HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Posted on December 21, 2011 by admin

©Samson Angora

 

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FUN AT SOUTHEASTERN ANIMAL FIBER FAIR

Posted on November 6, 2011 by admin
 

Fall Color in the Blue Ridge Mountains

The Main Building at SAFF

 

 

 

SAFF is a wonderful fiber event located in the spectacular Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina.

IAGARB made it’s first presence there with a booth located between two IAGARB breeders.  We had information, demonstrations, a Power Point display, and answered lots of questions.  We also picked up a few new members.   Welcome!

IAGARB Booth at SAFF

Shearing Demo at SAFF

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Memories From the 2011 AGM, Portland, Maine

Posted on July 28, 2011 by admin

This gallery contains 10 photos.

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Grants Pass Angora Registration

Posted on May 15, 2011 by admin

Margie shearing ©2011 Bungalow Farm Angora

The last of the IAGARB Spring shearing events on the West Coast was held at Margie and Al’s May 7 & 8 in Grants Pass Oregon.  The event was well attended with 13 rabbits tested for registration.

Katie and Bungalow Farm's Odessa ©2011 Bungalow Farm Angora

One highlight of many, was Katie’s magnificent doe, Bungalow Farm’s Odessa who managed to ‘squeek out’ 501 g. of wool on a 90 day coat (2004 g./yr)!  It was close, but Odessa now holds the record for highest wool production for a Colored Angora.  Of course there is still the remainder of the year for someone to break this record, but it’s been a longstanding one as Harvest Moon’s Amaryllis has held the record since 2008 (1912 g.).  Odessa now also holds the distinction of being the first colored angora to exceed 2,000 g./yr.  Congratulations to Katie!

The weekend was a lot lot of fun especially since the weather cooperated by not raining (too much).  Good food, good company and fantastic hosts, Margie and Al!

Margie and Raspberry Farm's Grizelda ©2011 Bungalow Farm Angora

Cindy and CT's Anton ©2011 Bungalow Farm Angora

Kyle and Aundi's Storm ©2011 Bungalow Farm Angora

Diana and her black buck ©2011 Bungalow Farm Angora

Bungalow Farm's Brunhilde Reg. 2079 g./yr.©2011 Bungalow Farm Angora

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It’s That Time Again–The Annual General Meeting, Portland, Maine!

Posted on March 24, 2011 by admin

Spring time in Maine!  And with any luck it will be more spring-like than winter-like April 8-10, 2011 in Portland Maine.

The meeting, workshops and registration testing will be held at the Clarion Hotel in Portland, Maine. We will be holding testing for registration on Friday and Saturday. There is a special guest speaker planned for Saturday morning. The speaker is a vet who will be talking about Bio Security. It should be very interesting!

A Felted Beret by Leslie Samson workshop is planned for Saturday afternoon.  We also have planned a wonderful dinner at the hotel for Saturday evening. The menu will include lobster of course, if anyone is so inclined. For more information regarding the dinner and the luncheon, the menus are included in the latest newsletter.

Saturday Afternoon Workshop:

A Delightfully Easy Angora Beret

Inspired by a recent trip to France, Leslie Samson will show us how to make a fashionable felted beret. We will work with a prepared angora blend. Its quick, easy and adorable! No special skills or tools required. Fee, including materials: $40 Members/$55 non members. If you would like to attend the workshop, please contact Erin Maclean. Fee is payable by check made to IAGARB or by Paypal (paypal [at] iagarb [dot] com). Please sign up as soon as possible in order to grab your spot!

The Annual Meeting and luncheon will be held on Sunday.

Proposed Meeting Schedule:

9:00 am – AGM Reports & Business 12:00 pm Luncheon and Awards 1:00 – 2:00 pm Presentation – History of Angora Rabbits by Leslie Samson

History of Angora Rabbits:

It’s the Year of the Rabbit! What is a rabbit anyway? And where did they come

from? How did Angoras get so hairy? What was the importance of fish in the development of fuzzy rabbits? Were angora rabbits really worshipped as gods in Babylonia? Do German angoras really have 3 types of fibers in their coats where other types can be distinquished by only 2 fiber types?

Leslie Samson will present a time line that will put all of these questions in a useful perspective as we come to understand the evolution, natural behavior and domestication of Oryctolagus cuniculus.

She will include a report on her recent trip to France to visit with angora producers in that country.

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December German Angora Registrations and Workshop

Posted on December 12, 2010 by admin

Our December 4th Registration weekend began with an angora hat making workshop.  Rosalie started by shaping her angora blend batting into a hood shape.

Jane made an adorable aqua colored angora hat.  She also made a delicious chicken and Minnesota wild rice soup for our lunch.  It really took the chill off a cold day!  Everyone contributed oodles of tasty snacks and a bottle of wine or two.  Or was it more than that?

Joyce brought her spectacular doe, Alissa, for registration.  This rabbit was very clean and in superb condition.  Even the wool on the bottom of her feet was snow white, unmatted and prime length!

Joyce filled her basket with Alissa’s wool.  She always does a beautiful job as she gently scissors the wool away.  Alissa’s prime weighed 338.4 grams, 2nd grade short wool weighed 72.3 for a total of 410.4 (14.5 ounces).  The coat contained zero 3rd grade matts or stained wool.  This rabbit was in excellent condition!  Well done, Joyce!

The high total for the day was Rosalie’s exceptional buck, Rosalie’s Hilger with a lustrous and well crimped coat of outstanding texture.  Rosalie’s shearing technique is very clean.  After they are shorn, each rabbit wears a coat and is moved to the warm room in her barn.  Hilger registered at 440.5 grams (15.5 ounces) or 1762.4 grams annual production.

Sterling silver angora wool!  This is a shot of belly wool from one of the black rabbits tested.  It shined.

Sharon Kilfoyle showed some of her one of a kind designs to Kate.  Kate is wearing her newly made angora felt hat.  She also became an angora owner later that day.
Sharon pointed out the details of one of her pieces to Jane and Joyce.  This coat was made for a show in Japan.  The white trim is made out of 100% angora.
Close-up of a complex use of color and texture.
Sharon is expert at working with color via shibori dyed textiles and nuno felt.  She explained her pieces to us as she sifted through a kaleidoscope of handmade garments.

We enjoyed a full day of hat making, rabbit shearing, special Kilfoyle style inspiration and warm camaraderie.  Thank you, Rosalie, for your hospitality!  Cheers!

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Felted Hat Workshop in Missouri

Posted on November 29, 2010 by admin

©2010 Leslie Samson

These Felted Angora Blend hats will be on display at Rosalie’s Shearing party December 4th.  The hats are easy to make in under 3 hours.  All of these hats weigh only 2 to 3 ounces each.  Angora fiber keeps them soft, light, warm and wind proof.

For more information regarding the Felted Hat workshop on December 4, please contact Rosalie:  fuzzme [at] angorayarn [dot] com

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December Midwest Registration and Workshops

Posted on September 25, 2010 by admin

Sharon Kilfoyle has been working as a felt artist in Japan, Paris and Missouri.  She has promised to bring a selection of her original work to show us.

Sharon has a lively and creative personality.  Come meet both of Completely Angora’s authors for a wine, hors d’oeurves and show and tell party.

Here are some samples of Sharon’s work:

Rosalie will be hosting them both a the next Midwest Shearing party to be held on December 4 2010 at her farm in Labadie MO. This will be a particularly fun event as she will host the first get together ( in years) of Leslie Samson and Sharon Killfoyle, authors of Completely Angora.

Rosalie says:

“The event will start with a hat felting workshop from 930 to 1 pm taught by Leslie, to be followed by the shearing/registration/shearing clinic. I will hopefully have 3 types of cordless shearers(Akkurata, Wahl Moser Arco SE and Wahl Bravura) and the corded Aesculap for people to try out in the clinic.( I have no commercial interests or ties to either companies).

In the evening, we will gather in my log cabin around a warm roasting fire, sip some wine and rekindle our friendships. Sharon will share her experience in France with us.

Please bring a lunch. Accommodations is available for no fee for Friday and Saturday nights ( as long as your bring a dish for dinner for either nights and a sleeping bag) to IAGARB members.
The workshop fee is $60 including materials for IAGARB members. Limit is 10 people ( 3 already signed up). Both the workshop and the shearing clinic will be open to non-IAGARB members, additional fee may apply. Space is limited to 20 people for the shearing clinic.

Please contact me privately to reserve your spot.  fuzzme [at] angorayarn [dot] com“

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MIDWEST SHEARING PARTY

Posted on September 21, 2010 by admin

Rosalie hosted a shearing party at her farm in St. Louis in September.  Here are the rabbits waiting to be sheared.  Looks like they have a body guard!

Everyone will be meeting again in December to have the rabbits judged and shear again expecting their animals to meet the minimum wool weight of 325 grams.

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More From the Annual General Meeting

Posted on April 29, 2009 by emaclean

Dr. Mark Burgess was the guest speaker at the IAGARB Annual General Meeting 2009 in Silverton, Oregon.  Dr. Burgess is a small animal vet who specializes in exotic pets.  He owns the Southwest Animal Hospital in Beaverton, Oregon. A large part of his practice is rabbits.  His talk at our meeting focused on rabbit gut issues.  It was very enlightening!

Dr. Burgess spoke about various gut problems in rabbits, treatment, and the issues regarding treatment.  He also spoke about feed–both beneficial and things to avoid.  Dr. Burgess provided a lot of information.  It is rare to find a vet who knows so much about rabbits.  He offers consultations to other vets as part of his practice.

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