Author Topic: rabbit.skin.blanket  (Read 4434 times)

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Offline richardzane

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rabbit.skin.blanket
« on: December 20, 2012, 10:21:24 pm »
Thought some of you might be interested in seeing a really warm rabbit skin blanket
I made some years ago.
Its made from spiral cutting rabbit skins and wrapping the fur strips around cords. the cords are then "woven" together with finer cord.
The blanket project was a long project considering I started with four rabbits...fenced in a large pen where they could do their thing.
They definitely did their thing...There would be times I go in to feed the chickens and I would hear a rumble...only to turn and
see about 60 rabbits running straight at me.... like an old Japanese horror flick. When it was butchering day my wife went to town,
while i went to town with the 22. and stacked em like cordwood...and had a slick system to reduce them all to ziplockbags
including wings,thighs,backs and scraps were ground into burger from which we made spagettii and hareballs.

when my daughter got tired of taking care of her little shaggy flop rabbit and we introduced it to the herd, genetics produced some interesting results.
often one rabbit would be seen with ONE ear up and one ear down...and then there were the shaggy UPeared rabbits.
When the hares began to have their eyes so close together they were cross-eyed, I decided the project oughta be over.

This blanket took approx. 200 hides and weighed a ton.(some cords were double wrapped) My wife said she couldn't breathe, and of course
with rabbit skins up by your face there's always the spitting of stray hairs..which is distracting from sleep there on the bed...so it became an "outdoors" blanket.
It somehow picked up some mothy critters unfortunately, and even in a cedar chest was ruined....but oh, well...it was a good learning experience.
when i'm working on things my ancestors worked, singing the songs my ancestors sang, dancing the same dances, speaking the same language, only then  I feel connected to the land, THIS land, where my ancestors walked for thousands of years...

Offline HoBow

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Re: rabbit.skin.blanket
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2012, 10:48:35 pm »
Nice story and cool blanket!
Jeff Utley- Atlanta GA

Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: rabbit.skin.blanket
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2012, 11:39:47 pm »
Hareballs!!!!  I am still trying to get the pinot noir wiped off the computer after reading that!

I am fond of rabbit for table fare.  It's very healthy, but I ate so much I developed an allergy.  It doesn't make me sick, but it des make me jumpy. 

Cool blanket!
Guns have triggers. Bicycles have wheels. Trees and bows have wooden limbs.

Offline JackCrafty

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Re: rabbit.skin.blanket
« Reply #3 on: December 22, 2012, 01:34:26 am »
Neat!  I like the part about spitting stray hair....  heheh    ;D
Any critter tastes good with enough butter on it.

Patrick Blank
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Where's Rock? Public Waterways, Road Cuts, Landscape Supply, Knap-Ins.
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Offline vinemaplebows

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Re: rabbit.skin.blanket
« Reply #4 on: December 22, 2012, 03:18:20 am »
Got a few hundred furs here as well, although I never made anything that nice from any of them! :) Have another 20 to butcher on monday.
Debating is an intellectual exchange of differing views...with no winners.

Offline Scowler

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Re: rabbit.skin.blanket
« Reply #5 on: December 22, 2012, 09:22:09 am »
Impressive.

Offline richardzane

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Re: rabbit.skin.blanket
« Reply #6 on: December 22, 2012, 11:52:32 am »
thanks for the great comments! ha!!
 I remember a story about a Hopi family that kept their rabbit skin blanket draped from the vigas.(ceiling beams)
and when the BIA school police came searching houses for children to drag off to boarding school
Their boy would be tucked away up in the rabbit blanket by his mom where the BIA cops couldn't find him.
when i'm working on things my ancestors worked, singing the songs my ancestors sang, dancing the same dances, speaking the same language, only then  I feel connected to the land, THIS land, where my ancestors walked for thousands of years...

Offline primitivepaulette

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Re: rabbit.skin.blanket
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2012, 12:53:38 am »
Wow.. this blanket had to have just been a ton of work.. my condolences on the critters getting to it.. dang it all.. well Ive been kind of in the same place before. What a thing of beauty!


Offline richardzane

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Re: rabbit.skin.blanket
« Reply #8 on: December 30, 2012, 03:05:26 pm »
thanks for the condolences, Paulette,
seems like most REAL learning experiences require some suffering in the variety of getting burnt, skinned or almost eaten.
I guess all our great projects eventually go back to the earth...some just seem to return to dust quicker than we hope!
when i'm working on things my ancestors worked, singing the songs my ancestors sang, dancing the same dances, speaking the same language, only then  I feel connected to the land, THIS land, where my ancestors walked for thousands of years...

Offline primitivepaulette

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Re: rabbit.skin.blanket
« Reply #9 on: December 30, 2012, 10:41:07 pm »
I couldn't agree with you more. Well probably not the destination that is so important, but more likely the journey. What a lovely piece of work you did with that blanket.. it sure is/was gorgeous! Great talent and patience required to do that!

Offline richardzane

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Re: rabbit.skin.blanket
« Reply #10 on: December 31, 2012, 12:30:09 am »
tizhameh (thanks) Paulette,
like some of our tribal people, and the people on this forum , maybe its curiosity to try and understand ancient sustainable technologies that drives us to experiment.
and of course to be creative in the process. Have always loved working with my hands and just seeing what i can come up with, using the natural materials all around us.
when i'm working on things my ancestors worked, singing the songs my ancestors sang, dancing the same dances, speaking the same language, only then  I feel connected to the land, THIS land, where my ancestors walked for thousands of years...