davidjk Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 So for years i have been collecting my huskies fur and after watching some native american arts on tv i decided it does not look to hard and to do something about it the bags and bags of fur i have. so i brought a pair of unwanted carding combs and set to work. first issue dirty fur clogs up the brushes so onto youtube to look for advice. so i wash the fur, next problem drying it it just does not want to dry, eventually i squash (not wring or it will felt up) as much water out as i can and put it on the radiators. time to card the fur (carding lines the fur up all in one direction). this is not to bad and i manage to brush fur all neat and remove it from the combs. next issue is rolling the fur into rolls to spin, the problem i have is the fur is so fine it keeps falling apart, back to youtube and after 30 minutes i discover a method of rolling it round a thin piece of rod. time to spin, for this i try the native american spinner which is basically a 3 foot pole with stop at the end to stop the wool falling off but this does not work to well. luckily i have 2 drop spindles that my daughters brought back Canada after visiting my mum. so now i a spinning away fur in to wool, and after 50 meters i am nearly getting it perfect, in places it gets a bit fat. so what do i plan to do with all this wool i am creating? well husky fur does not bounce back when stretched like wool does, so it either needs to be mixed with sheep wool or used for something that wont be stretched like a scarf or similar so my wife would like me to make a rug! so after i have spun all of this fur and dyed some of it i have to make a rug. surely that can't be to hard? i will take more pictures at a later date to a new post covering the whole process Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mia-Blue Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 Oh wow using husky fur is something a lot of talk about.....I can't wait to see your finished product Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Angel n Auroras Mum Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 What a wonderful keepsake. Long after they have gone you will have a lovely thing to keep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leyka&Diva Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 sounds awesome cant wait to see the finished product Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loops Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 ace! i am saving fur but am a lazy bag and planning to get someone else to spin it for me lol.. well done you. I am looking forward to seeing the end result, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys Dad Posted April 14, 2013 Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 My mum used to knit hats / scarves / gloves from the under-fur from our shetland sheepdog when I was young, as I can't wear wool. The method was pretty much as you descrine, but instead of the 'Native American spinner' / drop spindle, she used a 'normal' spinning wheel. After carding, when you use the back of the carders to roll the fur into sausage shapes, these are called 'rolags' (spelling?) from what I remember. I could put you in touch with some of my Viking re-enactor contacts who spin sheep fleece if that would help, but I doubt they would deal with dog fur very much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidjk Posted April 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2013 My mum used to knit hats / scarves / gloves from the under-fur from our shetland sheepdog when I was young, as I can't wear wool. The method was pretty much as you descrine, but instead of the 'Native American spinner' / drop spindle, she used a 'normal' spinning wheel. After carding, when you use the back of the carders to roll the fur into sausage shapes, these are called 'rolags' (spelling?) from what I remember. I could put you in touch with some of my Viking re-enactor contacts who spin sheep fleece if that would help, but I doubt they would deal with dog fur very much because the dogs fur is smaller, it does not make rolags, so rolling it over a pencil thin object works fine. i tried using some sheep wool and that works 100% fine its just the dogs fur that causes problems. i would love a spinning wheel, but they are very expensive, and i could not talk my wife into it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskyGuerl Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 I cant wait to see it..May begin thinking of doing this with our fur after i see how yours turns out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chula Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 That's really neat. My puppy eats rugs, I wonder if she would eat one made out of her own hair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CARRINGTON Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 That's really neat. My puppy eats rugs, I wonder if she would eat one made out of her own hair? I would say probably. When I am brushing Balto he loves to eat his hair that I pull off of him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuramaxDiesel Posted April 15, 2013 Report Share Posted April 15, 2013 Wow! How awesome!!! I always save mine, put it in a mesh avocado bag and hang it outside for the birds to use in nests! I have also put it in strawberry patches to keep the rabbits out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidjk Posted April 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 something i have discovered, dont wash the fur to much it ends up fluff everywhere. the first lot i washed with dish soap and it cleaned it by pressing it into the water taking care not to stir it up but this did not remove all the oils so it was still a little smelly, so the second batch of fur i washed it twice and when i went to comb it it was so static it was impossible to use, so back to a gentle wash with dish soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Excellent idea. Most of us can't wait for our furkids to stop blowing. and you're just the opposite. . . " Shed damn you, I need more wool. Have you seen the size of the floor this rug has to cover ????" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidjk Posted April 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Excellent idea. Most of us can't wait for our furkids to stop blowing. and you're just the opposite. . . " Shed damn you, I need more wool. Have you seen the size of the floor this rug has to cover ????" lol, i have 3, and with the weather last year being up and down all the time they where always blowing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedJasper Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Fantastic. I am glad to see someone actually doing this. I have been thinking about it for some time myself and never knew how to go about getting the process started. Keep us posted on your project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys Dad Posted April 17, 2013 Report Share Posted April 17, 2013 David - there is a spinning wheel being offered in Aldershot on the Freegle group if that is of any interest to you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidjk Posted April 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 David - there is a spinning wheel being offered in Aldershot on the Freegle group if that is of any interest to you? Oh wow definitely, if could do it for other people also then, might be a bit late now i am waiting to get approved by a mod so i can join Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidjk Posted April 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 David - there is a spinning wheel being offered in Aldershot on the Freegle group if that is of any interest to you? i think i must have missed it by now, the admin of the group has not got back to me and something like that will go fast i imagine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys Dad Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 i think i must have missed it by now, the admin of the group has not got back to me and something like that will go fast i imagine Are you David King? If so, then your membership was approved yesterday - you should have received some kind of automated 'welcome to the group' message and should be receiving messages from the group, unless they are ALL going into your spam folder, or you are not David King. The spinning wheel has not been marked as taken and that member is normally pretty good at posting taken messages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidjk Posted April 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 Are you David King? If so, then your membership was approved yesterday - you should have received some kind of automated 'welcome to the group' message and should be receiving messages from the group, unless they are ALL going into your spam folder, or you are not David King. The spinning wheel has not been marked as taken and that member is normally pretty good at posting taken messages yes i have been approved now, the message you sent is a old sewing machine not a spinning wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys Dad Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 yes i have been approved now, the message you sent is a old sewing machine not a spinning wheel. My bad! I saw 'treadle' and thought of spinning wheels sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidjk Posted April 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2013 My bad! I saw 'treadle' and thought of spinning wheels sorry! Np i a m getting better with the drop spindle now and can do 3x the amount compared to when i started Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollys Dad Posted April 20, 2013 Report Share Posted April 20, 2013 You need to post some pics then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val (Zebedee) Posted April 20, 2013 Report Share Posted April 20, 2013 what a great idea, I'm bagging my husky fur & sending it to someone in the UK who makes things for animal rescues all over the country - really looking forward to seeing the end result Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xLOBOx Posted April 25, 2013 Report Share Posted April 25, 2013 This is so interesting! Like the others, I can't wait to see the final result!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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