my experiment with dog hair

[MarvieN]

Ok, so I've been dog sitting for my neighbor all summer. I have been watching this dog shed clumps of hair for weeks now and the thought of spinning it kept floating through my mind. So tonight after we'd cooked out, my neighbor was brushing Sissy and I ran in the house to grab my spindle....

This is the dog:

http://img311.imageshack.us/img311/8927/sissy5lu.jpg

And this is her fur all spun up :

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/5103/doghairspinning3xo.jpg

That's just a few brushes worth. It's a terrible pic, my camera hates closeps. I have't the first clue about carding, other than that it can be done with two dog brushes, and we have two but I wasn't sure at that point what to do, so I just spun lol. The yarn is a bit hairy, like a mohair I guess, and my spinning hasn't yet gotten past the thick and thin stage (though it's not usually this thick and thin when I work with rovings, I have gotten a little better lol) but the point is, I did it! My husband and neighbor thought I was crazy, but I wanted to see if I could. I'm sure it would look better if I take the time to study up on how to do this, make sure the fur is all prepped correctly etc. I just grabbed a few handfulls and went to playing.

The yarn is a nice grey and white, and I could probably fill the spindle with a few days worth of brushing. This pooch sheds in a big way, it honestly wouldn't take long to collect enough to fill a spindle lol. Once winter hits and she really blows her coat I'll get a lot of white from her undercoat. What I played with tonight is a mix of undercoat and the topcoat.

[Sealgair]

What nifty yarn! I'd love to see the full spindle when the coat is blown!

I know that allergies to dogs come from dander which I believe is really the dried saliva and flakes of skin that stick to the hair and float in the air. So a question for you all: would washing the dog-hair yarn alleviate allergy symptoms? I'm not allergic, but I'd still love to know!

[faithpa76]

What a gorgeous dog!! (Sorry, just had to stick that in, lol)

[thecrochetdude]

Here's a funny book that might be helpful:

Knitting With Dog Hair : Better A Sweater From A Dog You Know and Love Than From A Sheep You'll Never Meet (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0312152906/qid%3D1122861363/sr%3D8-1/ref%3Dsr%5F8%5Fxs%5Fap%5Fi1%5Fxgl14/102-1831626-9519354?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

[dhaunae]

LOL! Drew, I am torn between asking just *how* you knew about that book, and being afraid you'd actually answer me. Too, too funny. Props to Marvie for giving spinning doghair a try .. I'll be interested to see what you make with the yarn once you get enough.

[thecrochetdude]

Lani, my art teacher in high school actually knitted a sweater made with spun fur from her two sheepdogs. The sweater was beautiful.

I ran across that book on Amazon once and the clever title stuck in my head! :dog

[dudleyspinner]

I spun dog hair and made some hats from it, they are very fluffy and soft, but they still smell like wet dog when they get wet. LOL. It is very hard to get the doggy smell out of the fiber, even after it is spun. It is soft and pretty though!
Deb

[thecrochetdude]

Here is a company that specializes in spinning pet fur, and they claim that they can remove the dog odor. Perhaps they could answer some questions for you?:

http://www.vipfibers.com/

[whitedtu]

I have heard of someone making socks out of yorkie fur

[LadyyOftheOak]

Unique idea for sure but I can't get my head around the dog smell.. maybe you just have to be a dog person?

I know cashmere comes from goats, and my boer goats have some on their necks at various times of the year, but they don't smell bad either.. I'm not sure I could handle dog hair yarn :(

However.. I do have a chihuahua that I'd like to make slippers out of sometimes.. ok well one slipper (i have big feet).. does that count? :D

[DesertCrocheter]

I have 2 Samoyeds, and lots of sammy owners save their fur for spinning. Because they have no lanolin in their coat, people with wool allergies are not affected by it. They also have no dander, so no pet allergy problems. I understand that sammy fur items are VERY warm (they are sub-Arctic dogs). A sammy rescue groups has an ebay auction every year, and there are always at least one or two sammy fur items. There was a GORGEOUS scarf this year that I would have loved to own, but when the bidding hit $50, I had to drop out. Can't remember exactly, but I think it finally sold for about $200. It was stunning!

Scratchiness (and smelliness) would depend on the breed of dog who donated the fur (all dog fur is not created equal). I've heard nordic fur isn't so easy to work with because of the guard hairs (does the carding get these out or are you supposed to get them out somehow?). But we have bags from 35 years of sammies that one day I will get carded and spun and use--I just won't wear it here in AZ!!

Patty

[MarvieN]

Well, on the smell issue... so far I have yet to smell wet dog smell from Sissy (and I've had to walk her in the rain several times) and her owner says that she really never has that smell, maybe once or twice a year at most. I'm guessing because she's a sled dog that they are designed to be wet from snow etc. so maybe they just don't have that smell? But what I'm thinking is to make something that won't need to be washed, more of a keepsake item or something. I've seen that website before that will spin the fur for you and treat it for the smell, they'll also crochet or knit the yarn into different things. Keepsake picture frames and all sorts of things. I'm not sure I have the patience to spin up enough to do a sweater, that bit that I did was rather a pain for a novice spinner on a spindle. Maybe if I get much better and if I had a wheel lol. I can at least get a couple spindles full though, work up something for them. (heh, it's the least I can do, since hubby and I seem to have stolen Sissy's affections lol.)

[LynxRufus]

I've spun dog hair before (a newfoundland). It was wonderful. I found that a few drops of baby oil in the final rinse when you're setting the yarn really goes a long way to get that just bathed dog smell out of the yarn

[cajunwhacko]

Why don't you make a little stuffed dog out of the fur that you spin? It'd be a nice momento, and it's not something that you'd have to wash like a sweater.

[crazy crocheter]

I have a Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie) and she is shedding like crazy right now. I really want to spin her hair. That would be so neat to make a blanket or something and say that it is my dogs' hair! I have to get that book now! :manyheart

[Kimberly]

Great job on the spinning! Sissy is an adorable dog!

I had a large collie growing up that would shed like no other during the summer - I remember having piles of doggie fur next to me after a good brushing session....my mum always said it looked like I had a second dog laying next to me. :lol I would throw the fur onto our back hill for animals to re-use for their nests (the birdies always had a twig-fur nest that took up residence in the bushes out side my window). Wish I would have thought about having some of that hair spun - 14 years of brushing out a Michigan winter coat on a full size collie was a lot of fur!

[dudleyspinner]

This is from the company that Drew linked to. VIP spinning that specializes in spinning your pet fur.

Q:


If my yarn gets wet, will it smell like a wet dog (or cat)??

A:


No. Included in our Standard Fee is the processing of removing the enzymes that cause odor. Once the enzymes are removed, so are the odor causing entities. As with all natural fibers, there is a natural odor to it when wet, but it no more offensive than that of Alpaca, wool, angora or any other natural fiber.


So I would imagine that the deodorizers that are made for spots on the carpet would work for the doggy smell.
Deb

[rebeccav]

fabulous! my sister is saving fur from her fluffy-mutt dog. i was planning to use the enzyme remover you can get at pet stores to wash out the smell. so far we've only got 2 plastic bags... she's not that big :lol

keep going! i'm anxious to see what you get made from it:clap

sissy is beautiful!! love her 'eye liner'

[MarvieN]

She is gorgeous =) I have a thing for blue eyed critters. And who couldn't love that face!

I should get a lot of fur here in the next few weeks, she'll blow her coat pretty soon. It's already cooling off here and her mom comes home Monday, she'll have the heat on real quick, as she's even colder natured than I am lol. I plan to brush the heck out of Sissy between now and then and I've asked her dad to save anything they brush off her too. I've got about a half a bag so far, but I haven't been brushing her daily either. If I had, I'd probably have a couple bags full by now lol. That pooch sheds a LOT rofl. The floor of their house is nothing but fur bunnies a day after vaccuming. I think she even beats out my four cats!

[Sissy]

If you can use poodle hair, there would not be an odor problem. But, they don't actually shed. I would think you could get all of the fur you want from a grooming salon. Hmmmm.......I have mine groomed every month........an idea!

[carrieanne]

Beautiful dog! I would love to see what you make from the yarn, its a very pretty color!