Yarn and keepsakes made from your furry best friend

While the most common yarn is made from sheep’s wool, it can be made from a the fur of many other animals. You may know of yarn from alpaca, angora (rabbit), and cashmere (goat), but do you know about Quivit (Musk Ox)? 

Yarn can be made from dog fur. Dogs with fur have a double coat, such as a Sheltie or a Samoyed. Dogs with hair have a single coat, such as a poodle. Fur from dogs can make lovely yarn, depending on the length. Dog hair, the guard hair or outer coat, the part that is usually smooth and shiny, needs to be blended with another fiber such as sheep or alpaca wool in order to become yarn. 

Dog fur is light and airy, and spins down to a small amount. For example, 1 oz of Sheltie fur will yield about 25-30 yards of yarn. 

The dog fur can be blended with other wools to help hold it together and increase the amount of yarn.  

 

How do you make yarn from dog fur? 

Collect the brushed fur. Fur from clippings does not work well. The cut ends clump together during the spinning process. Fur from Furminator and other shedding brushes also is not desirable. Shedding brushes often are harsh and can split or break the fur causing. 

A 2 gallon zip lock bag holds about 2 oz of fur. 

The fur should be reasonably clean (no visible dirt). If it is excessively oily or dirty it will have to be washed before spinning, and this will cause a loss in the quantity of fur. 

Once the fur is collected and ready to go, it gets carded. This is a process that combs the fur so that the fibers are running in the same direction. This is necessary for spinning. 

The carded fur is then spun on a spinning wheel into a 2 ply yarn. 

The yarn is then measured, washed to set the twist and get out any remaining oils and dirt. 

Now it is ready to use!

 

Using Dog yarn

Dog yarn can be made into anything you like. Yes, it will retain a certain amount of dog smell, but mainly when it gets wet. Also, depending on the dog, it will have a “halo” or fuzzy look.

Some people find it desirable to have a scarf, hat or other item made from their dogs yarn. Others prefer a keepsake. 

 

Interested in having yarn made from your dog’s fur? 

Contact me if you are interested. We will discuss your dog’s fur, and what you are looking to do. 

Collect 1 to 2 oz of your dogs fur. I will make a sample and show you the result. If you are satisfied I will spin up the rest and either send you the yarn or you can have a keepsake made. If there is leftover yarn from the keepsake, I will return that to you as well. 

The cost is $30 for the first time working with your dog fur, up to 2 oz. This will give you  the yarn produced. After we have a yarn or blend that you like, the pricing will be based on what, if any, other fiber is needed or desired to create your yarn. For some dogs (Shelties, Samoyed, Bernese Mountain Dog, Keeshound, Golden Retriever, Newfoundland, etc) the dog fur alone makes a lovely yarn. 

If you would like a keepsake made from the yarn, you can choose from a Dreamcatcher or a Heart. Prices include the $30 fee, and all materials to make the keepsake.

 

Interested? Want to learn more? send us an email!