Doggy Knits

Newfoundland "chiengora". 24.5 yards, heavy worsted.

Wound into a lovely center-pull ball.

And knitted on size 9 needles into a 6" square at about 4 stitches to the inch.

Impressions: Aside from my absolute joy at making knitted fabric out of my beloved dog, these are my honest thoughts about this yarn, as yarn. My spinning skills are still shaky, and the resulting yarn is still a bit lumpier and more uneven than I would like. Although the two-ply yarn is only a heavy worsted weight, the resulting fabric is much heavier and thicker than wool of a similar gauge. I suspect that dog hair is denser than wool, so yarn the same diameter is actually heavier in weight. The dog hair also produces yarn with a fuzzy halo, much like mohair or angora, which fluffs up and fills in the gaps in the knitted fabric, making it much denser than wool of the same gauge. The fabric above would make for a terrific warm, thick blanket or jacket. I would not want to use it for a sweater, or even a scarf, because it is just too dense and heavy. One could, of course, knit the yarn on larger needles for a lighter effect, but since I intend to use the yarn to knit a throw, this is an excellent weight and gauge for my purposes. Dog hair yarn is less elastic than wool, but more elastic than, say, cotton. It is not quite as soft as I expected--more like mohair than angora. In fact, it is very similar to mohair in just about every way. I did not card the dog hair before spinning, and I wonder if carding would make for a smoother and softer yarn. I have read that the fabric becomes softer with washing and use. I'll have to see whether that is true.

For my next trick, I will be spinning Golden Retriever fur. Stay tuned--the furry fun never stops!