A Fur Bearin' Critter
It finally happened. Finn grew an undercoat! Puppies don't really have undercoats, just a general fluff, but then Finn started growing in big dog hair, but there was no undercoat. You should have seen how fast he was doing his business all winter. Then, a couple of days ago I was combing him and TA DA! Undercoat! Most of it is a pale blonde apricot color, but on the backs of his drumsticks (AKA the butt fuzz), he has a pure white undercoat. What you see above is a combination of the two because I was just combing him, not realizing that we had two different colors going. I'm going to get me some doggy fiber* to spin!For non spinners, dog fiber is frequently referred to as Chiengora. It's a very fine, very soft fiber that will bloom in a finished yarn like angora rabbit. It's also very warm. I'll probably blend Finn's with - well how could I not - Finnsheep. For now though, I've got to keep harvesting it.
posted by Melanie at 7:51 AM
16 Comments:
Wow! At first look it doesn't even look like dog hair - soft and fluffy. Good for you!
It looks exactly what we get from Jack! Poor Stephen never has gotten the undercoat, so he hurries in the winter, too!
That's really interesting! Can you actually get enough from a dog to knit something with?
Ahh how cool! Now I want a dog, thanks Melanie ;-)
I thought it was Angora at first - it's beautiful! What are you going to make with it?
My dog is a "Golden Chow" like my kids like to call her. She sure looses a lot of fur too, but she is a blond redhead. Is it worth saving to have somebody spin it up? I was thinking about it. She also eats grass, so I won't need a sheep for the backyard :)
Wow! Now that's a dog that's earning its keep. Look forward to seeing it evolve into something...well....less dog-like!
Well, if Finn is like the Goldens I've had in the past (pre-spinning days) you'll have plenty of fur to make just about anything! LOL
Now, I'm not normally a person who ooh's and aah's over peoples' pet pictures on knitting blogs. But I have to admit, your GOlden is absolutely gorgeous!!!!
Did you get him from a breeder? If so, may I inquire who it was? The dog has such a sweet and gentle face - does his disposition match?
And Melanie, when are you gonna write a lace book, girl? Your designs are fabulous!
We have been collecting the undercoat from our dogs for a number of years (sheltie, aussie, samoyed, golden). My husband is actually brushing and saving the soft undercoat of our Golden right now. Like with a sheep, there is often a big difference in the texture and quality of the undercoat depending on the location on the body. The "britches" area is often courser. I used to save everything, and now I pitch the corser undercoat. I also find the chiengora that comes from the legs is much shorter and will make a less stable yarn. I have been lucky to have beautiful yarn come from our dogs. People are SHOCKED about the source of the fiber.
Ohh Melanie
I have fell bouth fur in the path and YES..I sure understand you...I missed my Poe (golden boy) and my angoras Ebony (black) & Chester (broken Chesnut)..but for now growing the 5 kids it is! Happy Birthday to Finn! Now I will start saving my Taina's (sheltie) butt fur..lol! and see what happen!
If you want a lot at a time....get a Great Pyreenes! We have white fluff all over the backyard, got to brush him again!!
The Chiengora is great to spin & knit with, I have been doing it with Collie, Golden's, Samoyeds, & Newfoundlands for years. My fovorite is Collie. I don't add anything to it, just card it, spin & ply it. One thing to remember, dog undercoat is extemely warm. Have fun. Also, looking forward to MS3!!! (and Harry Potter)
All the years I had a Samoyed, I never knew how to spin. Now that I spin, I don't have a dog! When we move where we can have one I told hubby, I'm getting another Sammy so I can spin and knit him...hubby thinks I'm weird! (And he may be right! LOL) It will be interesting to see what you do with this undercoat. It's a nice color.
Little by little I've been saving the combings from my tabby cats to use to spin some day. It's so soft, and a nice sooty grey colour, and while I'm sure the yarn would come out rather plain-looking, I'll bet it'd be nice and soft.
I've always just wondered what the fiber would smell like if it got wet! :-)
Ohh, I am *jealous*! :P I love my pupster to bits, but she ain't spinnable. She has a shorthair terrier type coat (mostly) and what undercoat she does have is *incredibly* short. It would take a lot of de-hairing and would then need blending to create a spinnable mix. Still, I'm not short of spinning stash, really... Finn is *adorable*, by the way!
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