Paws 2 SpindleDec 5

A request for dog owners and the canine-adjacent: do you have medium/long dog fur I can test fiber prep on?

I've been talking with Baruch of Bam Fiber Works, where I got my double-row extra-fine combs for working with Oni's long Tibetan Mastiff fur, and we're both interested in testing out single-row combs instead. I got the double-row combs to work, but there was more effort and waste than desired. Baruch made me an offer I couldn't refuse: if I purchased a set of single-row extra-fine combs, he'd toss in a set of single-row fine combs for free -- as long as I provided feedback on how they compared.

The problem: I don't have any more of Oni's fur left to test on until next spring!

Sure, I could go back and re-comb the finished top, but I would like to truly start fresh with un-prepared fur.

ALSO, while I'm at it, I'd like to try OTHER dog breeds and fur lengths. Baruch is interested in getting more information he can share with other customers curious about working with their own dogs' fur. This is just the kind of research project I love to do!

So, please share this post and/or contact me if you are interested in providing test samples.

More in 🧵 ...

#HandSpinning #FiberArts #Chiengora @fiberarts

Show threadMute Dog BrewingDec 5
@Paws2Spindle @fiberarts I could probably convince my wife to collect the fur from our Malamute Suki over the course of a few months. Suki doesn't have the longest fur, it's definitely just medium length with the exception of her tail fur...
Show threadPaws 2 SpindleDec 5

@Mutedog Thanks! Mal fur would be interesting to compare to our huskies' even if it proves too short for the combs.

Tail fur is often not very good for yarn because it's more stiff guard hairs than undercoat -- at least for our huskies. But if Suki has some nice undercoat in the tail too, and it's distinctly longer, that might be worth collecting in a small separate bag for comparison.

Feel free to ping me with your harvest progress! 😁

Show threadMute Dog Brewing
@Paws2Spindle oh, derp, yeah it's pretty much all guard hairs in the tail. Anne said she'll start putting the fur she brushes out of Suki aside in a bag for you
Dec 5 at 8:48pmMastodon for Android
Show threadPaws 2 SpindleDec 5

@Mutedog Awesome! Thanks to you both.

I'd say that 1-2 ounces is plenty for testing, especially if I go the next step and spin up the results. Fortunately, undercoat tends to pack down really well. (We call our huskies' fur "infinitely compressible.")

For reference, here's the results of two different 2.0 oz samples, spun and plied. The larger skeins are 1.7 oz each.

Note that this is AFTER fiber prep, so doesn't include waste/discards, which can be up to 50% when combing.

https://sunny.garden/@Paws2Spindle/114939607524237403

Show threadMute Dog BrewingDec 5
@Paws2Spindle yeah, I've got a vacuum sealer so I'm sure I can probably compress the fur down quite a lot and then send it in a padded envelope or something.
Show threadPaws 2 SpindleDec 5
@Mutedog A vacuum sealer would be great! But I bet you could probably just stuff and squish a gallon ziplock bag down to a small enough size to ship in a similar envelope.