Tuesday 4 May 2010

Knitting with dog hair

Moose is moulting.

The entire house, including me, appears to have acquired a gentle patina of grey collie underfur. I have reminded him that he shouldn't be casting his clouts as the May is definitely not yet out, but as ever he is dancing - or shedding - to his own doggy tune.

R held the post of Brusher-in-Chief in this household. He performed the task very assiduously, probably because more brushing meant less vacuuming. With both of us on the job, we could usually keep the furry tide to manageable proportions.

This year I was late in catching on that moulting season had arrived. It was when I realised that the dust bunnies had been driven out by hair devils that Something Had to be Done.

And so I brush.
And brush.
And watch the pile of soft grey fibre grow alarmingly.

Every year I think the same thing - it seems such a waste of a beautiful, albeit slightly doggy-smelling resource to simply put it on the fire (which is where it goes at present). But I am told by those who know about such things that the staple (length of the fibre) isn't long enough to spin up satisfactorily.

Such a shame. I can just picture a little dove-grey, boxy turtleneck sweater knitted from Moose fur. It would be cashmere-soft and so, so elegant.
But best not to wear it in the rain, perhaps...

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous17:48

    Perhaps you could play around with felting it? ie mix with wool fibres perhaps and felt it, then make something unbelievably clever and crafty with the felt??

    ReplyDelete