# Spinning dog combings



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Now I realize it's all my Fault, but atleast maybe someone can learn from my mistakes.
Met a Friends Friend a couple of years back. I guess someone told her I could spin dog HAIR. So she calls me and asks if I would be interested in doing some spinning for her and how much would it cost. I told her I charge 4.50 per ounce for yarn that can be knit on aprox size 6 needles. Thinner is more $. She says she saved up combings from her sons 2 Siberian Huskys,2 boxes. I said, well if you pulled out all of the hairs, I will add some wool,about 10% in weight and spinn it. She asked me about washing it, I said it could be washed after spinning. She's all happy. Brings me over 2 boxes and tells me "take your time". 
I look into the boxes, it is dog hair filled with dirt, veg.matter and a small amount of spinable undercoating that will have to have the Hairs picked out. So far, after picking,blending on hand cards with my white wool and Itching, I got these rologs which made 2 half bobbins of singles.As soon as I ply these,I'm calling it done.







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If you ever take in spinning from another,make sure the fiber is ready to be spun. We do have a mill close by that does Dehairing along with dyeing,carding ect. Assume that a dog person really dosen't know,you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear....without of a whole lot of work.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

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## Chaty (Apr 4, 2008)

Sounds like that person needs to learn a thing or two about spinning and where to get her fiber. I am with you there I wouldn't do it again either and I hope you get your money for it...


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

7thswan well, you did tell her the perimeters, it seems pretty clearly too. Perhaps next time look at the fibers while the person is sill there and appraise them then and be honest about their condition. I do not believe the average person has any clue what it takes to make a fiber ready to be spun.

I think you should charge her accordingly, you did tell her.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Yes, I'm going to charge her for the wool,dehairing and carding. I just feel crummy about it. I should have been able to be more upfrount about it. I'm not good at these things,there is always more to learn especially working with people.


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## Charleen (May 12, 2002)

I know nothing about spinning and the verbage you speak is greek to me. BUT I have a Great Pyrenees that sheds copious amounts of white hair each spring. I would have absolutely no idea what I would need to do to her hair to prepare it for spinning. I wouldn't know what questions to ask or how to answer questions about it. I think this situation was just a mis-communication problem.

Having said that, I throw all her dog hair into the compost pile and little birdies pick it up and fly away with it to pad their nests.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

I was in the LYS today and talked to the owner. She spins a good amount of dog hair and told me to card it with cotton cards and if possible blend it with something else. I have some llama that might be good to use up this way....hmmm


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

lathermaker said:


> I was in the LYS today and talked to the owner. She spins a good amount of dog hair and told me to card it with cotton cards and if possible blend it with something else. I have some llama that might be good to use up this way....hmmm


Yes, llama is nice if dehaired.


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## goodhors (Sep 6, 2011)

Charleen said:


> I know nothing about spinning and the verbage you speak is greek to me. BUT I have a Great Pyrenees that sheds copious amounts of white hair each spring. I would have absolutely no idea what I would need to do to her hair to prepare it for spinning. I wouldn't know what questions to ask or how to answer questions about it. I think this situation was just a mis-communication problem.
> 
> Having said that, I throw all her dog hair into the compost pile and little birdies pick it up and fly away with it to pad their nests.


Wow, I never thought about how much work preparing dog hair for spinning would take.

I have a Bouvier, who grows hair like a sheep, never sheds it off. She gets clipped or shorn every couple months to remove the length. I can't keep her groomed well when the hair gets over 3" long. She gets washed before clipping, saves the sharpness of the blades cutting clean hair. Usually get about half bushel after clipping. Enough for another, smaller dog!! 

I have tossed her hair out onto the brush pile, but the birdies never take dog hair. Now I just toss it into the trash can. 

Birdies DO TAKE the shed off horse hair in spring. I shorten manes and groom off winter hair, toss it outside on the brush pile too. With six horses that could be enough hair for a new pony! Almost every nest, big or small, you find in summer and fall, contains some horsehair! Kids took hair nests to school, which other folks found quite fascinating to look at. Guess the birdies use what they find, easier than hunting further for it. Barn Swallows always have a great variety of items woven into their mud-plastered nests. Includes horse hair, long mane hair and shorter body hair, binder twine fibers, rag threads, old string from garden plants that were tied up.

Just never use any dog hair.

The thought of using dog hair in a clothing item makes me itch thinking about it! Maybe dog hair is itchy for birds too!!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Charleen said:


> BUT I have a Great Pyrenees that sheds copious amounts of white hair each spring. I would have absolutely no idea what I would need to do to her hair to prepare it for spinning.


The only dog's hair I will spin these days is the under coat of a GP or border collie or english shepherd.

With the OP, I would have told the friend I could spin the Husky's undercoat but not the Boxers.

I tell folks that ask me to spin their dog's hair to wash the dog before combing out the undercoat. Most long haired dogs that blow their coat are fine for spinning.

My last 'Chien-gora' was a lady that asked me to spin the undercoat of her Golden Retriever. I specified that she would have to wash the dog before combing out the undercoat, then send me the undercoat. I told her I may have to combine with some wool to get a stable yarn. We agreed on this and we agreed on a price.

What she sent me, (with a note in the box) was nasty, dirty, sheared Bichon hair.

I should have sent it back unspun, but I did manage to wash and hand card it with a LOT of wool and sent back a small skein (and all the dirty dog hair).

If it is not GP, I insist on seeing the dog hair before I quote a price.

* Please Forerunner, close your eyes!!!*



> but the birdies never take dog hair. Now I just toss it into the trash can.


You do WHAT!!

I use the nasty stuff from sheep skirting as mulch in our gardens and grape arbor. Other wise it goes into the COMPOST pile!! Never in the trash!!!


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## goodhors (Sep 6, 2011)

Charleen said:


> You do WHAT!!
> 
> I use the nasty stuff from sheep skirting as mulch in our gardens and grape arbor. Other wise it goes into the COMPOST pile!! Never in the trash!!!


I will confess it is true. I left one pile of CLEAN dog hair laying by the barn. It STAYED THERE, unchanging, for all of the summer. Nothing changed the "dead animal" look of the hair pile. I kept thinking it was a Varmint watching me, so I finally threw it away. I didn't want that "dead animal mulch" look in my garden. Something about that dog hair that just doesn't breakdown at all, from what I have ever seen.

I don't do a compost pile, though we do have a burn pile. I burn certain plants that we don't want seeds spreading from, weeds, sticks from the yard. Burning hair doesn't smell very good, so it goes in with the plastic binder twine, floor sweepings from the barn feed room, that I do not burn. I spread the stall bedding on the fields about daily. We need the organic matter for improving the clay soil. Wouldn't have enough if I composted the bedding.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Uh oh. You are all in for a schooling on composting now. LOL

<backs away from the itchy dog hair spinning thread>


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

goodhors said:


> I don't do a compost pile,


On purpose??? Why?? Do you have gardens (of any type ... flower, vegetable, fruit, hay fields, crop lands??

Forerunner, it's all yours, Brother.

:drum:


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Huh ?

I didn't see nuthin'.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=342651


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## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Not to throw fuel on the fire, but there is a time and a place for burn barrels. We use one--paper waste and wood only. We are also big composters. Yes, I know paper will compost. But I like a little instant gratification (and some flames) in my life...

This thread has been officiallly hijacked. 

(7thswan, I am sorry for your dog hair trouble. Thanks for the warning.)


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Live and Learn. Next time, 7th Swan you'll know what to say. Fur must be clean and only the soft undercoat. Some people won't know undercoat from over coat, but you can quote a price between $ high and and $ mid, depending on how clean the fur is. I don't think Zeilingers will dehair a small amount like what a dog would produce. Anyway, it's pricey.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

MullersLaneFarm said:


> > I don't do compost
> 
> 
> On purpose??? Why?? Do you have gardens (of any type ... flower, vegetable, fruit, hay fields, crop lands??
> ...



One of the best posts I've seen on HT in a while. I literally laughed out loud. 

On purpose??? WHY??? My sentiments exactly. :whistlin:


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Maura said:


> Live and Learn. Next time, 7th Swan you'll know what to say. Fur must be clean and only the soft undercoat. Some people won't know undercoat from over coat, but you can quote a price between $ high and and $ mid, depending on how clean the fur is. I don't think Zeilingers will dehair a small amount like what a dog would produce. Anyway, it's pricey.


Thanks Maura. I spoke with her,to tell her to come pick up her spinning,she did admit that I had asked her to dehair the fiber. I explained to her that if I did keep the hair in it the yarn would have the texture of baleing twine. I have written the # to Zeilingers on her recipt, just incase she wants to get more done. I do have to admit I have "texture" issues, don't like spinning cotten or silk, and pretty much touch everything I see that looks soft( an ex boyfriend commented on it when we went shopping). I bet it is expensive to get dehairing done, but you know how us Dog people can be:whistlin:


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