So in the meantime, I offer up this set of impossibly cute angora bunny pictures.
We went to a place called The Shearing Shed near Waitomo Caves that demonstrates how to shear an angora rabbit every day to draw tourists into their expensive angora fibre gift shop. We escaped without buying anything, but the "show" was great!
The bunny of the day gets restrained and stretched out on a device that is half rack half rotisserie spit, and is then sheared like a sheep.
You have to see it to believe it. And we owe it all to our new-found friends in Auckland, Jen and James, for telling us about it :)
here's the full flickr set - including a short video
6 comments:
I think I'd be so scared I'd die on the spot too. . . but if it's as hot over there as it is here this July, I'd be more comfortable sans fur...oh wait. It's winter. What are they doing shearing a rabbit of its coat in the winter?
the rabbit was amazingly calm about the whole ordeal. They told us the rabbits are used to it, having been sheared 4 times a year since 6 months old. And they live to be 8-10yrs old I believe...
The fur on that thing is really amazing. I don't think I could farm rabbits for food, but for fur...
(P.S. Lilibeth is my mom, just in case Justin didn't recognize her.)
a ahh atchooo!! Oh excuse me I can sneeze just looking a photo like t Very cute. And you actually resisted buying even the smallest ball of yarn?
Carey
Don't worry - Justin recognized Lilibeth instantly :)
Justin was horribly allergic to the bunnies! I don't think I'll ever get to have angora rabbits, or even an angora sweater. So no, I didn't buy any yarn...
I do however have some NZ possum/merino yarn that I'm working on right now :)
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