Recycling cat and dog hair...

[TheRealPamela]

I have a cat and dog. If you want me to save and wash their hair for you to spin and use, all I will ask for is shipping costs.
My dog
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...i/CIMG1078.jpg
My cat
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b24/Vegpami/brina.jpg

so it's a mix. Sounds weird but it's just recycling and they like getting brushed. Better than tossing it.

[feministmama]

Sounds weird but it's just recycling and they like getting brushed. Better than tossing it.

Sounds cool. I wish my cats liked getting brushed :rollseyes:

[Ingrid]

There's a woman at work who has several pounds of her dog's hair all cleaned and ready to be spun for a sweater for her husband. If she lets me, I'll take a pic if she ever gets around to it.

[TheRealPamela]

ha, well Pepe and Brina are pretty small, Pepe is 16 pounds, so it will take while before I get pounds of dog hair out of him.

[Ingrid]

I saw the pic--his hair looks pretty short. I think the woman at work as a Chow. Lots of reddish hair.

[amy]

Pamela, spinning dog hair is fun, I've done it! Great of you to offer yours. :D Unfortunately short hair from cats and short-haired dogs is not really spinnable. I had a dog with even longer hair, and I could barely spin it, it was still too short. Well, it was doable, but it required a very fine spindle used for cotton that most spinners don't spin with. However, soft fluffy fur makes great stuffing for teddy bears and such crafty projects, so if you've saved it, you can use it for that!

Ooh, Ingrid, I bet that chow fur was a PRETTY color!

BTW, another fact about spinning pet hair: it's usually the undercoat, not the top, coarse fur, that is spun. The top hair can be spun too, probably good for sock soles, nice and durable. But the undercoat is the soft stuff.

If you want to spin pet fur, you can often get it free from a pet groomer. Ask them to save you the clean combings of a long-haired breed, like a collie. They wash the dog, then dry and comb it, and all they need to do is put it in a bag for you. Shedding season is the best time to get it.

[Jan in CA]

I've taken the fur from my cat's undercoat that gets brushed out and can almost spin it in my fingers so I'm pretty sure it would work. However I don't spin so I've just tossed it. :rollseyes:

Here's her pic. She's a ragdoll and very furry/fuzzy. She doesn't mind getting brushed and I get a ton of fur out of her in the spring and summer. She's 14 now though so .... :(

[chanters]

Wow, I love Ragdolls, they're so great!

I had no idea you could use pet hair that way! Wow! How does that work out? Doesn't it smell odd? Then again, wool comes from animals too so I'm being dumb, I guess But, how do you do it at home?

[jsauer]

Hey, RealPamela - that's cool. you know, my first knitting teacher told us about using pet hair and the usual worry about it smelling when it gets wet - she said a trick is to wash it in ....wait for this ....douche solution! (everyone goes ewwwww!) It neutralizes the odor just as it does for , well, you know. LOL :rofling: anyone else heard of his?

My dog Peg produces wonderful undercoat for spinning - but I've never tried it - maybe I will now!

[ItsBecca]

Ick, I'm allergic to dogs, keep it away!