For all you Canadians out there...

Just showing off a little

I attended the Lehigh Valley Rabbit Breeders (LVR&CBA) show in Hamburg PA this past Saturday. We had about 12 inches of snow the day before so I wasn't real keen on taking a whole slew of rabbits, but Thriantas are so easy so I took 2 bucks and a doe. It was a double show and the same doe, CCR's Greitje, took BOB both shows! Even better, she took
RESERVE IN SHOW in Show B! Judge Paul Kyle awarded her the BOB and Judge John Soper awarded her the RIS. Judge RuthAnn Bell awarded her BOB in show A. There were between 1200 and 1500 entries and the show was sanctioned with the ATRBA. Yah!

Not to be outdone back at home, CCR's Nefrure a Red Satin Angora Sr Doe wanted to show that Thriantas aren't the only fireballs around here. Gotta love RED.

Alpaca judging step 2

So today I'm presenting the next stage of my process but the first stage of the actual judging. I do find this step to be a bit tedious but it's so very important! The Handcrafter's Spin Off is intended to represent sending your best alpaca fiber to handspinners for a premium price. Imagine that I, as a handspinner, has requested a 2 ounce sample of your alpaca. I am looking for a source for alpaca fiber and I know that I'll pay premium price for the best. How will the breeder/shepherd respond to my request? Will they grab the first handful or two on the top of whatever bag of fleece and jam it into a bag? Or will they skirt out the finest fiber from the better fleeces, prepare it carefully and present it to me like the premier fiber it is reported to be? This first part of the scoring is all about that presentation and quality. The way this contest is judged, a fiber seller could well use the scores to advertise to spinners the quality of their services and product. I know of one breeder who scored exceptionally well and sold the judged fleece for over $500!!! directly because of the scorecard. You can easily imagine the effect on the stud's breeding schedule.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, I have not chosen the photos because of their quality. I'm simply showing a random example. I've also blanked out entry numbers for the sake of privacy.

The first Judging criteria is First Impression. I look at the packaged sample before ever touching it. Is it presented well? Was time and care taken in selecting and preparing the sample? Is the fiber in good condition; not dirty, matted or messy? Can I easily sort the fiber for spinning? This is one step that can make or break a contest. ALL fiber can be presented well or poorly and that is the FIRST impression you make to your buyer! Mediocre fiber will sell for more if it is presented well and outstanding fiber will sell for less if you look like you couldn't care less how you treat your customer. There is simply no excuse for jamming a random sample in a bag and expecting people to pay top dollar.

An important observation at this point is looking for parasites. If ANY infestation is found, the sample is placed in the freezer for a few days. If I suspect the infestation is active and poses any threat to my own home and fiber stash, I remove that sample from my home and double bag it. You send any spinner a sample with parasites in it and you won't only lose their business, they will make sure that all their friends know not to buy from you! Spinners will not sacrifice or risk their own precious fiber collection no matter how good your alpaca is.

Every sample is weighed. Was the correct amount of fiber sent? If you sent less, did you overcharge me? If more, did you charge me for more than I asked?

Points are also given for staple length with a minimum of 3 inches required. 5-7 locks are chosen from all over the sample. There are no extra points for a particular length of staple, but are the lengths CONSISTENT? It's rare to find all staples exactly the same but they should be very, very close. Points are deducted based on percentage of difference. a 1 inch difference between 3 and 4 inches is much more severe than between 11 and 12 inches. A very important evaluation is for fiber that is sound and has no tender breaks or weak tips. Either of these things can ruin an entire fleece by creating noils and pills in the resulting yarn.

Cleanliness is also very important and allocated 10 points. Now, washing the fiber is absolutely prohibited but there are things a fiber provider can do to minimize dirt. Separating, blowing, stroking and picking out short cuts is all expected. If this is done then the only dirt left will be some dust within the staple structure itself. How do you reduce that? Do not use overhead feeders to keep hay and chaff (this is VM = Vegetative Matter) out of the fleece. Keep pastures green and clean of bushes and trees that shed seed pods. Use hay that does not include seed heads!!!! Keep animals out of pastures that include mud and clay if at all possible. I have actually seen fleeces where the tips were clogged with what appears to be TAR. Whatever?!

Cleanliness is important because ideally, alpaca should be able to be spun without washing first. That will be more clear as I show you the next step of the judging in a few days.

Another criteria is Lack of second cuts. Second cuts happen when the blade goes back over the same area more than once. I have noticed that as the popularity of using Fiscar shears to do the shearing themselves, the incidence of severe second cuts has increased dramatically. The worst of these is mid staple cuts. Let's say you have fiber with a 5 inch staple. If you cut it down the middle, you know have 2 staples of 2.5 inches and that is 100% wasted fiber. At best you have very inconsistent staple length which no spinner wants.

Next is judging the fiber itself. Lack of medullated fibers, lock structure, Uniformity, Fineness, Hand, Luster. These are all traits that have everything to do with the genetics of the animal and less to do with husbandry.

Some specific notes:

Lack of medulatted fiber - these are the especially coarse fibers usually in the center of the lock of fiber. These fiber tend to stick out of the yarn like barbs on a wire fence.

Lock structure - Fleeces that are more dense will tend to keep staples distinct and separate. Locks that are open and loose will be prone to cotting and matting at the base near the skin. This cotting makes the fiber miserable for a spinner to process. On the other hand, a lock that is very tightly twisted together is also very difficult to open up without breaking the strands and creating noils and pills in the yarn.

Uniformity - this includes Lock and Fiber style, color, texture, crimp (huacaya only) and color. If a sample has much variety in any of these features it will diminish the quality of the resulting yarn.

Fineness - slightly obvious. Finer fiber is generally softer.

Hand - even fine fiber can be dry, brittle and fragile. Alpaca should be very soft and Suri should be distinctly silky. Healthy fiber should feel robust and stable.

Luster - I choose to break this scoring into two parts, one before spinning and one after the yarn is complete and washed. The presence of dust (alpacas are dust bathers) can hide the luster that is still present. The luster on the animal is important but the end result is even more important. I try very hard to balance that.

So now I check that all the information is correct, that the cards are filled out and legible.

I add a tag to the package because that is how I identify the skein after it's spun. Incidentally, I learned something about the pens I use. I was just looking for a pen that was resistant to running and bleeding if it gets wet. What I found was that this particular pen is designed to be resistant to solvents. According to the packaging, a current method of fraud is 'washing' checks to remove the written dollar amount and fill in a fraudulent amount. Wow, and I thought that just using ink was enough. Apparently not.

If there was something particularly notable about a sample, such as the presence of kemp fiber, mid-staple cuts, infestation, tender breaks...I will attach a sample and perhaps a brief explanation to the back of the score card. I go on the assumption that the breeder wants to learn about their fiber and would welcome an explanation. I also sometimes will include positive info on the back especially if it's unrelated to the judging. Perhaps something amusing about the sample (certain lock types give me the giggles they are so cute) or a color that really strikes me aesthetically. It's not taken into account in the scoring, but it might mean something to the breeder.

Now the sample locks and tag are placed in the marked small baggie and set aside with the corresponding score card in a small bin for that class. I process ALL the breed (Suri or Huacaya) samples before moving onto the next step of judging. This gives me the chance to forget any prejudices I might have about one sample or another. Trust me; after this process on 100 samples, I do NOT remember that one really awesome fawn sample. I'm lucky to remember my NAME.

So today, onto the next step of the process; combing and spinning the samples into a yarn. Until next time....

That's just funny right there....

Judging Alpaca

Here I am starting another judging assignment for the AOBA. I judge the Handcrafter's Spin Off contest for the national and a couple of state Alpaca shows and I just LOVE this job. I find this to be absolutely one of the best contests to evaluate the quality and marketing of luxury fiber to handspinners. The way this contest is structured a handspinner could really use the results to choose a great fleece to purchase and a great SHEPHERD to work with.
I'm going to try to post periodic updates about the judging process and what goes into this awesome job of mine. Now, I have to be totally honest here; much of this will probably be about my own neurotic ways and opinions, both of which I have in excess. :)
OK, the first step: Receiving the samples.
This is the first step for ME, but by no means the first step in the process. Before the samples arrive at my doorstep, they are received and processed by the supervisor of this particular contest. She receives the sample from the exhibitor, she checks the information for accuracy and completeness. The exhibitor lists the age of the animal in years and months, they list the number of months the sample fiber has been growing and the date of the last shearing. The color classification is checked against the AOBA show standard and they will attempt to eliminate any really flagrant disqualifications such as infestation. The supervisor will then remove ALL identifying material from the sample so that I - the judge - has no way of knowing who sent in the entry. Entry numbers are assigned, and judging forms are filled out and included in the sample entry bag. Then the entries are sorted into classes, packed into boxes and mailed to me.
Now the Postal Lady delivers them to Me!!!
And here is my first obsession. I have very specific tools I need and I have to have just the right stuff.
*Scale to weigh every sample in ounces (2 oz is the requirement)
*Pencil to record ongoing scores on the judging sheet - I have ONE style of mechanical pencil I'll use. The yellow Bic pencil with the cone that turns. I don't like the clicker style. I tore the house apart before I found ONE pencil to my satisfaction and then it was nearly empty. That required a trip to WalMart.
*felt marker to mark plastic bags
*Paper labels and stapler to re-label bags to my satisfaction
*Highlighter and red pen to remind me of things I need to remember about my scoring.
*Coffee - that doesn't really need explanation does it?
*Bins for sorting classes
*Detail judging score outlines. I literally assign specific score numbers to various traits. This is the best way I know to judge OBJECTIVELY when appropriate.
*Clear ruler to measure staple length of every sample entry.

Now, do I sound like I want things to be 'just so'? That would be correct, so what do I see when I open the boxes?

Now, mind you, the show super already did a great job of organizing and sorting these classes, but..... some are in grocery bags, some in white plastic trash type bags, some of the grocery bags are {GASP} not white! Oh! the humanity!!!

So the first thing that *I* do is re-sort and re-organize. I use white grocery bags, I relabel them with the class number and the number of entries in that class. This helps me to organize my time and keep track of what is supposed to be in that bag.

The advantage is that when I put all these bags back into boxes I can easily see what is what just by looking at the top of the box.

This also gives me the opportunity to eyeball all the entries to do a quick once over and look for infestations. I'm sorry, but it does happen. I have lost some valuable fleeces of my own from taking in fiber samples that didn't 'blossom' their cargo until a week or two later. I have also learned not to leave samples sitting around with the ziplok bags unsealed. If a bag zipper breaks, it gets a new bag. Wanna know the most sturdy brand of sealed plastic bags? just ask!

And this is what I end up with. Orderly, easy to work with, easy on the eyes and ready for the next step. Up to now, NO actual evaluation of the samples has taken place. This has been all about me and making my job easier. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CITH!!!

It's the Cat In The Hat's 50th Birthday!

This is really big stuff. The Cat was created 50 years ago on a dare in an effort to bring life and fun to learning to read. Books of the time were just so dry and "un-fun" and reading was at an all time low among young children. Thanks to Dr Seuss (aka Theodor Seuss Geisel) many children found a whole new reason not only learn to read, but to learn to read with enthusiasm. He introduced creativity, suspense, chaos, cadence and imagination to generations of children through his amazing characters and antics.

Now you can say THANK YOU and introduce the gift of reading to underprivileged children through the Cat In The Hat. Visit the birthday website HERE and send a FREE birthday card to Mr. Cat. For every e-card sent, Random House Children's Books will donate one book to First Book (up to 1,000,000 books) of any Seuss Random House Children's Book purchased between January 9, 2007 and May 1, 2007. So go send a free card to the Cat and a book and the gift of reading to a child.

Happy Birthday Mr Cat!!!!

Roasted with thyme please...

{sigh} here I am dining on crow....AGAIN.
So I went to a nice rabbit show this weekend in York PA. Good show! Good judges, lots of nice people and a dear friend won BIS with a really GORGEOUS black New Zealand. Not a variety/breed known for such high quality so that was a real accomplishment! Big Congrats Fred!
Things were going just fine and I was having a nice visit with other friends Eric and Michael. They had their dogs with them. First I saw the darling Papillon running around and I just love those guys. They are one of those breeds that don't realize that they are only 18 inches tall. Then out runs Eric's two prize dogs and I exclaimed "Oh, I just LOVE min-pins!" (which I thought I did) A-hem.... they are Manchesters. Lesson #1 in offending your friends down to the heart: Mistake their high quality show dogs for the WRONG BREED. Works every time. I was MORTIFIED! It's ok, I'm accustomed to humiliation as I have a long-standing relationship with it based on familiarity. ugh.
OK, so my new favorite is MANCHESTER TERRIERS! Honestly, they really do have exactly the look I thought I loved about the min-pins and Eric's were fine examples. Very nice dogs.
So if you'll excuse me, I need some whine (sic) to wash down that crow. :)
Oh, I'm not reporting any show wins because I didn't take so much as the first rabbit along with me. Yeah. Imagine that. I went to a rabbit show just to visit, write for judges and study breeds. I really did have a good time!

Make it? Noooooooooooooooooo!!!!

A personal challenge

But when a long train of abuses and usurpation, pursuing invariably the same
Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their
right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards
for their future security.

...Declaration of Independence

Imagine there's no countries.. It isn't hard to do.. Nothing to kill or die
for. And no religion too.. Imagine all the people.. Living life in
peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer.. But I'm not the only one.. I hope someday you'll
join us.. And the world will be as one

....John Lennon

I had cause this weekend to hear both these texts, completely unrelated, but in close enough proximity to get me to thinking. Both texts were overlaying thoughts that I had about this book

The premise of this philosophy is that we create, through our own beliefs, actions, thoughts and personal energy the life we live. WE can change the direction of our lives by owning and accepting the responsibility for those same energies. It's what every religion has ever taught. Faith. Belief. Prayer. Possitive action. Non resistant protest.

The first quote says to me that "when any authority over us imposes abuses upon people, it is not only the right, but the RESPONSIBILITY of those who are able, to take action".

The second quote tells me that reaching for PEACE is an assertive and goal oriented action. Imagine...IMAGINE. What is it to imagine, if not actively creating a reality?

Our country is currently telling us we are in a war against terrorism. I assert to you that if we accept that we must war against them, then they have already won. They have already dictated what our action will be? Really?

Does this mean that I am anti war? yes. Am I anti Military service, anti service in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia... absolutely not. I support our troops more than ever but I choose to pray that they will protect, liberate and open doors of opportunity for the civilians in those areas that they don't even realize are possibilities in their cultures of oppression.

Where will we as a people direct the energy of our actions, beliefs and PRAYERS? Toward fighting, or toward working for PEACE. I will not FEAR - I will practice bravery. I will not HATE - I will practice unconditional love. I will not COMPETE - I will lift up others that I will also rise to their new level. I will not just FORGIVE - I will thank others FOR GIVING me that experience.

What will you do?

Fibery stuff

Remember when I used to post about knitting and spinning and stuff? Yeah, those were the good old days. LOL

Ok, well back a couple of weeks ago I introduced you to a new project of mine, the Sheep Sweater. You might remember that I had a rather unfortunate event with my beloved bunny sweater that involved winged vermin of a nasty variety. Well the sheep sweater is finished and the bunny sweater is all better again and I'm here to introduce you. :)

First, to put Judy's mind to rest, here is the repaired Bunny Sweater. For those who aren't so familiar with this one, the dark is cria (baby) huacaya alpaca and each of the colored stripes is from a special rabbit or alpaca I've owned or worked with. My very first 2 Satin angoras are represented there along with my red SA herd-buck Zahir on the collar. It certainly is a sweater worth repairing to me.

This is the back where the majority of damage was done. I think the re-weaving looks pretty darned good. I couldn't use the exact yarn so there is some color difference but with all that fluff.. Now the alpaca parts match better because I actually did find some leftover yarn. How's that for luck? I have to thank one reader for the excellent idea to full the sweater. I didn't' have to resort to cutting the sweater apart but fulling the entire thing really stabilized it and I think, made it a better sweater. Had I done that in the beginning, it might not have ended up so lonnnnnnnnngggggg. :)

And now the new sweater which I have dubbed the Sheepy Sweater:

I just love this thing. You might notice the different shades of natural white and if you could really see up close you'd see that the textures are quite different too. This was knitted using skeins of yarn spun at demos over the past years. Who knows what breeds of sheep those came from or where or when. Do I care? Not one whit. There is history in that sweater and I love that. I had planned to put more bunny designs and more angora in the yoke but as it progressed, it just didn't' seem right somehow. I really like the bands of color as they are.

Now, that is certainly not to say I didn't include angora. HA! not likely. How is that for an outrageous collar? That is 2 strands of FA yarn held together and just knitted garter stitch. Absolutely NOTHING was done to bring out that fluff either. That is the simple and decadent beauty of French Angora. That particular fiber came from a fantastic doe named Kaboom bred by Nancy Nickols. I never cared for the name 'Kaboom' and renamed her Morghanna...but ya know, the term "Ka-Boom!" sure fits that fiber doesn't it? :)

This is my own charted design though I borrowed the idea from a great sweater I saw at Farm Show. The design is supposed to represent a road next to a fence and the sheep standing behind the fence. Above the sheep is a row of texture work that represents fluffy clouds. OK, so it's stylized, I'm ok with that. The sheep design goes all the way around the back of the sweater and to the other side. I used an angora/alpaca blend handspun for the cuffs to they are soft, soft, soft. I hate scratchy cuffs. {shudder}
So that's my fibery exploits the past couple of weeks. I've also been knitting up some smaller stuff like barn caps and fingerless mitts just to use up more of this demo yarn but they really don't merit photos. They are warm and functional, but not so pretty.
Tomorrow, Photos from the Wool, Skein and Garment contest at the PAngora rabbit show last weekend.

PaSRBA Convention Report

OK, so I've been pretty absent recently, and you all wondered why, right? Most of my local friends know that from December till February I'm so busy I meet myself coming and going. Christmas in December and Farm Show in January. This year was no different. The final jewel to my yearly Triple Crown is the PaSRBA Rabbit Convention the first weekend of February. What a fantastic weekend it was!

The PA Rabbit Breeder's Convention is a HUGE show employing 31+ judges from all over the country to judge over 6 THOUSAND rabbits and 300+ Cavies per DAY in a huge facility encompassing 2 large exhibit halls and 2 smaller exhibit halls plus the kitchen and center hall. The photo at left is a look down the 28 judging tables of the main hall.

I served as Show Superintendant for the Wool Breed showroom. I can say un-equivically that I had NO idea how much decision making, organization, diplomacy and standing firm there was to the job. I have a whole new respect for any person who volunteers for this important position. My first challenge was to arrange the room to make it more functional for the 500+ wool breed entries expected. Now, in the all breed room this means enough space for carriers and people and maybe a few chairs for people who can't stand 8 hours at a time. In the wool room, this means carriers of rabbits, people, grooming tables, blowers, electrical outlets for those blowers, chairs for all the exhibitors and room for tack boxes and grooming equipment. These things are not accessories to wool breed exhibitors; they are essentials. Of course in the wool room I only had 4 judges and 500 or so rabbits and no vendors as opposed to 6000 rabbits, 28 judges and vendors. Brian Bell has my awe as well as my respect!

Once the room was set up and breeders started coming in, most of the work was done, right? Not even close! There were the 100+ entries of Lionhead rabbits to account for. As a non-recognized breed one doesn't expect such high numbers but there they were and they were certainly welcome. The challenge for the LHs wasn't just the numbers but the fact that the vast majority of LH owners have no ARBA show experience. We want to make these folks welcome and that includes introducing them to everything we do from what sort of carriers are appropriate to where and how to set up their areas to how to write for the judges. Saturday was a bit hectic but they caught on quickly and Sunday was much more efficient. Thanks to Tori Whitehause for her tremendous help on Saturday teaching writters. Thank you to everyone for welcoming these new friends to our ARBA family. I'm really sorry I didn't get photos of some of those winning rabbits. Very pretty!

The decisions and organizing judges, rabbits, equipment, problem issues, unexpected challenges never ends. Are the judges moving along on time? Do the judges have realistic entry numbers to judge? Do we have writters for each of the judges? Are the exhibitors getting to their classes on time? Is this a DQ? Is this one fixable? Where are the youth cards and folders!?! Holy cow, what a job. The General Show Super Brian Bell said it best; "It's fun, but it's a sick sort of fun." oh yeah. At one point, I was trying to show my SA's, super'ing the show AND teaching a new person to write for the judge. I joked with Judge Paul Jourgelonis that if I had my judging license he would be completely superfluous. LOL

The quality of the wool breed rabbits in general was AMAZING! For those who may not know, the ARBA wool breeds include the 4 Angora breeds; English, French, Giant and Satin. American Fuzzy Lops, Jersey Wooley and our guest breed the LionHeads. Not only were the Open shows in our room but the Youth wool breeds showed with us also. I always encourage the youth to show alongside the Open folks because I find both bring out the best in the other. To demonstrate the outstanding quality of our youth wool breeds, Saturday's Youth Best In Show was an English Angora and Sunday's Youth BIS was a Fuzzy Lop! Go wool!!!! Now, who out there said wool breeds are too much for youth to handle? HA!!! Go YOUTH wool! (I just wish I had photos of those rabbits)

In addition to serving as wool room Super, I also had to oversee the Thrianta Specialty Show on Saturday and the PAngora Specialty on Sunday. Now, don't get too impressed yet. I may be pres of those two clubs but the vast bulk of the show work falls on the efficient shoulders of the club secretary Ellen Anderson. Wowza what a job she did with that AND managing the housing coops for the entire show. I don't know how she does it, but I KNOW she does a better job than I every could. Now for some photos of some amazing rabbits from those shows.

Congratulations to Meg Whitehouse for winning Best of Breed and BEST IN SHOW at our first D9 Konijn Von Thrianta Specialty show with her Sr Buck CCR's Wiska (WI)

Thanks also to Gary Michaud for an excellent job judging and teaching us about our delightful little redheads. The second photo was taken of the senior doe lineup (12 entries in that class alone!!!!) There were around 25 entries for each show. That's FANTASTIC for this new and rare breed! A-hem...we just happened to have more entries than the mini satins. I'm just saying... ;)

Now for the PAngora Specialty Show. There were wonderful entries and winners in all of the angora shows. That included the Open Show Saturday, the UARC Specialty Show on Saturday (Dru Shephard won BIS with a REW EA that had every spinner's hands just ITCHING) and the Open show on Sunday. But it was the BOB winners that judge Eric Stewart raved about on Sunday at the PAngora Show that I want to share with you. Now, let me say a special thank you to our judge Cathy Patrick who judge the individual breeds and did a WONDERFUL job. Eric stepped in to judge BIS and Wooler class after Cathy spent a very long day with a TON of rabbits to handle. Thanks Eric. He didn't look unhappy to judge these guys BTW. :)

OK, I was trying to get a better photo of the Sable FA and the EA but I got Eric's hindquarter instead. We decided to name him BIS hindquarter. hehehehehehhe Eric was totally impressed by all the BOB winners and actually stepped aside to suggest that anyone with a camera take photos of these outstanding examples of their breeds. I LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. the Satin Angora. Kathy has done a wonderful job with that rabbits breeding and care. But I have to profess a serious lust for that Sable French Angora bred and owned by Amy Spang. The color is gorgous and the coat is MAGNIFICENT. The texture and density are to die for.

And the winner is....

Best of Breed / BEST IN SHOW

Satin Angora Colored Sr Doe

Bred and Owned by Kathy Kenworthy of PA

Judged by Cathy Patrick D8 District Director and Eric Stewart D9 District Director

Ups and Downs...and damn m*ths

Disclaimer... Judy, SIT DOWN! Look at the sweet sheepy face and breath deeply.







Those of you who know me well have seen my beloved 'Barn Jacket' sweater handknit from handspun alpaca cria and numerous bands of angora (rabbit) yarn. The angora used in the sweater is all from original animals I have owned, bred and loved so it really is a special keepsake sweater to me. Well, it wasn't quite as 'precious' to the damn m*ths this last year.


Take a deep breath and sit down before veiwing the next photos.























Mind you, I have already fixed the worst of the holes in the back left shoulder. It's not pretty. Lesson learned: WASH every sweater every couple of months unless it's packed in a 100% airtight container. Lesson #2 - store your most valuable sweaters in the freezer no matter how clean. {SIGH}

So this is what I did to make myself feel better:

It's another barn sweater. I decided to use all that less than ideal yarns that I've spun at demo's and Farm Shows over the years to make myself a nice strong sweater. I love the goofy sheep all in a row at the fence. You know there will also be bunnies but they will be farther up.
Right now I'm working on a 'Gansey style' texture band that will carry me up to the arm scye and then I'll start on the sleeves.

If anyone wants to check out the Sheep To Shawl blog where the photos are, you can go here: http://www.pasheeptoshawl.blogspot.com/ There are some great pictures in the collection.

Take action NOW

Every pet owner in the United States should be taking note of this offensive and intrusive legislation in Louisville KY. Think this can't happen to you? Check out your own locality for legislation approaching and fast.
WRITE AND CALL the Mayor's office in Louisville. WRITE AND CALL your ARBA, AKC or other species organization and demand the attention of it's Officers. WRITE AND CALL your local legislators and let them know that you will not tolerate such imposition in your area.

To the Officers and Directors of ARBA:
While it is reassuring to know that those coming to Louisville for Convention will not necessarily be affected directly, this ordinance will still apply to those breeders and pet owners (both of whom you represent if they are members of ARBA) who are in that area--and they, no matter how few, deserve the full support of ARBA as much as any other member or area.
In Ashland, Oregon, a single person who is an ardent activist has managed to get nearly the entire city council to consider a downright draconian animal control ordinance, including barring the use of crates for cats or dogs.This measure would be enforced by volunteers. Can you imagine the average PETA member's response to a rabbitry setup, or, heaven forbid, carry cages?
The stated intent is to use the passage of this legislation as a stepping stone, a precedent, to expansion. The Louisville ordinance is very likely to be used as a template for other areas of the country--and if we are to fight this type of restriction, we MUST fight now, and not let it become any further entrenched than it is. As a result of the attention paid to theLouisville ordinance, there is also now growing concern about similar efforts in New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, as well as Oregon. If you read further in depth, you will find the following issues within the Louisville ordinance, as listed below.
The ordinance as currently written:http://www.louisville-pets.com/Chapter91Ordinance_outofcommittee.pdf

• Makes rabbit show vendors of rabbits 'animal dealers' by definition;
• Defines all rabbit scratches and bites as 'attacks';
• Defines rabbits solely as 'domestic pets';
• By omission, prevents definition of rabbits as 'livestock';
• Places a pet limit of four ALTERED pets kept primarily for companionship;
• Defines 'occasional sale' as ONE animal OR ONE litter in a 12-month period;
• (Those selling more than this are defined as ANIMAL DEALERS)
• Defines any breeding and sales with any intent of profit as 'Pet Shop';
• Requires licensure for Pet Shops, Animal Dealers
• Requires all advertisements to carry the license number of the seller if seller requires a license;
• Upon conviction of a second violation (for impoundment? Not clear), the person may not own animals for two years;
• Upon impoundment, pre-emptive fees are charged for care and anticipated veterinary expenses, for all animals, in full, in advance--every 30 days until either the animals are signed over to the animal department or until the judicial system has determined guilt or innocence;
• ANY animal which has bitten or scratched a human being shall bequarantined for ten days, and failure to do so is a violation;
• in addition, ALL quarantined animals must be implanted with a microchip;
• Defines 'abandonment' as leaving any animal for more than 24 hours without care or oversight by a caretaker or owner;
• Sales or transfers may not take place anywhere but at your home or business or designated area;
• By prohibiting the 'mutilation' of animals dead or alive, the use of rabbits for meat or fur in private hands is outlawed;
• in addition, no one but a veterinarian may perform any sort of necropsy, or even a tatoo.

******************
Contact information for the Louisville mayor and council may be found at:http://www.louisville-pets.com/ at the bottom of the page.
Please fulfill your duties as ARBA officers and directors, and ensure that ARBA lets Louisville know that this type of legislation is not only unwelcome, but is, and will be, actively opposed.
Sincerely concerned,
Pamela Alley, RVTARBA Member
Director, Rabbit Industry Council
Editor, http://www.ShowBunny.com

Don't Mess with my kid!

My oldest son Nik Harvey recieved his 3rd Degree Black Belt Saturday December 9, 2006 Big Congrats Nik!

Sexiest Man Alive..

Move over George...

JOHNNY DEPP
Age: 43 Status: In a relationship with French actress Vanessa Paradis See Him In: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (in '07) Why He's Sexy: He's a great dad, having bought an island (yep, an island) to raise their kids, Lily-Rose, 7, and Jack, 4. "The only thing money means to me is the freedom it buys me. Living in the islands is heaven. It'll be easier to give [my kids] a normal upbringing there."

Johnny Depp...an island...oh YEAH!

Without comment....

No explanation...no editorial. The judges I know probably won't even disagree...in fact, it was a judge that sent this to me!

One day in heaven, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint John were standing around near the barns, watching the rabbits play.

"I am certainly bored", stated John. "Me too," Paul chimed in. Peter stood and watched the rabbits. "I know!" Peter began. "Why don't we have a rabbit show?"

Paul and John thought that the idea was great except for one small detail that Paul pointed out - "Who are we to compete against, Peter?" Paul asked. The trio pondered a moment when Peter realized the answer.

"We will call up Satan and invite him to the rabbit show. I mean, we have all of the finest rabbits here in heaven, all of the Champions are here. His rabbit barn is ridden with the spoiled, difficult and mean rabbits. We are certain to win at the show!"

And so the trio calls up Satan on the other realm communication lines and invited him to their rabbit show.
Satan laughed and asked why they would want to be humiliated like that, because he would certainly beat them.

Peter, Paul and John did not understand. "What do you mean, Satan?" Peter asked. "We have all of the Champion rabbits in our barn in heaven, how could you possibly beat us?"

Satan paused a moment and then laughed. "Have you forgotten so soon, gentlemen? I have all the judges!"

Carroll Co. MD Rabbit Show

As usual, the Angora corner was the fun place to be! Since the show did something unusual and split the Angora breeds over 3 judges at the same time - and the French Angoras were in a whole different BUILDING!- I didn't get to see as much of the judging as I'd like to have.
Generally, the Angora breeders tend to camp out in one spot to minimize the flying wool from grooming and because we enjoy each other's company. In fact, I didnt' have any Angoras I really wanted to take this week, so I brought the easy-peasy Thriantas and rode along for the visiting.

That didn't stop us from cutting it up in the Angora corner though. At left is Kathy Kenworthy knitting and laughing and me drop spindling some rainbow dyed silk...and talking of course.

At right is Phil Osborn and the FA junior buck wooler that I have for sale (HINT: He's still for sale and he is the sweetest little guy any spinner could hope for - email me!) and Nancy joined him with her 'French Angora' baby. Nancy's 'baby' is actually a gorgeous 100% French Angora crocheted mitten made by Judy Osborn.


When all the grooming is done, you just have to have that little Pep Talk. Dru has a meaningful discussion with her darling Tort English Angora before hitting the show table.








Two breeders getting ready for Best In Show 4 class judging. Dru grooms her English to a picture perfect finish while Kathy Kenworthy knits. Both rabbits looked wonderful on the table. Therein lies the fundamental difference in showing English vs the other Angora breeds. LOL English take lots more work to keep that coat in great condition.




Dru with her gorgeous EA junior doe and Kathy with her beautiful SA junior doe waiting for judge Owen Yates (at right). I really wish I had a properly posed photo of Kathy's Satin angora. She was just beautiful with a fantastic body. You can also see Ellen standing next to Kathy trying to figure out her new camera.
Dru's English and my Thrianta doe both made it into the top 5 for Best 4 Class judging.
More photos from Ellen:

Kathy and that beautiful Satin doe. Ain't she sweet!?


Dru Shephard and her EA junior doe. Ohhhh the crimp on that coat!