In which the Rabbit explores the relation between cotton candy and cashmere

The Rabbit calls this the "Pink Confection Scarf." It was knit from three different yarns: Debbie Bliss Pure Silk, Artyarns Cashmere Sock, and Artyarns Mohair Splash (the one with the beads). It is delicious.

In which the second Red Scarf is finished, and both are sent on their way

For some reason, the second red scarf took the Rabbit forever. It will be a while before she does another scarf involving K1 P1 ribbing. But she did finish it, and was quite happy with how it came out:


Red Scarf #2 was then put into a box with Red Scarf #1 and mailed off to the Orphan Foundation of America, and thus the Rabbit's first charity knitting endeavor was complete.

In which the Rabbit starts a whole new stash

Now that Esmé is on the scene, the Rabbit has started laying in Stuff to Spin in a concerted way. She bought two half-fleeces at the Festival. The first is from a Coopworth named Helen:


The second is from a Border Leicester named Adeline. Adeline's shepherd told me that one year Adeline gave birth to triplets, only one of which she liked, so they named that lamb "Preferred." I didn't ask what they named the other two. "Rejected" and "Abandoned"?


I also bought some hand-dyed Border Leicester locks from Tidal Yarns. These were dyed using cochineal (I think).


Since the Rabbit is traveling at the moment, and a) doesn't want to wear out her welcome by commandeering her friends' washing machine for washing raw fleece, and b) doesn't yet have any combs or hand cards for the dyed locks, she has also bought some fiber that has already been processed, so she can bond with Esmé right this second. She found this roving from Mountain Fiber Folk at the festival:


This Crosspatch Creations batt came from The Fiber Studio in Henniker, NH:


And this merino top came from The Elegant Ewe in Concord, NH:


Pictures of the yarn Esmé comes up with from the fibers to follow. Watch this space.

In which the Rabbit has a bit more to say about the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival

Predictably, there were lots of sheep at the Sheep and Wool Festival. These apparently decided to commemorate the occasion with Henna tatoos:


Here are the same sheep participating reluctantly in a herding demonstration. That was their day—standing around in the rain for a while sporting their tatoos, then being herded for a while, then standing around some more.


Here are two Romneys:


And a Coopworth:


And a fabulously coiffed Cotswold:


There were other fiber animals as well. No alpacas (apparently their truck broke down) but two very haughty-looking llamas:



A creature described affectionately by his goatherd as "cashmere on the hoof":


And, last but not least, a distant cousin of the Rabbit's, ready for her closeup:

In which the Rabbit makes a new friend

Her name is Esmé, and she is a Schacht Ladybug. The Rabbit found her at the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival in Tunbridge, VT. She's right out of the box here, waiting to be put together by the Rabbit's delightfully handy friend, Jonathan.

The Rabbit's extremely excellent spouse, Mr. Rabbit, agreed that a spinning wheel would be a very good present for the Rabbit's 45th birthday. But outlets selling spinning wheels are scarce in Rabbit Country. So they agreed that the Rabbit would try out some wheels while in Vermont. And then, while at the Festival, the Rabbit spotted a sign: "Ask me about my one-day Festival pricing on the Schacht Ladybug." And so she did. And she tried out one of Esmé's sisters on the spot. And she bought Esmé.

Every Ladybug has a birthmark, each in a different spot. Here is Esmé's:


The Rabbit believes firmly that Esmé is the Best. Spinning. Wheel. Ever. Here's what she and Esmé whipped up the first time out:


This was spun from 100% Rambouillet roving, hand-dyed by Christine of Now and Zen Yarns. Note to self: Rambouillet is yummy.