How to Make Yarn from Pet Fur

Makers who love knitting know how hard it can be to find yarn with special warming qualities. As a rule, this kind of yarn is made from animal fiber and can be expensive. Spinning is already becoming a rare craft, and not everyone knows how to make yarn by hand. I cannot call myself a professional spinner: at school we only had a few spinning lessons, mostly theory and tools. But I have one craftswoman who still remembers how yarn is made — my great-grandmother. Under her careful guidance, and after several months of learning the basics, I want to share what I learned.

Collecting the fiber is the foundation of good yarn. Yarn can be made from the fiber of different animals, such as goats, rabbits, and cats, but the most accessible fiber today is often dog undercoat. Even if you do not have your own pet, dog owners are usually happy to let you help brush out their dog during shedding season. For collecting fiber, long-haired breeds are best because they have a thick undercoat and give more usable material.

Use a metal pet comb and gently brush the fluffiest areas of the dog, avoiding the paws and head. After brushing, coarse guard hairs may remain on the comb; remove them, because they are not suitable for spinning.

Collect the brushed undercoat from the comb and place it in a dry fabric bag. Do not tie the bag tightly or pack the fiber down: trapped moisture can cause spoilage and ruin the material.

To move to the next stage, you will need at least 100-115 g of dry fiber if the undercoat is long, or about 350 g if the undercoat is short. If you want a blended yarn, you can add undercoat from another animal to the dog fiber; choose the blend ratio as you like.

Washing the fiber for yarn. This important step makes the fiber more manageable and soft, and removes dirt and possible parasites.

In a deep container, mix a small amount of dog-care product, dish soap, or laundry detergent (10-20 g) with 1-1.5 liters of water at 30-35 degrees Celsius. Mix carefully by hand and remove excess foam.

Place the prepared fiber in the container for 15 minutes. It is important that the fiber absorbs moisture well. Do not stir or disturb it, because that can break the fibers and felt the wool.

Then gently lift the fiber out of the water, pour away the soapy solution, and place the fiber in clean warm water. Press it down gently into the water. Repeat until soap bubbles stop appearing in the rinse water.

Take the fiber out of the water, squeeze it gently without twisting, and leave it on a table, towel, or in the sun to dry. Drying can take from 1 to 4 hours.

Now comes the main and most interesting part: making the yarn.

Take two combs like the ones used for brushing the pet. Place a small piece of fiber on one comb and use the second comb to comb through it several times in one direction. This straightens the fiber and makes the strands longer. Card the fiber until all of it is even, smooth, and soft.

Lay each carded piece of fiber on the table one after another, forming a row, then roll the row into a loose roll by passing your palm over it.

Now use the spindle. Hook the end of the fiber roll onto the tip of a homemade or purchased spindle and set it spinning. While the tool turns, gradually pull the fibers downward from the spindle. This forms the yarn strand. Tip: if you are unsure that the yarn will be strong enough, add an ordinary cotton thread to the main fiber roll while spinning. It adds strength and helps hold the fiber strands together. This is especially helpful the first time you spin.

You can also spin by hand without a spindle. The process is similar: start from the end of the roll and gradually draw out the fiber as you move toward the other end. In this case, the yarn will be thicker and bulkier.