So long, Austin!

Well, it's my last day in Austin, Texas. After the conference ended around noon today, I walked the six or so blocks to a place I had scoped out on Tuesday called, "Wiki Wiki Teriyaki", where I had a bowl of Udon for lunch. If you aren't sure what udon is, it's a broth full of soba (buckwheat) noodles, veggies, and in this case, grilled tofu. It was pretty yummy. After that, my next mission was to return to Hill Country Weavers, as I needed one more ball of yarn to complete a project I had started. As most of my yarn loving friends know, it is very important to match the dye lots so the color is consistent. After that I got some iced tea (it is pretty hot out, after all) and sat at a table outside all of these little vending trailers. The building just the other side of this Airstream is actually the yarn store.

More of the vending trailers. Seems the SoCo area of Austin is very busy on Saturday with outdoor artists, street musicians and vendors. As mentioned in my previous post, SoCo is a very "artsy" section of Austin, and might I add, very colorful, both literally as well as figuratively, and is a great people watching venue.

This is the night time view from my hotel room...the man-made lights are pretty, but they still can't hold a candle to the lights the good Lord has made!
I've had a great time in Austin. Too bad CGOA or TNNA don't have a convention here, because it would be an awesome venue, and I would most definitely attend! Any of my fiber-loving friends have any pull in this area? Think about it....

I am off to pack my bags to head back for Arkansas in the morning! Take care & God Bless!

For those of you who have been wondering what I have been up to lately, well...alot! As I write this I am in Austin, Texas, where it is about 101 degrees outside. That is why I am inside in the a/c! I spent some time yesterday after I arrived looking around town. It was only about 87 (a cool day in July in Austin, I am told) so I walked the seven blocks to the state capitol. Here is a pic of the dome, which is 14 feet higher than the the White House in Washington, D.C.

I took this shot at the top of the stairs before I climbed back down; just to show I really did climb all those steps! Okay, call me weird (you wouldn't be the first), but I adore unusual hardware; not the computer kind, but things like hinges, doorknobs, you know...hardware. These hinges are on the double doors leading into the Texas House of Representatives gallery. I thought they were pretty cool!

Here is the view walking up to the Capitol. It is a very beautiful walk and is lined with several memorial statues and fountains.

I also spent some time in the SoCo District, which is an artsy part of town. There is a very cool yarn store (you knew I would mention yarn somewhere, didn't you?) called Hill Country Weavers. If you are ever in Austin, they are located at 1701 S. Congress Avenue, and are very accessible via the Metro system.

This is something else I have been involved in lately with David. We have been trout fishing more and this is an 18" rainbow I caught a couple of weeks ago...the biggest rainbow I've caught to date, and probably one of the tastiest. And speaking of fishing, David was in a catfishing tournament last week on Lake Norfork. He caught the only two catfish that were caught, so obviously also had the largest...

Yep, this is the big one! That's right; it's in a coffee cup, in case you were wondering. I asked him how much he won for catching the largest catfish. He replied that he was disqualified, as he did not catch this monster with a rod and reel, but rather scooped him up...that, folks, is considered noodling, hence the disqualification! We turned this one and his/her little brother loose in our catfish pond to grow into real monsters.

And last, but certainly NEVER least, the grandbaby has been keeping me busy as well. I keep him once a week while Mom is in school. The other day we built him a tower and it kept him occupied for nearly an hour! Here he's playing peek-a-boo with me. Ain't he sweet?

I am working on some new patterns. Watch for some new designs coming out in the next "One Skein Wonders" book, Crochet World and Crochet! Magazine soon! Until next time, have a great summer!

Well, last weekend was alot of fun. I went to North Little Rock with my sister Angel and her friend Dani for the annual Greek Food Festival put on by the Greek Orthodox Church in Little Rock, complete with dancing girls!

Here Angel is enjoying the falafels while Dani has a mouthful of pastitsio. Afterward, we went into the bazaar where I bought my assistant Tammy some "big fat Greek" earrings. Sorry, I didn't get a pic, but they had eyes on them; seems this is a common motif employed to ward off the "evil eye".

You are probably wondering how the bunnies are doing...they are growing more every day and mom no longer requires my assistance in rearing them. All I have to do now is feed and water them. Another week and they should be ready to wean! I bet Mama is about ready for that!

The other day the wild bee balm (also known as bergamot or oswego tea) was ready for harvest. I got three quart jars of dried bergamot for tea later when the weather gets chilly again. Of course, I left some behind so they could reseed for next year! Life in the hills is good! God provides a bountiful harvest for us round here! David says, "If we could eat ticks, we'd have it made!". Ugh! Don't think I would, even if I should! Til next time, keep those hooks and needles working!

Baby bunnies growing up!

Well, Godiva and family moved back to the barn Sunday afternoon. As I was still getting over the bronchitis, I was moving a little slower than normal, but I decided it was time. As you can see, the babies are growing.
They now have hair and as of today are 12 days old today. They have not yet opened their eyes, but I expect that to happen any time now! They are getting so big! And wiggly! Godiva stills seems a bit clueless about the whole mothering thing. I gave her 24 hours and checked to see if it looked like she was nursing them, which she evidently was not, so.....each evening I go out to the barn to provide a little "encouragement" (read I put her in the nest box so those babies can eat). I am also still having to take care of their toileting needs! I am looking forward to that day that they can attend to their own "toilette" independently! I have been advised that when the babies are a bit bigger that I should breed her one more time this season. The only thing will be finding homes for the babies when they are weaned. Any of my fiber artists friends in the market for a french angora bunny? There's nothing like blending a little angora in with other fibers...my favorite? Alpaca and angora (about a 90/10% blend) is fabulous!
The babies are too small to figure you yet which are boys and which are girls. One is jet black, one is chocolate brown (like Godiva) and the other three are called "Broken Black" which is basically black and white. The runt of the litter is about 2/3rds the size of the largest babies, which are the black and brown. As they get bigger, I will try and get pictures of the individuals, so you guys can start thinking about names!
Remember to visit the website often to see what else I am up to! www.crochetrenee.com
Have a blessed day!

So...many of you have heard of "Baby Mama"? Meet "Bunny Mama". This is Lady Godiva {so named because 1.) she is a Chocolate bunny and I adore Godiva Chocolate, and 2.) she (normally) has long flowing hair. } She is suffering the effects of a really bad haircut, because when an angora has babies, it is most prudent to cut off the aforementioned long flowing hair, so that the babies don't get all tangled in the hair.

Anyway, I expected her to kindle (that's what it's called when Bunny Mama has her babies) on Saturday or so, but when I got home on Friday night, she was in the process. Unfortunately, Godiva is a first time parent, so she really didn't understand that the nice box in her cage was there for her to pull some nice soft hair and create a cozy nest for her little bundles of joy. She was having them on the wire. And they were very cold, but still moving save one poor little bunny that was already dead. I quickly gathered them up and made a nest for them. 20 or 30 minutes later I went back to the barn and discovered another little guy on the wire. So I took both mama and baby back to the house where I could watch for any more little surprises and everyone (including me) could stay warm and cozy.

All told, we got 5 out of 6 babies, and this is them tonight. So far, with a little help from me (Bunny Nanny), Mama is learning how to care for her babies. She will let them nurse with a little encouragement. They are fat and sassy and seem to be thriving so far. Lucky for me, bunnies only nurse once or twice a day, so after my 10 hours at work all day and my 1 1/2 hour commute, I can still make sure that the babies are being well nourished. Another interesting fact I have learned is that baby bunnies evidently don't go to the bathroom without their mama's licking their little bottoms. It seems this stimulates them and allows Mama to keep the next clean. Mama isn't doing this. Before you ask, no, I am not either...not really. A little warm moist cosmetic wipe is the closest thing I can provide! There are 3 spotted babies, one solid black and one lovely silver grey. When they get a little bigger, I will likely need a little help naming them...hopefully you guys can help! I may have to think about a naming contest or something. Maybe the grand prize could be a skein of handspun angora yarn?!?!?!

I will keep posting updates as the babies get bigger. Hope you are all well and enjoying spring!

Renee'

spinning class a success!

Spinning class was a resounding success today. Here are my students Sherri and Sara making yarn! They each were able to spin and ply a few yards of Jacob wool yarn to take home. They each left with enough wool to spin a couple of ounces of yarn as well as some other fiber freebies I sent home with them to experiment. Sara says when she comes for open work night on Thursday, she is bringing her spindle instead of her knitting. Be careful, Sara, it's very, very addictive!!!

Here are just a few of my handspun yarns that I take to class for my students to look at so they can see what they can make. Spinning yarn is fun and it's great to be able to make it however you want it! Mixed in amongst the yarn are several items made with handspun as well. You are looking at wool, alpaca, silk, llama, bamboo, and more!

On another note, my latest design is out in this month's issue of Crochet World. It is the Lovely Ruffles Shawl and CW did a great job photographing it. It will be posted a little later on the website. To look at my other designs, go to www.crochetrenee.com . Whatever your fiber passion, have a fun time with it and have a great weekend!

Crochet Renee'

Well, it was 20 degrees outside this morning, but if you look around, you can see signs of spring.


The cyclamen is peeking through the snow....





The daffodils are blooming.....

And the spring lambs are arriving! So far, 3 ewes have had twins, so the lamb count is up to 6 right now, with one or two more ewes still pregnant. I say one or two because there is a yearling ewe that may or may not be expecting...time will tell. The lamb on the left was feeling a little frisky and decided to do a little dance for the camera!

Another three weeks til the official start of spring!

Hello, All! It's a lovely fall day in the Ozarks...the colors are gee-orgeous!!! Last Wednesday my daughter-in-law, grandson and I went to one of the local cemetaries to look at the leaves. Now...you might be thinking, "a cemetary?" Yes, a cemetary. It is a very old cemetary where the keepers have planted sugar maples all over the place (in case you don't know, sugar maples are not exactly indigenous to the Ozarks). It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. We even went and had Chinese food for lunch, which was good, except for the fortune cookies....we went out the car and I tried to break my cookie open, but it wouldn't break! No lie, I really had to work to get it to break open; the DIL said, "I wonder if I can get my fortune out without breaking my cookie?" She was in fact, able to do that! Needless to say, we didn't eat the cookies!

For those of you who are keeping up with my "design career", you might like to know that I am now a cover girl! Well, I'm not, but my hat is! I designed the Angora Baby Bunny hat that is featured on the cover of "Luxury Yarns One Skein Wonders". If you look this book up on Amazon, the hat on the cover is NOT mine. That was how the cover was originally supposed to look. When my copy came in the mail last week, I didn't even look at the cover, but dove inside to find my design. DIL starts jumping up and down, shouting, "It's on the cover, it's on the cover!!!" You might say I was a little excited, as I have never had anything on a cover before! I also had another design show up in print last week, my Ring Around the Rosie Afghan is in "Heirloom Afghans" edited by Judy Crow. To see a picture of all of my designs, check out my website: http://www.crochetrenee.com/ . The only one not on there yet is the Baby Bunny Hat, as I am awaiting permission from the publisher to use the image on the website. If that doesn't work out, I will just have to take my own picture, I guess! I am working on a couple of book-signings with a couple of local yarn shops...I will keep you posted on those!

Future upcoming designs include a wrap and a throw for Caron Yarn International, a necklace and a shawl in two different issues of Crochet World next year and a purse in a late issue of Crochet! magazine next year. I am also working on a book of my own designs. Whether that will be with an actual publisher, or whether I will have to self-publish remains to be seen. My sisters and I are talking about doing it ourselves, along with some other publishing projects under the moniker of Three Sisters Publishing. We are all pretty much super-busy gals, so we'll just have to see how to budget our time.

Just off the knitting needles are two chemo caps for a friend's mother who is fighting breast cancer. Dear old Dad requests a beret made from some of the wool off of his own Jacob sheep. I have spun up a few skeins and got on Ravelry to find a neat pattern that wasn't too boring for me to work, yet still not too fou-fou for Dad to wear. I found a really neat one that is offered by DC Stitch. You can check out Marie Connely's blog at http://www.stitchdcblog.blogspot.com/ . She has some wonderful original knitted designs. I do some knit design, but my design brain is so focused on what's on my plate right now, I didn't want to have to think too hard about what to make for Dad. I showed him the pattern last night, and recieved his approval...now if I could just find my US size 4 circular needles....

I taught a drop spindle spinning class last week. I thought it went very well. Everyone present made pretty decent yarn before the class was over. We made a singles, then plied it back with itself. I would say most everyone had 3-4 yards or so of 2-ply yarn and a good beginning working knowledge of how to spin wool with a spindle. At the end of the class, I showed them my spinning wheel, and several "OOOOh's and AAAAAh's" were noted. I did tell them that if enough people got wheels, that I would be happy to teach a class on the feeding and care of a spinning wheel. I also left them all with the notion that when they spin all their wool into yarn, if they would like to do a dyeing class, we could do that as well.

I am working on getting my application together to join The National Needlearts Association. I have my letter of recommendation from a wholesale yarn member and my application, just have to get some nice color copies of my work printed out. Sounds like a trip to Staples is in order, since I don't have a scanner....

By the way, since I mentioned Ravelry above...for those of you who don't know what Ravelry is, it is a website devoted to all things fiberarts related: spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, felting, dyeing, etc....if you can relate it to fiber, it's on Ravelry. It is still in beta testing, but if you sign up for an account and wait patiently, you will get an invitation to join. It's a really neat site, and you can use it as your own online journal of your fiber related pursuits, right down to inventory of your yarn, needle and hook stash! You can also join different groups (I am a proud member of the Crochet Liberation Front, just to mention one....). If you join or are already a member, you can find me...I am Crochet Renee' on Ravelry. In the meantime, keep those hooks and needles busy and as Captain Will Turner said,"Keep a weather eye on the horizon" and watch for my upcoming designs at a magazine stand near you!!! Happy hooking!

Crochet Renee'

visit me at www.crochetrenee.com

I'm moving to a new home on the web!

No, I haven't changed my website, just my blog site. I decided that this was a much better place for my blog to exist, so here I am! I'm movin' in (with the help of my cute but capable grandson)! I will provide a link to the old blog for those of you that don't know me, so you can go there to read previous posts....if you don't care, well, fine...I see how you are...

So, the latest Crochet Renee' design has come out in a House of White Birches book, "Heirloom Afghans", edited by Judy Crow. Soon to be seen will be the (tentatively named) "Baby Bunny Cap" in the new volume in the "One Skein Wonders" book on luxury yarns. I say tentatively named because the publisher doesn't always keep the name the designer uses....we'll see. I don't really care WHAT they call it, as long as they keep buying my designs!

If you would like to see some pics of my currently published designs, go to http://www.crochetrenee.com/ and click on "my designs"!

I hope you will visit often and I will try to keep up with regular postings here. I hope to have some free patterns and other items of interest for the fiber arts community here. In the meantime, please do check out my previous blog here!