Scarf of handspun doghair, Romney wool warp. Weft is alternating picks of handspun doghair and commercial Suri alpaca. Threading was straight draw on a four shaft loom. Treadling is straight twill with the doghair weft, alternating with pick of plain weave with the alpaca.
This is lovely. What kind of dog? We are overrun with beautiful pale gold golden retriever down (probably could get enough for a narrow scarf just by brushing off my skirt). If only I was a spinner...
Laurie Autio
Don't even talk to me about dog hair! We have 7 and one on order. All are inside dogs. It is my understanding though that you can't take the hair off the floor, that you have to get the clean undercoat to spin. Love my dogs. Sally
My friend and expert spinner, Noel Thurner, spun the dog hair from her own dogs, all Bearded Collies. She also did the spinning of the Romney wool. Noel teaches about dog hair spinning at John Campbell Folk School annually--usually a weekend class. I've woven several items for her from the dog hair now, and she knits with it quite a bit. I have a lovely pair of mittens she knit for me, in fact!
I've felted dog hair liners into mittens - they are very warm!
Laurie Autio
Urban legend or no?
In our neck of the words (New Jersey), it's commonly recited that it is "illegal" to spin, knit, weave, with dog hair. As the story goes, someone's child was wearing a scarf made from dog hair and the child was attacked by another dog. A lawsuit occurred, with the result of a law being passed prohibiting the use of dog hair. I don't know if this story is true or not, but I have seen spinners refuse this request from patrons at demo venues, and I have seen guildmates give their dog hair to fellow spinners in neighboring states to get around this. Has anyone else heard of anything like this?
I'll check with Noel, Sally, since she's the expert dog hair spinner. Perhaps she's hear this and knows the skinny on it. However, I can say from experience of both wearing the mittens, warping and weaving with the dog hair, washing it to full it, then handling the fabric afterwards that there's absolutely no smell of "wet dog" as some people think there might be. Maybe it depends on how the fiber is treated before the spinning... was the animal clean and healthy? Was the hair processed well, including washing after spinning, etc.
Will get back to you with if Noel can add to this in someway to dispel the legend or confirm it, if true.
Tommye
How timely! I have been sitting here in WV spinning chiengora aka dog hair for the past week. It is true that NJ enacted a law against both dog and cat fur being produced for sale or barter, not because of a child being attacked, but because of public outrage of imported products from a certain foreign country. It is Bill S-1815, and it has this exception: "This section1 shall not apply to the sale or barter, or offering for sale or barter, of the fur or hair of a domestic dog or cat cut at a commercial grooming establishment or at a veterinary office or clinic or for scientific research purposes." So you can spin your own for your own use, or offer for resale only if you can prove it came from a groomer.
Agreed - the "smells like a wet dog" thing is a myth. I'm going to start a thread on the Handspun group on this subject.
I also found the NJ law by doing a web search. Good to know, I guess, if one lives in NJ and happens to spin and sell a product with dog hair!
Tommye
