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Handspun Yarn from Pet Cat and Dog Fur

9/10/2015

12 Comments

 
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Cocoa and a scarf made from her fur.

As a pet owner I thought this was an interesting site to share.  My poodles are hair dogs so this information doesn't apply, but I would have loved to know this service existed when my German Shepherd was alive.  I could brush him all day and still get a handful of fur.   Even thirteen years after his passing I can still find pieces of him in the far corners of a closet or on clothing I having worn for awhile.  It would have been wonderful to have a hat or a scarf made from my Max's beautiful coat.   
     *********************************************************************************************
Wear your best friend wherever you go with yarn made from brushings from your pet cat or dog. Pet fur makes a lovely fluffy yarn with a halo like angora and is very warm for its weight. I can spin your pet’s fur into yarn for you to knit, crochet or weave, or I can spin and knit it for you into mittens, a hat or a lacy scarf.

What kind of cats and dogs have good fur for spinning?
The main requirement is that the fur is soft and long enough to spin. A minimum length of about 1 inch is required, otherwise the yarn sheds a lot and may be prickly.

Many kinds of dogs have good fur to spin. Some suitable breeds are Siberian Husky, Samoyed, Malamute, Golden Retriever, Newfoundland, American Eskimo and Great Pyrenees but any dog with a long, soft undercoat is suitable.

Long or medium-haired cats provide the best fur among cats. Breeds such as Persian, Ragdoll, and Himalayan have long enough fur to make excellent yarn. But even short-haired cats can provide fur, although it will take a long time to collect enough to spin.



How much fur do I need?
Not as much as you might think. Even 1-2 ounces of fur can be blended with wool to make a pair of mittens or a hat.

A sandwich bag stuffed full of fur weighs about half an ounce. A grocery bag of fur weighs about 8 ounces.


Why do you sometimes blend the fur with wool?
I cat blend dog and cat fur with about 50% fine wool to give added strength and elasticity and to create more yarn if you have a small quantity or fur. I can spin dog fur without blending it with wool but if it is knitted it may sag not bounce back into shape after it’s stretched. This may be fine for a scarf or throw, but may not be suitable for a hat or mittens. 100% cat fur will felt itself and become stiff and hard so it is not recommended.

Judy Kavanagh is a hand spinner from Ottawa, Canada. I've not met her and I hope she doesn't mind  my spreading awareness of her interesting site.  Her pricing and information is all listed there. Click this link:    http://www.jumaka.com/spinning/petfur.html


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I've never met a dog that doesn't enjoy being combed and brushed.  
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Golden Retriever and Merino Wool mitt
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Dog Fur Yarn
12 Comments
Janet
9/11/2015 05:32:50 am

Great and very interesting blog today.

Reply
Cynthia
9/11/2015 05:33:39 am

Our Basset Hound sheds what seems like 10 pounds a day. Not sure it would be good to spin though.

Reply
Deborah
9/11/2015 05:34:25 am

ummmm - no - I pick enough dog and cat hair off my clothes, my furniture and my rugs - thank you very much! lol

Reply
Christine Holman MacInnis
9/12/2015 04:02:04 pm

I had this done from our Shuz Zuh Poodle. Puzzles, our dog, has fur hair and after I cut her hair a number of times I had it spun and made a scarf with sections of her wool too...turned out so nice! A treasure for sure!!

Reply
Lori Bennett
11/30/2017 03:16:12 pm

I have hoarded the hair from my 2 cherished old English sheepdogs of the years and am interested I. Knowing if you can spin it into wool for me

Reply
Patricia M O'Connor link
3/4/2021 12:14:34 pm

Could I send my dog's fur to you to be spun into yarn? Would it be expensive to send from North Carolina to Nova Scotia?

Reply
Christine
3/8/2021 10:48:27 am

Hi Patricia,

I wrote the blog about Judy because I thought it was interesting. I am not a spinner. She is the one that spins the hair/fur. I listed her website at the bottom of the blog so you could contact her. Cheers.

Reply
Robert marcum
6/10/2021 05:29:23 am

Are you still in business? What would you need? Australian Shepherd so long fur. I’m losing my baby and was thinking of shaving her and sending the fur

Reply
Christine
6/15/2021 10:10:18 am

Sorry to hear about your baby. Sorry but we don't process animal fur. I posted that blog about someone that does it because it was interesting. Cheers. .

Reply
Brenda Parker
6/20/2021 10:50:11 am

Looking to make sweater and hat from my kitties fur

Reply
Ian Harvey
9/16/2021 03:00:20 am

I've collected about 2 sandwich bags worth of british blue short hair car fir. Most of the firs are just over an inch. I've been collecting for a while and in the bag, it's felted. Is this workable, and what would be possible to create?

Reply
closest petsmart to me link
12/19/2021 08:29:57 am

This is a really good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.
Simple but very precise info… Appreciate your
sharing this one. A must read article!

Reply



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