with projects in mind, and will sell them with a pattern. 

Starting at the left: 

• 100% angora for mittens 
• (Cotton Candy pink angora for my second cousin's Christmas mittens ...doesn't count)
• Cormo wool and angora for Pointless Gloves
• Romney wool and angora for Handspun Countrywool Socks
  

Back to the drum carder. I just heard that my regular Tuesday Knit Night buddies will be coming to me this week, so I can keep going! 

Posted by countrywool at 2:10 PM EST

Updated: Tuesday, 31 October 2006 2:10 PM EST

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The wind has been a blowin' lately in Columbia County, and I am truly cold.  I sink my hands into the rabbits' coats in the barn and am instantly warmed. To that end, I am spending a lot of time at my drum carder these days turning this:

to this:

and then at both my Norm Hall AND Ashford Elizabeth II wheels making this:

I am on a mission to create enough handspun angora to restock the handspun yarn shelf in the shop. 

I have roughly 10 pounds of angora to spin through. Will post pictures as I go. Watch this space!

Posted by countrywool at 7:38 AM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 29 October 2006 7:40 AM EDT

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Yesterday I spent an few hours whipping things into shape for easier Fall feeding, and started to give the barn the once-over for winter. I am down to few enough rabbits to have them all together for frigid weather, for this has been my goal the last 2 winters. With my time away teaching, this makes feeding the rabbits very simple for my helpers. I now have the luxury of dedicating a barn and nursery cages to JUST that: being a nursery. Next spring I will be able to house 4 pregnant does so they can leisurely kindle their litters in good environments out of the weather. 

I also brought in and stacked my hay for the winter. I just LOVE good smelling hay as the whole place takes on a homier feel. 

As no grooming chores were looming, I took some time to move rabbit positions in the barn, scrub & reanchor cages to the wall, and give everyone clean bowls as well as new water bottles. The pace looks great!

 I also started my winter feeding routine, and am adding a twist this year. I add 1 teaspoon flax seed to everyone's bowls in late afternoon to increase fat content and add fiber to their diet. Feeding this by itself when they are hungry is insurance that they get it. This year I will feed 1 Tablespoon Doc's Rabbit Enhancer as well. So my late afternoon visit will be especially welcome!

Posted by countrywool at 7:46 AM EDT

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