Nicolino recently made a "public appearance" at a meeting of the Hawai'i Handweavers Hui, an Island group of spinners, weavers and wearables artists.

Nicolino may look like he's simply sitting and cuddling, but he's actually earning his keep. His "mom," Carol Mazuk of Waikiki, is spinning lustrous, soft, lovely angora wool — right off the bunny's back.

Nicolino will sit for hours while Mazuk spins. She gently grasps his fur, which easily falls off into her hands. She twists the wool just a tad while pushing the treadle with her foot so the fibers will be taken into the spinning wheel and spun into fine angora wool yarn. We're told that the bunny feels as though he is having his back scratched.

Nicolino enjoys attention of any kind, and he gets lots of it. Mazuk has a passion for angora rabbits and has raised as many as 40 at one time when she lived in New Jersey. Now she has just two angoras, Nicolino, age 4, and Leilani, 2. She does not plan to breed them, although they could breed, well, like rabbits. The gestation period for angoras is 30 days, and litters can range anywhere from one to seven bunnies.

Last year, Nicolino won best in show at the Hawai'i All-Breed Rabbit Club.

Nicolino's hair will yield 100 yards per ounce of single-ply wool. The average fiber on a giant angora is about four inches long. Mazuk offered the Handweavers Hui members bags of Nicolino's wool to take home and spin and weave for themselves.

Angora makes exquisitely soft hats, gloves, scarves, socks and sweaters, although the fiber is a bit warm for our climate. In fact, angora is seven times warmer than sheep's wool.

Angora rabbits originally came from Turkey but have also been bred in England for hundreds of years. In the 21st century, China is the most prominent breeding place for angoras.

Mazuk said rabbits make great pets for people who live in condos. "They are quiet, small and clean. All you need is a cage for them that's big enough so they can stand up and move around a little. They love affection and they'll love coming out and playing with you whenever possible."

With Easter coming up, Mazuk reminds readers that rabbits do not make good pets for children. "They are extremely delicate. That's why God made lots of 'em," she said, adding "Rabbits require a lot of care, and they don't live very long. The recommendation is generally that a child under 7 should not be given a rabbit as a pet."

Reach Paula Rath at 525-5464 or prath@honoluluadvertiser.com.