Home From Nationals, A New Chocolate Agouti Girl, and Big Fuzzy Dreams Ahead
- Tammy Vaughn
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
A little tired, a lot grateful, and very excited for what comes next in the Colored Giant Village.
Holy cannoli, what a weekend.
I am home from Angora Nationals, the rabbits are settled, I am mostly functioning on coffee and iced tea, and my she-shed still looks like Nationals exploded in it. But the rabbits came first, as they always do, and now I am slowly unpacking both the truck and my brain.
This week’s live was a little bit of everything. Part recap, part barn chat, part shearing day, and part “oh my gosh, look what followed me home.”
New Miss Footloose!
And yes, I came home with a new chocolate agouti girl.
She came from Rachel Penterman, and I had barely handled her before going live. I knew she was chocolate agouti. I knew she was a doe. I knew Rachel’s Angoras had absolutely rocked the tables at Nationals. But beyond that, I was learning about her right along with everyone watching.
And friends, she is dense. Not just a little dense.
Holy-cannoli, where-is-the-rabbit-under-all-this-wool dense.
That kind of density is something I have been wanting to bring back more strongly into my own program. I have worked hard on color over the years, and I am proud of the progress, but density matters. Body matters. Wool quality matters. It all matters when we are trying to move forward with beautiful, useful, competitive Angoras.
One of the biggest lessons from the weekend was watching the white Angoras shine. Rachel’s winning French Angora was white. Andrea’s rabbits were gorgeous. Rene’s white Giant had a wonderful win too. The colors held their own, but boy howdy, it was a white Angora weekend.
The thing that kept coming up again and again was density, condition, and grooming.
Not every winning rabbit needs a coat dragging the floor. This new girl reminded me of that in the best way. Her wool is not ridiculously long, but it is dense, soft, and strong. The kind of coat that makes you stop and pay attention.
That is a lesson worth tucking away.
Wool-Skein-Garment Contest
The Wool, Skein & Garment contest was another huge highlight. I was nervous about how it would all come together, especially with a last-minute judge change, but Alicia Andrus stepped in like an absolute whirlwind of positive energy. She, Chris, Annette, and the whole crew helped make it happen. And they did not just make it happen. They made it shine.
Jack Bailey’s English Angora wool sample was outstanding and earned Best Wool. Hope’s needle-felted bunny stole hearts and earned Judge’s Choice. Angel Simmer’s work was absolutely stunning, including her beautiful skein and blue shawl. The level of talent in that room was incredible. More pictures will be coming soon! Still unpacking, getting things organized, LOL!
There were long hours, tired feet, a lot of moving pieces, and plenty of moments where things could have gone sideways. But they didn’t. Everyone pulled together, and that is what makes this Angora community so special.
Angora Royalty Deck
I also talked a little more about the Angora Royalty Deck Kickstarter. This project has been a dream of mine for a long time, especially with Reno Convention coming. I wanted to create a real, professionally printed deck of playing cards celebrating our Angoras in a whimsical royal style.
The Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing project, which means if we do not reach the goal, no one is charged. But if we do, the decks can be printed, shipped, and shared. Backers are not just donating. They are helping bring something tangible, beautiful, and fun to life.
And yes, any extra funds after the project costs are covered will help support my Giant Angoras and the chocolate agouti color program.
Colored Giant Village
The Village is for everyone who wants to follow along, learn, encourage, and be part of the bigger story. Nobody is left out. You can follow through the newsletter, the blog, YouTube, Discord, and the information on the website.
The Village Elders will be the smaller working group.
Now, do not let the word “Elders” fool you. This does not mean someone has to be an expert or have decades of breeding experience. It means they are willing to work, share, learn, be honest, and help build this Chocolate Agouti Giant Angora project with purpose.
The dream is big. Really big.
If everything goes well, I would love to see 100 chocolate agouti Giant Angoras in coat and ready to show at the 2028 ARBA Convention in Kentucky.
That is not something one person can do alone. Under the new rules, we need rabbits from multiple households. My husband and I count as one household. That means we need more builders, more record keepers, more learners, more helpers, and more people willing to bring their best effort to the table.
That is why the Village matters.
It is also why I am starting to collect Giant Angora grow-out information. We need better shared data. We need to understand how these rabbits grow, develop, mature, and change over time. The more we can learn together, the stronger we can all become as breeders, exhibitors, and caretakers.
So, here we are. Home from Nationals. Tired but happy. A new chocolate agouti girl on the table. Babies due soon. More plans than hours in the day. And a whole lot of fuzzy dreams ahead.
Giant Angora Grow-Out Chart
I am starting to collect Giant Angora grow-out chart information. If you would like to participate, please visit SinfullySoft.com, go to the Rabbits tab, then Colored Giant Village. The form will be there, and I would love for you to share your grow-out weights as we begin building this chart together. In a few days, I will be sharing more... watch my next blog post!
BTW, if you want to join our Colored Giant Village on Discord, Here's your way in;
We’re creating more reasons for people to stay engaged, to show up at shows, and to fall in love with Angoras all over again. And that right there… is what this is all about.
Stay Fluffy My Friends,
Tammy,
Life’s just better with a Giant Angora hug
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