Never Say Never!
Friday, November 19, 2010 at 9:54AM OK, I'm going to be a teeny, tiny bit spiritual here, and then I promise I'll jump into fiber. Just hang in there!
All my life, the Lord has been whittling away parts of me that are judgmental and opinionated. I think that's a good thing, BUT He really likes to do it by putting me in the exact same position as those I have judged. Not so fun, but an affective way to teach a lesson. I've been through just about everything, and I'm pretty good at looking at about every situation with a very compassionate view at this point in my oh-so-long life.
However, I've just been taught yet another lesson, and it's a fiber-y one!
About 6 years ago, I remember watching an episode of "Knitty Gritty" with a woman who had combed her friend's dog, spun the fiber and then knit a little purse out of it. My naive 26-year-old, non-spinning self said, "She's crazy" and "that's gross."
Never say never!
Today, my 33-year-old, spinning-obsessed self just shaved our standard poodle and threw his fur in a hot soapy bath. I am now that crazy lady! But all the cool spinners are doing it, and I don't want to be left out. Besides, when you have a great, large, spotted dog like I have, it's hard not to think about all the "what if's" when petting him.
Here's Hunter post-shave (I left a little mohawk for him!)
Isn't he handsome?
He's called a party poodle because of his spots. Hmmm . . . he's a poodle, he's a party, he's shaved, he's got a (temporaty) pink collar: we really don't mean to emasculate our male animals, it just happened that way!
Anyway, here's a shot of his washed locks, still dripping in my studio sink.
That's as far as I've gotten this morning. I have no idea if this will work, or what it'll be like. My husband wants a hat made out of it. But seriously, what man wants to say he's wearing a poodle hat?! Now he's the crazy one. But just watch, next I'll have pictures of him in a poodle hat!
I have learned a few things so far:
- Dogs smell worse than sheep when wet
- Dogs are as dirty as, if not more than sheep
- I'm more allergic to dog than sheep
- When we get sheep, we may have them in the house, and send Hunter out to the barn. They're cleaner.
- Hunter needs baths more often.
I'll keep you all updated as this saga progresses! AND, I've updated last week's post to include the original batt that Joyce's scarf came from (thanks for the tip Andrea!)
Now go head over to Fiber Arts Friday to get your week's worth of fiber fun! Lot's of great blogs talking about lots of great fiber topics!
Willow Glen Farm
I've learned a few more things while working with this poodle fiber!
- Poodle has guard hairs (you can see it in the photos).
- My son makes a terrible sheerer (a LOT of second cuts).
- If I do this again, I'll only take the very top of the fleece (from his back) and no lower than half-way down the sides. The hair is longer there and more spin-friendly.
- It's not as soft as I thought, but much softer than it looks. I know, it looks like twine!
- If I actually get all this spun into yarn, and make Mike a hat, I'm going to need stock in Allegra (an allergy medicine!).
- My husband is now set on getting a hat. Good grief, what have I started?
Some photos of progress:
Poodle on the bobbin
Beauty shot of small sample of 2-ply yarn. I've separated out the dark brown to spin alone.
Another beauty shot.
Reader Comments (9)
Good Luck! I know a couple of people who have spun and knitted their dog's hair and although lovely they did agree that they never could get the "dog" smell out.
I don't think I will ever want to do that. When my first Miniature Schnauzer passed away, I resisted temptation to cut his skirting and spin his lovely gray locks that I lovingly stroked every day for 13 years. Instead I clipped a lock, much like you do a baby, and I have it in a keepsake box to remember my Tucker.
Looking forward to your updates.
Thank you for participating in Fiber Arts Friday!
I think it's great!
I've had similar thoughts with our dog's shedding, but for now it's been left out for the birds to use. :-)
Looking forward to see how it works out.
What a handsome dog. The locks look lovely, even wet. Your husband in a poodle hat made me laugh. Happy Fiber Arts Friday!
I had a friend save up all the brushings from her cat before and it worked out great. I think your mohawk poodle will turn into a great rug.
Pretty dog! I just love his mohawk... which I have a fondness for in general. Love to see how the fur spins up. Such an interesting project.
I look forward to seeing your progress. I've seen yarn from Newfoundland dogs spun and knit into mitts and hats.
Wow...never thought of doing that. I'd love to see your husband with a poodle hat. Hehe.
a boy dog in a pink collar and a mohawk-too funny-can't wait to see the poodle hat
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