How to make dog hair yarn

Video: How to Spin Dog Fur Into Yarn: Theo the Samoyed Floof

Content

Part 2 of 3: Washing wool
Part 3 of 3: Getting the yarn
Tips
Warnings
What do you need

1 Brush your dog regularly in the spring when it sheds after winter. Dogs tend to shed more in the spring, making this a good time to collect their hair. Use a brush or combing mitt to comb the dog's back, sides, and other fluffy areas, but avoid the paws and head. Remove any coarse hair that remains on the brush as you won't need it.

Dog breeds such as the Samoyed Laika, Siberian Husky, Malamute, Golden Retriever, Newfoundland, Collie and Shepherd Dog are excellent for yarn production as they have a thick undercoat and long coat.

2 Remove the wool from the brush and place it in a cloth bag. After removing coarse hairs from the wool, carefully remove it from the brush with your hands and transfer it to a cloth bag. Leave the bag open for good air circulation to prevent mold.

If you don't have a cotton bag, you can use a pillowcase or even a cardboard box to collect wool.
Avoid storing wool in plastic bags, as they do not provide good air circulation and cause mold formation.
Do not overfill the bag with wool or tamp it in it. Too high density of wool can cause mold formation.

3 Make sure you have at least 115 grams of wool. Any type of yarn requires a substantial amount of wool. After each collection of wool, weigh all wool to estimate the stock available. If your dog's coat is thin or short, you will probably need up to 350 grams of wool to start making yarn.

Keep the pouches out of reach of your dog, as some dogs love to play with their own hair!

4 Add fibers or other types of wool to the dog hair to create blended yarns. If you want a special yarn texture, you can include llama or alpaca wool in your dog's coat, or you can use a variety of dog breeds. If you do not have enough dog hair or your dog's coat is shorter than 5 cm in length, you can add other fibers to get stronger yarns and more.

If your own dog does not produce as much hair, contact a professional groomer to see if you can get other dogs 'hair, or suggest brushing your family or friends' dog to collect additional hair.
It is possible that the collected wool will have a slightly different texture, but this is quite normal. If there is no coarse hair in the wool, the fibers can be thoroughly mixed while combing the wool.

Part 2 of 3: Washing wool

1 Combine warm water and liquid detergent in a large bowl. Add 2-3 drops of liquid dish detergent or dog shampoo to a bowl and add lukewarm water. Stir the solution with your hand to create an even temperature and remove any foam that may have formed on the surface.
- Extra foam will make the coat difficult to rinse, but soap is essential to keep the coat clean.
2 Submerge wool in soapy water for 10 minutes. Take the wool and immerse it in the water with your hands so that it is completely wet. Press down on the coat, but do not tug or stretch it, as this may tear the fibers. Leave the wool to soak so that all dirt and debris will lag behind.
- Try to keep the water at a constant temperature to prevent felting of the coat.
3 Remove the wool from the soapy water and refill the bowl with warm water. Pick up all the wool from the bowl with your hand and drain the soapy water.Fill the bowl with the same lukewarm water as before, and make sure that virtually no foam bubbles appear in the water.
- If there is foam in the water, drain it and refill the bowl to rinse the wool afterwards.
4 Submerge the wool in water and press down on it to get rid of any soap residue. Return the wool back to the bowl and press down in water to remove soapy water and other debris. If the coat is very soapy, you may need to rinse it again with clean, lukewarm water.
- Try not to stretch or twist the wool in the water, as this can damage the fibers and become matted after it dries.
5 Let the wool dry in the sun for about 1–2 hours. Lay a towel or sieve and lay the wool on top. Try to spread the wool as wide as possible without tearing it into small pieces. If it's windy outside, cover the wool with another towel or sieve to prevent it from being carried away.
- If it's cloudy or rainy outside, leave the wool to dry at home in a well-ventilated area. Drying wool at home can take up to four hours.

Part 3 of 3: Getting the yarn

1 Steam the wool hand combers for wool in the same way as for ordinary sheep's wool. Place a tuft of wool on one of the hand comb and start combing it. To do this, run the second comb down the coat 2-3 times to straighten and lengthen the fibers. Continue working until the entire coat is soft and smooth.
- If you are going to mix dog hair with another type of wool, such as lamb or alpaca, you can add it in this step by placing it on a comb over the dog's hair before starting the combing procedure. This will blend and lengthen the fibers, making the spinning process easier.
2 Remove the combed wool from the comb and roll it into a roll. Use your hands or a special tool to pick up the wool from below and remove it from the wire bristles of the comb. As soon as you remove all the wool from the comb, lay it on a flat surface and use your hands to roll it into a roll in one direction, forming a kind of cylinder of wool.
- This will allow fibers from different areas to be combined together, making spinning easier, especially if you have used wool from different sources, such as dog and sheep wool, or from different dog breeds.
3 Use a spindle to create long yarn with ease. Take the prepared roll of wool in one of your hands and hook the edge of it onto the spindle hook. Unscrew the spindle with your other hand and begin to gradually pull the wool fibers from the roll down towards the spindle. As a result, a long thread of yarn will start to form.
- If the fibers of the dog's hair are too short and you don't first mix them with another type of wool, the coat may not be strong enough to support the weight of the spindle. In this case, you will need to twist the yarn by hand.
4 If you don't have a spindle, twist the yarn by hand. Take a roll of wool in one hand, form a tip on it and gently pinch with two fingers. With the other hand, begin to twist the protruding end of the wool and gradually draw out the additional wool fibers from the first hand. Continue twisting the wool until you have a tight, dense and long enough yarn.
- This method produces shorter, thicker yarns that are best for making hats or other small items.
5 Use dog wool yarn to make warm garments. Try knitting or crocheting from your yarn. Dog wool yarn is soft and warm and is good at repelling water, so try knitting a hat or scarf out of it. You can even knit socks or gloves for warmth!
- And if you have a lot of yarn, you can knit a sweater or blanket out of it.
6 Store yarn in a dry and well-ventilated place. Even finished yarn can become moldy if it gets damp. When not using yarn for knitting, store it in a dry and well-ventilated place. If you are storing yarn in a bag, use a bag made of breathable fabric, such as cotton.
- Try to keep the yarn out of the reach of pets, as the fibers can still store some of their odor, which will make the pets happy to play with the yarn!

Tips

Do not use clipped wool and main hair instead of undercoat for making yarn, as such yarn will be very scratched, and things made from it will be uncomfortable to wear.