OK, this is just too much...

[PJ]

I somehow signed up for this knitting newsletter, I think when I signed up for a free pattern site. Anyhoo, this is today's edition...

http://promotions.drgnetwork.com/newsletters/series/knitting/knitting-8of8.html

 

Now, my Preston (pictured in my avatar) is adorable and has very soft fur, but I think I'll have to take a pass on making it into anything!

[CraftyChristine]

LOL!

 

I've thought about this a few times, but have never actually done it. I don't suppose it would be any worse than using wool...it's still fur. I do wonder what it'd smell like wet though, not too pleasant I would think.

[DesertCrocheter]

Oh how funny is that! Just yesterday in the pet questionnaire I asked, jokingly, if anyone spun dog fur because I have bags of it. And I was happy to read in that article that the spinner prefers Samoyed fur because that's what I have! I've heard that it's really too warm to wear, too, but I still want to make something out of my babies' fur!

 

Patty

[deneen]

One of my older crochet mags from last year had a pattern for crocheting a tam from dog hair. You have to collect it, wash it and then pick out the odd pieces, etc. I though it was strange, but apparently the lady who wrote the pattern does it frequently.

[HollyM]

It's actually quite common. Dog hair makes incredibly soft & warm yarn, warmer than wool. It's often blended with wool to make a cooler garment! Once properly washed, it doesn't smell at all. Trust me, if you smelled wool right off the sheep, well, makes wet dog smell downright delightful

 

Certain breeds have more suitable coats than others. Collies, Chows, Samoyed, Aussies, Goldens are all good candidates. A black lab's hair wouldn't work well because the hairs are short and stiff. A lady in my spinning group won first prize at a fair with a scarf she made spun from collie hair. Probably didn't hurt that she made sure the collie was there at judging time

 

Here's a neat site that tells about the process and has pictures of several finished projects. http://www.vipfibers.com/knitting-project-ideas.htm

I have about half a grocery bag filled up with hair from my guys (one Golden and one Aussie mix) I'm hoping when the big spring shed comes, I'll be able to get enough to work with.

 

Holly

[Donna]

I've been saving my Golden's hair, but I don't have anywhere near as much as you do, Holly! For the first time, I'm actually wanting her to shed.

[Stacey]

Hmmm, I wonder whether my dog's fur would make good yarn He's part Aussie, but has more the coloring (blue merle, I think the name is--he's a lovely black/gray mix, when he was a puppy he actually even looked blue) than the fur type, I think. The other part is elkhound and I think that's the type of fur he got--a little bristly on top but with a very soft & thick undercoat (he more explodes than sheds in the spring ). Maybe I should start saving the fur when I brush him!

[xantha]

Hmmm, I wonder whether my dog's fur would make good yarn

 

Stacey, you can actually check this yourself with a small amount of his/her fur. Take a tuft of it and gently pull it apart, then hold one end solidly and twist with your other. You can pretty much figure out how it will feel as a yarn by itself doing this.

 

Both of my dogs have really short staple lengths (the length of the hairs), and it would be near impossible to spin by itself. I am thinking about blending it with some merino and seeing how that works -- I love the color that their fur makes together when I sweep up the fur-bunnies in the house!

 

[one dog has wheat colored hair, the other a rich reddish-brown. Together it just looks awesome and it is impossible to recreate!]

[Stacey]

Neat--I'll give that a try. So basically, if the tuft doesn't want to twist together, then the length is probably too short?

 

Oh, man, hubby is going to think I've gone off the deep end But this would --eventually, anyway--give me a way to learn spinning w/out having to spend money beyond a few dollars for the do-it-yourself drop spindle instructions I bookmarked. And he is so pretty--I bet his fur would make the prettiest variegated gray yarn... (That's what color the dust bunnies are, give or take some contributions from the cats.)

[NancyCA]

I had read somewhere a couple of years ago about a lady that crocheted her dog and cat's hair into things. WILD!

 

Also, I have a mini schnauzer and they don't shed THANK GOODNESS!!!