drucilla pettibone

we are out of control! i should be thrilled with the dense and quick growth on my cosset lamb, but i'm always amazed how much work her coat is. i spent at least two hours today working on her, and it's only been a month since i clipped her. i am seriously thinking of finding a pet grooming school and taking a class on how to use clippers and blowers since i am too afraid of them (the tools, not the bunz) to do a good job. but just brushing and pulling out loose hair was so tactile and meditative this afternoon - i really wouldn't mind if that's all we do, ever.

you know how you can read something over and over, and then one day you read something new and it just clicks? there was a description on one of the angora message boards about how french angoras have non-synchronous coat growth, so that they are losing hair all the time and have hair at different stages. finally i think i understand and will have an easier time of managing my hairy friends. it's just been strange because they are each a little different in terms of their hair growth and grooming needs. Prissy and Butch really require minimal grooming. Prissy has tons of guard hairs and nice thick wool underneath that (almost) never matts. I really don't think she's a satin at all now that I've learned and seen more. Mr. Butch's gorgeous clouds are so fine that he'll matt a little if it's humid, but his coat grows back beautifully even after clipping and he does well with brushing once a week or even less. Cosset and her baby Junior are a totally different story. i think they are actually wooly wookies. they seem to require a fulltime aesthetician (that's me) to keep them on track. luckily all this wonderful fur they are growing is a boon, not a curse, and it's worth every last second it takes to care for them.

i got some exciting news yesterday that the local community artspace has a studio opening up that i could move my fiber-y endeavors. it might go against good sense in a way, putting the cart before the horse as they say, to rent a studio before i become an artist. but but but, it isn't expensive at all, and it would be a way of keeping my house from being taken over by fiber - plus i could meet people and all that. the place has a great vibe, and the working studio space even includes gallery space, coffee shop, and an outdoor area where they have events. they also have a bunch of working fiber artists, even have weaving classes, so i'd learn a lot too. it would also help me in terms of so many personal goals - structuring my time, organizing my stash, and working toward my dreams. kinda scary, but i think it's a-Go.