Friday, January 4, 2019

Rabbit kits at 2.5-3 weeks old

I was having difficulty getting good, clear pictures this time, but they're still hella cute!













Thursday, December 27, 2018

Figuring out color genetics in my rabbits (in progress)

First doe, agouti with steel and non-extension: Aa? B_ C,(ch or c) D_ Es,e (unknown mechanism for white foot)


First buck, agouti: Aa? B_ C,(ch or c) D_ Ee



First litter
Two agouti: A_ B_ C_ D_ E_

One steel: A_ B_ C_ D_ EsE

Three all black: aa B_ C_ D_ E_ OR __ B_ C_ D_ Es,e
One all black with one white foot: aa B_ C_ D_ E_ OR __ B_ C_ D_ Es,e (unknown mechanism for white foot)

Second litter
One all black: aa B_ C_ D_ E_  OR __ B_ C_ D_ Es,e
One steel with non-extension: A_B_C_D_Es,e
Two agouti: A_ B_ C_ D_ E_
Two steel: A_ B_ C_ D_ Es,E
Two Himalayan/pointed white: __ __ ch,(ch or c) __ __
White fur after birth.
Black on top of tail at 4 weeks.
Black nose at 4 weeks.
Black on feet and slight amount on ears at 7 weeks.
One light red with white stripe on right shoulder/leg: A_ __ C_ D_ ee (unknown mechanism for white marking)


Red rex buck from Tunnels rabbitry: A_ __ C_ D_ ee rexrex

Spinning yarn over Christmas break

I'm glad that I splurged on a folding travel wheel with my Louet Victoria. I spent most of my free time over Christmas break spinning yarn. I finished up the targhee gray/orange/yellow top, which I named "matchstick."

The top unbraided.
First single.
Finished three ply!
Practiced chain plying with a leftover single. That is HARD.
When I was doing the third section, I spun it from the wrong end. I coerced my dad into holding an empty bobbin on a skewer while I spun it by hand and guided the single onto it. Time to order some Bobbins Up storage bobbins that you can wind on a power drill.
Transferring a bobbin by hand.

I received two braids of merino/silk top by Greenwood Fiberworks, my favorite source for roving. I had picked these out while my mom and I were at Lambtown in October, and she bought them and then took them away to be put under the Christmas tree. I told her that I would probably forget about it in the meantime, and yup, I was surprised to see them again!

I immediately started spinning the green/red/yellow one (the label was missing, but I'm calling it "spring"). I forgot to take a picture of the braid, but here it is spread out horizontally to unsmush it..
I decided to spin this top end to end and then chain ply it to preserve the color changes. Here's the first part.
I decided to do less thorough pre-drafting lengthwise before spinning, to challenge myself to learn to pull out the right amount from the top. Last time I was at a spinning circle, another person was spinning straight from her braid with no pre-drafting and I was impressed. However I made the mistake of leaving the wheel set on the highest speed ratio (13:1), and my hands were slower so it's way overspun. On the bright side, that's easy to fix by running it back through the wheel in the opposite direction at 6:1. It's also going to be sitting on that bobbin and relaxing for a while before I finish it.

The 50% silk content makes it so shiny and the colors are gorgeous. I was practically drooling as I worked on it.

The other braid's colorway was labeled as "crocus."

Rabbit kits at 2 weeks old

Here's a photo of the kits at 10 days old, with eyes starting to open:
And today, 15 days old, with eyes and ears fully open and the nesting box taken away:


Individual photos. The blue and red markings in their ears allow me to differentiate the four pairs of identically colored kits.