Dog fur

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Niels

Full Member
Mar 28, 2011
2,582
3
26
Netherlands
My dog is now proudly bearing his full wintercoat, but when the time comes, (About april-may)
There is always a huge undercoat shedding out, and I was wondering, if it could be used to make something with.
Or is this an absolutely ridiculous thought?
I was thinking in particular a bow string but any thoughts would be appreciated.:)
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,109
2,847
66
Pembrokeshire
You could try spinning the hair into yarn and knitting with it - common in Finland it seems - and cordage may not be impossible ... I once finger combed a fistful of Tonys dogs hair and twisted it into a fairly strong cord as we chatted...
 

TurboGirl

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 8, 2011
2,326
1
Leicestershire
www.king4wd.co.uk
I know a few spinners who have used their dogs fur- one even does it as a business and will knit you a teddy out of it :) It helps to mix it with a well crimped sheeps wool but if you can make yourself a spindle, tis a lovely hand-project to wander around the woods chatting at campfires with :)

Goldings are the rolls royces with their rim weighting top whorl designs (much easier to stand and spin with in the the woods compared to the bottom whorls) or theres a simple instructable here... I'm mid-spindle make atm as I lent mine to a bushbro who wanted to make them himself and I've never got 'em back!
:red:
Sky's the limit for design, just keep within the range of weights/ sizes on the goldings specs, lighter for fine wool (which is a LOT harder to spin evenly!), heavier for coarser, thicker wool... then you can make fingerless mitts easily with a rectangle of it knitted up :)
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The problem with a bowstring is there's always some inherant elasticity in a spun fibre, particularly one made of many shorter fibres- it'd prob not have the strength as it slips along the fibre. You'd need a strong long (poss veg/ bark?) fibre in which case the dogfur would be purely aesthetic and likely to shed out of the string quickly.
 
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Elen Sentier

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I've spun cat hair - long haired cat! - but not dog hair. Your dog's got a good long coat, hasn't he ,so should work.
Agree with TG about the spindle - and thanks for the tip about Goldings, TG. Hair works well for spinning, Mohair is hair not wool, and many folk have been doing it all round the world forever :)
 

Harvestman

Bushcrafter through and through
May 11, 2007
8,656
26
55
Pontypool, Wales, Uk
Turbogirl I'd love to learn more about your spindle make. My wife really wants to get into spinning, and I have a lathe, so after a look on the goldings site, I'm thinking about making one for her.
 

NS40

Nomad
Nov 20, 2011
362
4
Scotland
I've used fur from my hounds in fly tying.

My youngest has a sandy/ginger coat so makes for good hare's ear nymphs or on weighted nymphs for grayling fishing. My eldest is jet black so can be dubbed to make great spider pattern bodies.

Good old Isaac Walton was apparently a fan of using neck fur from greyhounds for fly tying so my two lurchers are a great source of materials.
 

TurboGirl

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 8, 2011
2,326
1
Leicestershire
www.king4wd.co.uk
Turbogirl I'd love to learn more about your spindle make. My wife really wants to get into spinning, and I have a lathe, so after a look on the goldings site, I'm thinking about making one for her.
Ohhh, you'll be flying them out on a lathe! Tell her to have a look for Spinners Guilds meets near you or fibre craft shows... you have a great one in wales, mmmm can't remember if its Yarnfest... ah no, Wonderwool Wales, thats it... when I've done a bit more and got it into action, I'll pop a thread up on it but its taking aaagggggeeeeees to recarve my upcycle tealight holder by hand ;)

Thought pontypool rang a bell... these guys are the current makers of my Leicester spinning wheel and may well be worth asking about local venues/ courses/ a potential workshop visit :) Timbertops Spinning Wheels at Woodland Turnery
 
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Dave

Hill Dweller
Sep 17, 2003
6,019
9
Brigantia
I have a fishing buddy who swaps his rottys hair, with other fly tyers dogs, to make nymphs and such.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,938
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
I know one lady who spun her pets combed Winter coat shed into enough wool to knit a jacket for herself.
The dog's been dead at least ten years and she still wears it.
Kind of macabre :yuck:

It depends on the breed, but almost all animal hair will spin. I've spun Highland cow combings :) among other things.
Doesn't always mean that it'll make good comfortable wearing 'wool' though.

There's a type of braiding, ply split braiding, that is ideally suited to animal hair spun yarn though. It makes great belts, harnesses, etc.,

cheers,
Toddy
 

S.C.M.

Nomad
Jul 4, 2012
257
0
Algarve, Portugal
Will dog hair felt?

Yes. At least, Portuguese Water Dog hair will felt. My mum made something, possibly slippers, out of our dogs "wool" a while ago, but I don't think they lasted as well as the alpaca ones (I might be wrong). She also did a kneel mat for a friend out of their dogs hair. I think it was some sort of long-haired thing, kinda like an Old English Sheepdog.
 

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