How to spin dog hair

The level of development of medicine in the 21st century has pushed folk remedies far into the shadows. But even today there are enough of its supporters. For example, those who have experienced the positive effects obtained from using headbands, belts, socks and other products made from dog hair.

Properties of dog hair

Improvement of the patient's condition in the treatment of certain inflammatory diseases and relief of pain in the joints occurs by increasing blood circulation in the area of ​​the inflammatory process.

Dog hair works great in cases where dry heat is indicated. A dry compress will gently relax your back muscles that have become stiff from prolonged sitting.

Its positive effect was also felt by those who wore a bandage made of dog hair for gynecological inflammation. The secret is that in its structure it is similar to a hollow inside antenna made of tubes, thanks to which it does not get wet, like a sheep's, and perfectly accumulates and retains heat.

The raw material for making health-improving or simply warm clothes is pet hair, which is obtained by combing animals. Not all breeds of pets have a fleecy coat suitable for use for such purposes.

REFERENCE. The wool of the Chow Chow, Malamute, Collie, Bobtail, and Caucasian Shepherd has good qualities. It does not fall off and remains dry during use.

Yarn made from terrier wool is too stiff, but, on the contrary, yarn from poodle wool is too soft and moisture-absorbing.

We will tell you how to spin dog hair at home, manually or using special devices.

How to prepare wool for spinning

To obtain raw materials, you need to brush your dog regularly. Shorthaired and Wirehaired pets are combed once every two weeks, long-haired ones - once a week.

Wool collection

We collect the combed material into separate bags, or preferably into boxes. You can use raw materials obtained from dog grooming.

IMPORTANT! The length of the cut wool should be no shorter than 2–3 cm.

Cleaning and washing

Before spinning, it is necessary to sort out the fibers from debris, comb them, wash them, and then dry them.

It is easier to spin wool that has not been washed. But this option is not suitable for everyone due to the specific smell and depends on the degree of contamination of the raw materials. To get rid of a specific smell, it is advisable to soak the wool for 2-3 days in warm water, changing the water several times.

Washing is done in regular mesh laundry bags. If you don't have it, you can use curtain fabric or used polyamide tights.

If the animal lives in the yard, washing is done in several waters. The first water should be hot to wash away grease and stuck dirt and sand.To do this, use any wool washing product: Laska, Vorsinka or shampoo. Then rinse well.

After washing, the wool is treated with an antistatic agent so that it does not become electrified during operation. This procedure also improves the smell of raw materials.

Combing

After this, the raw materials are combed using special brushes or carders. For small volumes, you can easily handle it with two regular dog brushes.

To do this, put a clump of wool on one brush and comb it with another brush. And so on several times. The result is individual combed tows. The procedure allows you to achieve uniformity of the material in color and density. This makes it possible to subsequently obtain a thread that is uniform in thickness and color.

IMPORTANT! For this procedure it is better to use brushes with long needles. This will speed up the process of preparing raw materials.

Spinning Basics

Spinning is performed with or without a warp.

It is good to use wool, half-wool, or acrylic thread as a base. Products made from yarn with such a base are elastic and retain their shape well.

If you don't have it, you can use a stronger viscose or regular cotton thread (for example, No. 10) of a suitable color.

Dog hair is slippery, so to prevent it from stretching, it is better to spin it onto a warp.

Mastering this skill in absentia is so easy. But with enough patience and skill it is quite possible.
If you have spun unwashed wool, thread from a spindle or spool, you need to rewind it into a spool, tie it in two places (preferably with a visible colored thread) and wash it.

Methods for hand spinning dog hair

No tool

Small volumes of raw materials can be spun without special tools.

To do this, the prepared tow is held in the left hand.And with the right hand, they pull out as even a thin strand as possible from it and twist it. Twisting is performed always in one direction.

The end of the strand should be tied to the bottom of a stick 30–40 cm long. The bottom of the stick should be weighted with something.

When one tow ends, a strand is pulled out from the next tow in the same way. Bring it overlapping onto the not completely twisted end of the previous thread and twist it tightly.

Thus, each time the threads from individual tows are connected.

With tool

A spindle is used as a tool. Let's consider spinning with a warp.

We strengthen the bobbin with the warp thread on a nail or some kind of pin fixed to the table. Next, you need to pull the thread and pass it through an object located above (for example, a table lamp, cornice). The thread should be fed from the top.

After pulling the thread, you need to tie it around the heavy lower part of the spindle. Then twist 2 times clockwise around the spindle and tie with a creeping loop. The process consists of turning the spindle clockwise by the thin end while hanging, slightly releasing it from the fingers. Practice, you need skill!

Next, take a tow of wool with your left hand and apply it to the thread in front of the spindle. Constantly pulling the strand, move the left hand with the tow up along the thread, rotating the spindle in one direction with the right hand. When your arms reach their limit, you need to remove the loop from the spindle, place it on your thigh and wind the resulting thread of yarn. Then the process is repeated.

To prevent the knitted product from being asymmetrically elongated, twisting is done after spinning. It consists of joining two threads obtained as a result of spinning.

IMPORTANT! Twisting of two threads is performed in the direction opposite to spinning. If spinning was done clockwise, then the threads should be connected counterclockwise.

Mechanical spinning

On a mechanical spinning wheel

Operation on simple mechanical spinning wheels of different types is similar. For 2 coils available as standard set of spinning wheels, spinning is performed, and on the third - weaving.

Getting started is by attaching the reel to the spinning wheel. Then a warp thread is tied to the spool, threaded and brought out from top to bottom in front of the spinner’s hands.

The further process is similar to hand spinning in terms of winding wool onto the warp thread. The process of winding thread onto a spool is mechanized. The reel is driven by a pedal. It sets the wheel in motion, from which the reel rotates. 2 spools of yarn are spun, from which one thread is then twisted, ready for knitting.

REFERENCE. Yarn made on a simple spinning wheel is softer, more elastic and pleasant than on an electric one.

On an electric spinning wheel

Electric spinning wheels simplify and speed up the spinning process the most. With them In use, it is possible to set different speed and quality modes for thread twisting.

Working on such devices allows you not to be distracted by winding, since it is performed automatically. As a result of this, the spinner has the ability to wind the thread onto the warp with both hands at once.