Spinning Dog Hair - Part Two
Here is part two in a two part series discussing what it takes to spin your dog's pet hair into beautiful yarn!
Leigh Dudenhoeffer of Frozen Tundra Fiber Arts is a long time spinner of dog hair. She has graciously agreed to provide us with some tips about how to get started spinning this special type of fiber!
ALVB: When did you first try spinning dog hair? What made you want to try it?
LD: I started spinning dog hair about 10 years ago when my neighbor's Llasa Apso was dying. The lady had saved bags and bags of his hair from all his groomings and knew I spun wool. She came over with it and asked me if it could be spun. I told her I could spin anything except dryer lint. I made her 2 skeins of pure Chiengora sock weight (14wpi) yarn that she knit into a hat and mittens with a skein left over. After that, people just started bringing over their dog hair to have it spun, if I could.
ALVB: How does it differ from more "traditional" fibers like wool, Alpaca and Angora?
LD: Dog hair differs in that there is very little crimp in most. St. Bernard hair from the long haired breeds is silky and lustrous and requires medium twist, but not too much or the yarn will be hard. Long haired dachshund is very silky and lustrous also and spins very much like alpaca hair. I have found that some dog hair is very similar to Llama hair (thicker & sometimes coarse), some is quite similar to camel hair (very coarse), and some is similar to Alpaca hair (very fine and lustrous). None that I have ever spun was anything close to being like Angora.
ALVB: Do you use a wheel or a spindle to spin the dog hair?
LD: I use both a spindle and a wheel to spin dog hair. It all depends on my mood when I start spinning it and the staple length of the hair. I generally do short hair (under 1-1/2") on a spindle, but have also done it on a single drive spinning wheel. I typically spin long dog hair on a double drive spinning wheel (a matter of comfort for me as my double drive wheel allows me to treadle almost at a crawl if I want), but I've spun it also on a spindle. Most of my spindles are bottom whorl drop spindles.
ALVB: What would you recommend to those who want to give dog hair spinning a try?
LD: If someone is highly interested in spinning dog hair I generally recommend that they wash and deodorize it first. There is nothing like finding out you're allergic to dog hair the hard way. Most dog hair does not need to be carded, but if you feel you must, do so lightly. Do a lot of experimenting. Dog hair is very, very versatile.
I hope the great insights by these two great spinners have been helpful for those of you who have been considering giving dog hair spinning a try. If anyone does try it out, make sure to share your results with everyone here!
Leigh Dudenhoeffer of Frozen Tundra Fiber Arts is a long time spinner of dog hair. She has graciously agreed to provide us with some tips about how to get started spinning this special type of fiber!
ALVB: When did you first try spinning dog hair? What made you want to try it?
LD: I started spinning dog hair about 10 years ago when my neighbor's Llasa Apso was dying. The lady had saved bags and bags of his hair from all his groomings and knew I spun wool. She came over with it and asked me if it could be spun. I told her I could spin anything except dryer lint. I made her 2 skeins of pure Chiengora sock weight (14wpi) yarn that she knit into a hat and mittens with a skein left over. After that, people just started bringing over their dog hair to have it spun, if I could.
ALVB: How does it differ from more "traditional" fibers like wool, Alpaca and Angora?
LD: Dog hair differs in that there is very little crimp in most. St. Bernard hair from the long haired breeds is silky and lustrous and requires medium twist, but not too much or the yarn will be hard. Long haired dachshund is very silky and lustrous also and spins very much like alpaca hair. I have found that some dog hair is very similar to Llama hair (thicker & sometimes coarse), some is quite similar to camel hair (very coarse), and some is similar to Alpaca hair (very fine and lustrous). None that I have ever spun was anything close to being like Angora.
ALVB: Do you use a wheel or a spindle to spin the dog hair?
LD: I use both a spindle and a wheel to spin dog hair. It all depends on my mood when I start spinning it and the staple length of the hair. I generally do short hair (under 1-1/2") on a spindle, but have also done it on a single drive spinning wheel. I typically spin long dog hair on a double drive spinning wheel (a matter of comfort for me as my double drive wheel allows me to treadle almost at a crawl if I want), but I've spun it also on a spindle. Most of my spindles are bottom whorl drop spindles.
ALVB: What would you recommend to those who want to give dog hair spinning a try?
LD: If someone is highly interested in spinning dog hair I generally recommend that they wash and deodorize it first. There is nothing like finding out you're allergic to dog hair the hard way. Most dog hair does not need to be carded, but if you feel you must, do so lightly. Do a lot of experimenting. Dog hair is very, very versatile.
I hope the great insights by these two great spinners have been helpful for those of you who have been considering giving dog hair spinning a try. If anyone does try it out, make sure to share your results with everyone here!
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