Jenn's Hammock Hobby

Jenn is a weirdo.

Not that knowing it helps you much, but it's true! It's also kind of annoying to talk in the third person.

I am Jenn and Jenn is me. I'm a college graduate looking for my place in the world. I love family, friends, dragons, roleplaying, animals... the interwebz... yeah. I'm a nerd. A serious nerd.

At present, I'm the proud mama to four little ratties. My two agouti cutie sisters are Audrey and Julie. Their cagemates are Jeremy and Ondo, a pair of splashy variberk boys. All four are spayed and neutered, all four live together, and all four were born in late September of 2009. They're my first rats and I luff them dearly.

Audrey and Julie were adopted from our local Animal Control after they came in at five weeks with a litter of twelve agouti babies. From various and sundry clues, I suspect they may be half-wild. Regardless, they're sweeties and as soft as velvet. They were spayed young at six weeks by the shelter vet and I hope that will minimize any future tumors.

Miss Audrey is a piggie and the most social of the colony. She'll do pretty much anything for food and she's the first at the front of the cage to say hello. It's also part of her treat-gathering strategy.

Miss Julie is affectionately called our little hermit because she's the least outgoing of the colony. She's a svelte little lady, though she put on more weight as she started coming out of her shell. She's still a chore to get out of the cage and I'm the only one with that particular knack. Regardless, she's a darling. She also has the sharpest little claws.

Jeremy and Ondo were adopted from Small Angels Rescue in Frederick, MD. They were brought into the rescue from a shelter with their parents and siblings. Ondo is the black variberk with a lightning blaze and Jeremy is the agouti variberk with a headspot.

Mister Jeremy is a little gentleman, and Ondo is a little bear. They lost their goolies at about three to four months and they have fur almost as soft as the girls. Nine times out of ten, they'll cheerfully pee on your shoulder and they won't feel a scrap of guilt. They're a bit more laid back than the girls, though less cuddly than Audrey.

It's because of these little guys that I started to explore the colorful world of small pet furniture. I hadn't so much as touched a sewing machine for the first twenty-three years of my life. It took a bunch of furry beasties to convince me to try my hand, as well as the colorful inspiration of several hammock makers on the GooseMoose Rats Rule pet forum. My username there is, predictably, "The Jenn".

I mostly sew hammocks for friends and acquaintances. It's fun for me and fun for their critters, so what's not to love? I sew gifts, I sew swaps, and I'll occasionally sew flat-out purchases. I love working with all the colorful fabrics and I get a kick out of new and exciting prints, especially rainbows and dragons.

I'm a girl and a nerd. I just can't help myself.