And this is the yarn - or 'chiengora'.
I charge £7.50 per 10g (p&p not included) with a minimum charge of £15. This is based on the final amount spun - not the amount received. There is usually some wastage in the processing (sometimes as much as 20%).
Below is Bailey - just the next-to-skin softest, fluffiest yarn from a Keeshond: The picture is of the knitted heart made from Bailey's fur. -
It takes just 10g of fluff to make a heart. To spin and knit a heart from your pet's fur will cost you £15 + P&P. A heart makes a wonderful gift for a dog or cat lover and can hang from a Christmas tree, or a car mirror, or a key fob or many other places.
Bailey the Keeshond
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… and the heart made from his fur.
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If YOU would like your canine (or feline) fur spun into gorgeous yarn to knit up (or would like it knitted up too) then please do contact me and/or see next page for instructions.
Spinning chiengora is a very labour intensive, long process involving washing (or scouring), combing or carding and otherwise prepping the fibre, handspinning into singles and then plying before making into a skein or hank and then washing again. It takes me a full day to prep (ie hand-card into rolags) and spin and ply 100g (just less than 200yards of my default) yarn but spinning fur from a beloved pet is very special and I enjoy doing it.
My default is 4ply/fingering/sport weight. A fine laceweight yarn would give you more yardage but would take me longer.
'Chiengora' (a 'portmanteau' or compound word from the french word for dog and 'angora') is at least 6 times warmer than sheep's wool and has a very fluffy halo - which will get even fluffier with time.
The best chiengora uses the soft undercoat of double coated dogs which is combed out (particularly the Northern breeds such as Husky, Malamute, Samoyed, Newfoundland, Elkhound etc) - but the longer, soft coats of e.g. poodles (often clipped) are also suitable but be sure to just take the fibres over 2cm in length - any shorter than that and they will moult from the yarn, and get up my nose when I'm spinning it.
.Any cat with long or medium hair would also be suitable (if you can persuade them to be brushed!): breeds such as Persian, Ragdoll, and Himalayan. But even short-haired cats can provide fur as I found out from the Gingertom cat (story below).
The coarse 'guard hairs' of the topcoat are undesirable as they can be very prickly and make the resulting yarn itchy. These need to be removed as far as is possible before spinning Short haired dogs are also usually not suitable - such as Labrador Retriever or JRTs - as their coat is too coarse, short and slippery to hold together to make a continous strand.
Package and Posting is extra: Royal Mail Website
(I can sometimes find a postal rate cheaper with a Courier - and will endeavour to find the cheapest but reputable post).
.
As well as spinning Kyla's fur, I have spun the fur from a much loved (but now deceased) ginger tomcat, whose owner had saved his combings in a silk scarf. These little balls of fur needed teasing apart then blending with sheep's wool as they were so short. However I DID manage to spin it up and made a brioche hat and scarf with the resulting yarn.
I have also spun Tibetan and King Charle's Spaniel brushings to make fingerless mittens and spun the composting wool from Jack - a border collie - and managed to make just a small heart with the result (see the blog post - a warning to keep your brushings DRY!).
I have spun precious golden retriever fur (from 'Jack' and 'Silke') and knit hearts and scarves with it. Both dogs have since passed away, so these small items remain as keepsakes.
Also previously: Ragdoll cat from Italy - completed December 2017 (400g - knitted up into gloves and socks - see the donor at the bottom of the page); ; A beautifully soft German Shepherd fur in graded colours of dark brown, medium and light brown - 200g to knit a shawl and a small heart. Completed September 2015.
Buster, Rikki and Spats - three Tibetan Terriers (see picture mid page) - over 500g completed Easter 2015)
The softest so far - a heart from Bailey's fur -a Keeshond - Dec. 2014
30g of yarn from Nana - a terrier 2019. Just 6g from Paolo di Catteo to make a small heart 2021.
200g of fluff from GErman Shepherds Sasha and Bug to knit into a matching bobble hat and gloves AND a lacy shawl December 2020.
This has to be the ultimate in upcycling and I adore making long lasting keepsakes.
One MORE thing - I would LOVE a photograph of your pet to put up on this site when I'm spinning the fur please! I will include a quick sketch/painting of your pet, gratis, when I return your chiengora/catgora.
Completed Easter 2015 - Tibetan Terrier fluff from Rikki, Spats and Buster - see pic to the left above and directly below (also the blanket featured top of next page)
Bottom picture - the Italian rag doll cat poking his tongue out - 200g fur spun January 2016 and a further 200g spun December 2017/January 2018
Spinning chiengora is a very labour intensive, long process involving washing (or scouring), combing or carding and otherwise prepping the fibre, handspinning into singles and then plying before making into a skein or hank and then washing again. It takes me a full day to prep (ie hand-card into rolags) and spin and ply 100g (just less than 200yards of my default) yarn but spinning fur from a beloved pet is very special and I enjoy doing it.
My default is 4ply/fingering/sport weight. A fine laceweight yarn would give you more yardage but would take me longer.
'Chiengora' (a 'portmanteau' or compound word from the french word for dog and 'angora') is at least 6 times warmer than sheep's wool and has a very fluffy halo - which will get even fluffier with time.
The best chiengora uses the soft undercoat of double coated dogs which is combed out (particularly the Northern breeds such as Husky, Malamute, Samoyed, Newfoundland, Elkhound etc) - but the longer, soft coats of e.g. poodles (often clipped) are also suitable but be sure to just take the fibres over 2cm in length - any shorter than that and they will moult from the yarn, and get up my nose when I'm spinning it.
.Any cat with long or medium hair would also be suitable (if you can persuade them to be brushed!): breeds such as Persian, Ragdoll, and Himalayan. But even short-haired cats can provide fur as I found out from the Gingertom cat (story below).
The coarse 'guard hairs' of the topcoat are undesirable as they can be very prickly and make the resulting yarn itchy. These need to be removed as far as is possible before spinning Short haired dogs are also usually not suitable - such as Labrador Retriever or JRTs - as their coat is too coarse, short and slippery to hold together to make a continous strand.
Package and Posting is extra: Royal Mail Website
(I can sometimes find a postal rate cheaper with a Courier - and will endeavour to find the cheapest but reputable post).
.
As well as spinning Kyla's fur, I have spun the fur from a much loved (but now deceased) ginger tomcat, whose owner had saved his combings in a silk scarf. These little balls of fur needed teasing apart then blending with sheep's wool as they were so short. However I DID manage to spin it up and made a brioche hat and scarf with the resulting yarn.
I have also spun Tibetan and King Charle's Spaniel brushings to make fingerless mittens and spun the composting wool from Jack - a border collie - and managed to make just a small heart with the result (see the blog post - a warning to keep your brushings DRY!).
I have spun precious golden retriever fur (from 'Jack' and 'Silke') and knit hearts and scarves with it. Both dogs have since passed away, so these small items remain as keepsakes.
Also previously: Ragdoll cat from Italy - completed December 2017 (400g - knitted up into gloves and socks - see the donor at the bottom of the page); ; A beautifully soft German Shepherd fur in graded colours of dark brown, medium and light brown - 200g to knit a shawl and a small heart. Completed September 2015.
Buster, Rikki and Spats - three Tibetan Terriers (see picture mid page) - over 500g completed Easter 2015)
The softest so far - a heart from Bailey's fur -a Keeshond - Dec. 2014
30g of yarn from Nana - a terrier 2019. Just 6g from Paolo di Catteo to make a small heart 2021.
200g of fluff from GErman Shepherds Sasha and Bug to knit into a matching bobble hat and gloves AND a lacy shawl December 2020.
This has to be the ultimate in upcycling and I adore making long lasting keepsakes.
One MORE thing - I would LOVE a photograph of your pet to put up on this site when I'm spinning the fur please! I will include a quick sketch/painting of your pet, gratis, when I return your chiengora/catgora.
Completed Easter 2015 - Tibetan Terrier fluff from Rikki, Spats and Buster - see pic to the left above and directly below (also the blanket featured top of next page)
Bottom picture - the Italian rag doll cat poking his tongue out - 200g fur spun January 2016 and a further 200g spun December 2017/January 2018
Above: It took just 6g of fluff from Paolo di Catteo to make the wee heart to go with his portrait. (probably the smallest amount I've used! - and I didn't have very much left over). August 2021.
