Dog hair

[Judi Gums]

A couple years ago I saw a show on Animal Planet about a lady in NY who takes dog and cat hair and makes things out of it for the owners. It was actually very pretty. It isn't any different then any other wool to me, and for some it allowed them to keep a little something of their beloved pet that they could keep long after the pet was gone. She made several small clutch purses. I have a German Shepherd who is shedding all the time. I picked up some one time and began rolling it back and forth in my hands, when my husband asked me what I was doing I had to tell him.....making German Shepherd yarn.....lol. It wasn't all that pretty to me with all her colors mixed together though. I saw one she did that looked like a calico cat, it was really pretty looking actually. Don't know that I would do it. She spun the hair making wool out of it.

After going through allergy treatments for many years and never getting over my cat allergy I know that it isn't the hair but as others have said it is the dander that causes an allergy. In cats their saliva dries on their fur and then flakes causing an allergic reaction. So once the fur is washed properly it wouldn't cause the person any more problems.

Just fun to see these things. I'll stick to yarn that I purchase though.
Judi G

[Theresa L]

It's funny the social values we have. It's hard to imagine using the dog's fur but once you think about it and get past the idea, it's not really so odd. It's actually quite thrifty. Now I'm kind of wondering how you spin yarn from dog fur. I have a Great Pyrenees and he has the fluffiest white fur and tons of it!

[Judi Gums]

I am wondering if Youtube has something on spinning dog hair. I love Great Pyreneese!!! And how pretty that would be using their hair. I am a big dog person myself, the bigger the better.

Let me know if you find anything.

Judi G

It's funny the social values we have. It's hard to imagine using the dog's fur but once you think about it and get past the idea, it's not really so odd. It's actually quite thrifty. Now I'm kind of wondering how you spin yarn from dog fur. I have a Great Pyrenees and he has the fluffiest white fur and tons of it!

[Carynjoyb]

Funny, for a very long time I saved my cat's fur. She has beautiful long hair. Mostly white, with hints of brown. I was thinking of having it spun for me, but threw it away. It would have been very warm, but I don't think my dog would have liked it. LOL

[OregonCaro]

I have a pillow that says "No outfit is complete without cat fur" I have lint rollers all over my house just in case! I have read about a woman that used cat hair to make purses and such so I think there are people out there doing it.

[Theresa L]

I am wondering if Youtube has something on spinning dog hair. I love Great Pyreneese!!! And how pretty that would be using their hair. I am a big dog person myself, the bigger the better.

Let me know if you find anything.

Judi G

You were right! YouTube has tons of video. I haven't watched them all yet and there are so many I didn't want to post them all here but here is the link to the page on You Tube with all the videos if anyone else wants to have a look. spinning dog hair - YouTube

[Judi Gums]

I am not surprised that youtube has dog hair spinning on there. Isn't it wild? Think of the money you could save on yarn...lol.
I'll check out some of the videos later when I have more time.

Thanks,
Judi G

You were right! YouTube has tons of video. I haven't watched them all yet and there are so many I didn't want to post them all here but here is the link to the page on You Tube with all the videos if anyone else wants to have a look. spinning dog hair - YouTube

[lisatafoya]

I saw the clip and she was making yarn from siberian husky hair in the traditional spinning method that one would use with a goat or a sheep. The yarn is sterilized. Not sure if I would wear anything made from it, but I bet it is warm! And she has 3 huskies of her own so I am sur eshe has oodles of supply!

[Theresa L]

Recently I have been following a lot of information about "preppers" -people who are preparing for some sort of catastrophic disaster or the collapse of the world economies. I have yet to see anything about spinning their own yarn, from dogs or any other animal. I would think in that kind of scenario, that would be a handy skill to have.

[crochetgal]

People will use yarns spun from alpacas, rabbits (angora) and sheep, so why not dogs (or cats) as well?

I've got some absolutely gorgeous yarns here that are spun from Sugar cane (yes the same place that table sugar comes from) but its NOT sweet at all. (Yes, I had to taste it). You wouldn't know it was sugar spun unless you read the label.