Rain, finally

Today we were blessed with a bit of rain here in San Antonio, Texas. the weather was nice, but a big muggy. However, we welcome this weather any time rather than the hot temperatures we've been experiencing.

Tomorrow, Friday, we might continue to have showers. Lord willing, the temperatures will continue to drop so we all can enjoy the weather better.

2 ply yarn of "Tropical Punch"

This is the 2 ply yarn all spun up. I just need to block it, set the twist, whack it, and then knit it.
I will see what I can do with it. It came out great, feels soft and warm.

I cannot wait to get the "Atlantic" from Lisa.

Atlantic

I contacted Lisa of Somerhill Farm. She has a new BFL roving called "Atlantic". I just had to get some. We are in the process of acquiring some and having it shipped soon. I cannot wait till I get my hands on it and see the wonderful colored yarn it produces.

Lisa still has some of the Tropical Punch roving, which I posted earlier. She also has some white BFL, click here to view what she has available. I recommend her greatly as she takes so much pride in collecting and skirting the fleece and have it processed into roving.

Domestic Rabbits

We just got the Domestic Rabbtis magazine published by ARBA. We always await the DR as it contains so much information on rabbits, clubs, and other important articles. We will be reading it tomorrow, as today, I've been plagued with horrible allergies.

The good thing is that the weather in San Antonio seems to be stable and remains better than the past few weeks.

100% Angora Wool Beanie/Cap

Finished knitting the 100% Angora Beanie/Cap. It looks more feminine than unisex due to the color and the texture. It is very nice and soft. I will be taking it to our future shows to demonstrate what one can make from the Angora wool.

I did not want to search for the mannequin head so I asked my son, Johnny, to wear it so I could take pictures of it. He was not too happy and said, "it's a girls beanie." I said, "it is just so I can take a picture and put on the blog to show the cap itself, not you." Well, he trusted me and put it on. However, my older son, Martin, decided to chuckle and pick on him so I told him he needed to wear it, too! LOL Yes, he was upset, but hey, he needs to learn not to pick on people.

Next time I'll use the mannequin head to avoid issues. However, I am so glad both my sons are such good sports.

Johnny & Martin

Martin & Johnny were acting silly when they had let Johnny's Lionhead out for a run. Well, the cute little bugger was no where to be found. The boys looked for him and we finally found him underneath some of the plants I have been growing with the rabbit poop. :) It was great to find him. Johnny was quite distraught, but excited afterwards. I keep telling him to use the rabbit "running pen fencing", but he though the Lionhead would not get rambunctious and run all over the place!
Lesson learned. Now he and Martin know to listen to Dad. Like we always say, "a father/mother knows best".

unable to complete the beanie

I was unable to complete the beanie due to having to complete paperwork for re-credentialing as a provider. Our family has many plans and would like to work on them quickly, but seems like new opportunities are opening again and it is tempty taking advantage of them and not let them go by. It is hard, though to make a choice, but the good thing is that I completed all the forms required for re-credentialing. I was very upset as I misplaced my usb gadget, which had all the information needed and it took me several hours to recreate everything.

I might be able to do a bit of knitting before I sleep and take pictures of the final product tomorrow evening.

The good thing is that the weather is getting better and the rabbits continue doing good.

knitting binge continues

Yes, I've been on a knitting frenzy, but I like it! Probably after I finish this 100% angora beanie/skull cap, I'll stop. I am hoping to show this at some of our Texas Shows so that people can see the dual purpose of the English Angora--showing and using the wool!
The color is a very light green color and I believe it is a "mint color", so it should come out great. I tried to make a small basket pattern and end it with a straight knit stitch, but I don't know if I came close to what I wanted. However, I love it! Tomorrow, it shall be all completed.

Some rabbit pics I took today

This is Jack. While grooming him today, we had windy and stormy weather. Well, I got a good picture of Jack right away, but then, as Jack is quite inquisitive, he decided to act out and would not stop standing up and making faces.

Jack is looking straight at me, kind of saying, "What? What do you want? Huh? Huh?"

Here is seems to be saying, "take a picture of this side, it is my best side."

Here he seems to say, "(yawn) this is quite boring, I'm tired, take me to my cage and let me be." (the funny thing is that this picture came out quite funny. He moved so quickly and I had a very tough time getting this picture so it looks a bit weird).

Temperatures are getting better

This week we had some of the much needed rain! It rained much on Friday evening and Saturday morning. It was a good drench that our town needed. The best part is that although it is still hot, the temperatures are stabilizing a bit. The rabbit shed is cool and the rabbits are happy. The main thing I've noticed is that the rabbits are drinking lots more water, as I've been having to top fill the watering system. The watering system is really helpful and has cut down the time of watering the rabbits. Though I do test every watering nozzle in the cage to insure that they are working properly. I have, in the past, added some antibiotics, but I noticed that the rabbits don't like it much. Also, the water tends to mold if it is let to remain stagnant as the rabbits won't drink much of it. Therefore, it is easier not to use antibiotics in the watering system. If and when the antibiotics are used they are used in a water bottle, where I can actually see how much they are drinking and it is easier to administer to them as it will not cause mold.

Let's keep praying that temperatures get cooler soon for both humans and animals to enjoy the weather.

knitting binge

I've been on a knitting binge, lately. After finishing the Silk Scarf, I ripped the previous work on this gold angora/shiny cotton yarn and began to knit it. I am using the "Like Lace" technique I mentioned before on a previous post.

Finished the Scarf.

Okay, here it is. Not the best pictures due to the background. However, the scarf is completely finished! Well, I only need to weave in and cut off the excess silk. I will be blocking it in order to show off the pattern texture.

Almost finished Silk Scarf

I am almost finished with the Silk Scarf from the Hand spun Tussah Silk I previously posted on. I am using a size 13 knitting needle and working on the "Cameo Faggot Stitch" pattern. Okay, I don't like that pattern name, but the scarf is looking pretty cool.

Temperatures still high

Temperatures are still high here in San Antonio, Texas. It is still hot! The rabbits are happy in their air conditioned shed. However, the humans are not! LOL Yes, today, our air conditioner froze so it appears we need freon or something else. I have to call the repair man tomorrow because it can get unbearable inside the house with no air condition, but only fans.

I guess it was meant to happen that the a/c would go out on us. Many people have been having problems with the air conditioner due to having it run all day non stop to escape the heat.

We hope the weather changes and cools down a bit soon. The good thing for us is that the rabbit shed has been cool and temperatures are appropriate for the rabbits. It helps to have it underneath the trees and the fact that we placed potted plants around it to keep it cool.

Well, keep your rabbits cool and your family, too! We will all survive the heat wave.

Johnny's Lionhead

This is Johnny's awesome Siamese Sable Lionhead Rabbit. He got it in May and he is growing so much and getting well balanced. I have a feeling he will be a winner at the September shows!

AFRICA LIVE! At San Antonio, Texas Zoo

This weekend we had the opportunity to visit the zoo's new exhibition of Africa Live. It is an interesting and awesome exhibit. This is something the whole family will enjoy!

Hibiscus bloom

Here is a picture of the Hibiscus Plant that is blooming despite the horrific heat.

Heat

Weather is still hot in San Antonio, Texas, but at least it is a bit windy. Unfortunately, this heat has caused many problems for people and animals. Several people are having a tough time staying cool and the air conditioners are failing. This year has been tough for San Antonio. We hope things get better soon and not cause continued problems.

Everyone is still under water restriction and enforcing it fiercely. It is important to keep the rabbits out of the heat as much as possible. Giving them copious amounts of water is essential as well as using frozen bottles or other items to cool them down.

Needle Felting

This is one of my first attempt at Needle Felting. Didn't come out as good as I wanted, but quite interested. First attempt was at a dolphin, but looks pathetic. Then, I decided to make a swan and it looks a bit better.

I have to admit, needle felting is fun, but a bit tedious. However, I recently bought a pen-like needle thingy that works wonderful! I hope to get creative and make more stuff some time soon.

My niece's new baby

Here is a picture of my niece's new baby boy. Hopefully, he will also join us at the shows when he grows up.

More Rain

Took this picture earlier this morning to show some of the rain we got. During the day, our side of town got more rain and there were more puddles of water and the ground was completely wet! Let us pray for more rain in San Antonio, we need it badly!

Finally some rain

On Monday, it was a very interesting day in San Antonio, Texas. The day started muggy and quite humid. The weather person stated there was a chance for rain. After all was said and done, only a very small sprinkle of water fell in various parts of San Antonio. It was a good thing, though not enough to help out the city. The city is under water restrictions and that is keeping people on edge. Hopefully, the next showers San Antonio gets will be torrential so that the grass can be greener, the aquifer and rivers get flooded and of course, the plants look healthier.

Regardless of the little bit of rain, it was nice to see there is some nice forecast this week.

Scarf Pattern I'm working on

This is a cool knitting pattern I found at Knitting Tips By Judy. It is called "Like Lace". I am using the previously handspun tussah silk.

Below you can see the un-stretched scarf pattern.

Below you can see the stretched pattern, which really looks like lace. It is an easy technique to knit, though I had a hard time at times finding the best needle size to use. I decided on size 6 and it looks great.