I barely know how to knit, but I've been saving my medium length haired cats fur for a while, I don't have carders or a way to spin, but thank you for the video!
Thank you! Cat fur is very difficult to spin because it is short and very slippery, but it does make yarn! Maybe one day you can learn to spin with wool and then you'll be confident to try your cat fur
It is years after you made this video, and I was brushing my cats and decided to find out how to make cat hair yarn. My calico has a great undercoat. She is a shorthair but has so much fur! It would make beautiful yarn.
It was great to see this. I've been collecting fur from my cat for a couple of years with the intention of turning it into yarn and maybe making a cushion or something similar when she is no longer with me. (Fingers crossed she will have a good long life and I will end up with a throw blanket for my sofa!)
This is some lovely work and I'm so happy you posted this for everyone. I've been looking at videos all day trying to find something that could help me. And your video is just what I needed.❤
Thank you! So glad it was helpful. When spinners tell me a certain fleece is not worth spinning, I have to try it and see for myself! I figure, if cotton, which is an inch or less in length, can be spun into yarn, then short wool can, too!
Thank you! Our sheep are unique and have extremely short wool. I'm completely new to carding and spinning so I'm trying to look up carding and spinning shorter wool this was very helpful! My drop spindle is still in the mail and I'm trying to card as much wool as I can before it gets here and I'm FRUSTRATED! 😂
Oh, you sound like me!!! I was so impatient for my spindle to arrive, I made a terrible one while I waited. You could make a spindle with pencils and rubber bands and practice spinning commercial yarn. It'll keep the frustration from overwhelming you 😁 How long is your sheeps wool? I work with all different lengths and may be able to film a tutorial. Also, are you hand carding with carders or dog brushes, or are you using a drum carder?
@@FairilyFiberFun I have large curved carders. They're really nice, so I'm trying to watch a bunch of different carding techniques to find one that works well for me. The sheep's wool is probably only about 2 inches at the longest. Thanks so much for your reply! We've had sheep for a few years and I'm finally getting the time to figure out what I can do with it.
@@mycupoverflows7811 Ah yes, hand cards are so nice for short stapled fibers! I like to load my carders only at the tip farthest from the handle as they tangle up less that way, but by all means... experiment and learn your way to card this wool. 2 inches is a great staple length to card and spin, anything under an inch I would probably not work with, but as for experimentation goes, try it and have fun. You never know what you might discover. Cotton is about a quarter inch length and can be spun, so why not short wool?
I am so happy I found this!! I thought I am the only ond with thoose plans... My Senior Cat is almost 16 and I planning on making some kind of thread for a necklace or s.th. similiar. Want to wear it -when- his time has come.. Hope it will be strong enough.. Thank you!!
Thank you for this video. I have never prepared fiber or spun, but have always wanted to learn. I have a very old horse that puts on a heavy winter coat, so I wanted to have a keepsake from him. Your preparation (carding) of the short cat fur is most similar to his hair. I am watching many videos and I’m very appreciative of artisans sharing their skill. Wish me luck.
Don’t have a Cat.... Won’t have one for a while, but I just recently discovered that you could use pet hair. Always assumed people just threw it out. To think it has so many cool uses! Definitely going to upcycle my future cat fur and potentially learn to spin it into yarn. I’ll definitely want to try making cat toys from felting among other things.
It's pretty amazing what you can spin! I never thought to felt pet fur... I wonder how easy it would be. Making cat toys out of your cat's fur would be too cool. I think long haired cat would be easier to spin than a short haired, since longer fibers tend to be a bit easier. Oh, now you've got me thinking about my future pets!!! The BF wants a dog and I want a cat, so I guess we'll have to get both with long enough fur for some spinning and felting projects. I honestly think there's not much animal fur that can't be spun.
Fairily Fiber Fun Try mixing the fur together, not like one type on top and the other on the bottom...I mean put each type in bit by bit-mixed up. It is a cool experiment because you can use two textures and colours in one go: will they blend or separate?
I need to get better at double checking comments... lol... didn't see this until today. Oh well, better late than never. You have a great idea here... I love it! If very well blended, two very different fibers will stay blended during spinning. The only way they would separate is if they are extremely different in length, as in one really long and one really short or if they are not well blended but instead clumped. It's the same as spinning any other blend of fibers such as wool and alpaca.
@@FairilyFiberFun If it doesn't work for socks, it would definitely work for something like a hat, or a scarf... No abrasion there. Next time I call my parents, I'll definitely give them the idea, as I live abroad. When I was a kid my mom used to sow and spin and do minor corrections on clothes, but she stopped somewhere around 2003. I'd love a homemade cat-hat for Christmas.
Wow! I have a Persian and I collect TONS of long hair. I would love for it to be spun like this. I want to make things with it! Would it take a lot of hair to make a cardigan? or a sweater?
Oh that's super interesting!!! I want to just try spinning to see if i like it but getting my hands on sheep wool seemed a bit complicated, so i think i'll just ask my dog-owner friend if he can gather some hair for me to try spinning it :)
Nothing wrong with spinning dog fur. I prefer wool, it is easier to work with and feels amazing. But, give the dog fur a try and see how you like it. I recommend using two dog brushes to card little rolags then spin from those. That should make the fur easier to manage
Today I was grooming my medium haired cat and had so much fur I said I could make a blanket. So I ended up here wondering if you can actually turn cat fur into yarn. And you said you did it with dog fur too, maybe I should start saving up my animal fur
Hello, I really appreciate this video. I'd like to know if you give the hair a special treatment, if you wash it or you only use it like that. Thank you!
So sorry I didn't see your comment. I don't give the hair any treatment at all before spinning. This fur was combed off the cat, so shed fur only. It is very clean and didn't require washing or anything. Dog fur I would probably wash first but that depends on how it smells.
Thank you for the video ! I get 3-4 golf balls of super soft fur out of my long-haired cat every other day after brushing her, I was just wondering if this was possible!. Is it true that unless spun together with a bit of something that is a longer strand -like sheep‘s wool - it will continue to shed over time from your finished product? I’ve read a few comments on other sites with people saying their hats or purses, whatever was made from cat hair , continued to shed after being knitted.... would love to hear from someone who has had a finished product for a while.
I have not made anything from my cat fur yarn, so I can't say for sure. Blending cat fur with wool is an excellent idea to give the yarn memory and bounce. an item knit with 100% cat fur will have loads of drape but not hold it's shape all that well. Try experimenting with at least 40% wool and see how that turns out.
Hi Donna, thanks for watching my video! I do not make cat coin purses, I just spin the yarn. I am happy to discuss prices for spinning via e-mail in the discription
Hello Kathy! I do not have an Etsy shop, but I do have a FiberCrafty shop as well as a listing for pet fur spins where you can see the full details of pricing and such. My shop is linked in every video. You can also email me direct, again linked in video show notes. I look forward to hearing from you!
So u still collect cat hair to make things, I brush my cat every day and I can send it to u depending on cost I have a short black hair but obv I’m summer there’s more hair❤
This was so cool!! Did you end up making something with this? I'm allergic to cats but I've heard that you can in theory wash the fur and it would solve the problem. It seems like it would be tedious and a pain, but I mean...free yarn is free yarn? Maybe?
Spinning chunky might be a bit difficult due to the short staple length, but if you draft thicker, the yarn will be thicker. Same as with any other fiber. I am a very thin spinner, so have trouble going thick.
Is there a way to make a faux fur Fabric out of your kitties fur .. i have five cats and it would be cool to be able to turn their shedded fur into a nice coat 🧥
Oh, I had a long reply all typed up and it disappeared! I shall try again! Thank you for your email, I sent you a detailed reply with a link to my shop. Yes, there is a way to make a knitted garment from your kitties fur. I have no idea about weaving it, as I don't have a loom and have never woven fabric before. However, I am a knitter and have made several sweaters. I'm working on an order for a long cardigan right now with a deadline of "before next winter". These things take a lot of time to make. If you are a knitter/crocheter, weaver, then you can finish your garment after I've spun your yarn. If not, well... I'm happy to spin and knit your kitty fur into a cardigan. I do recommend blending your fur with wool which I have in my stash. This will give your garment elasticity and memory which cat fur by itself does not have. A 50/50 blend will give the yarn just enough memory to hold its shape after knitting while keeping the soft feel of kitty fur and its halo. I love how fuzzy kitty yarn turns out to be, like angora bunny... so soft and amazing! If this is something you are still interesting in hiring me to do after seeing my pricing. The pricing I gave is for small projects. I'm willing to negotiate for a much larger project, but you'll still need 1-2 pounds of cat fur for me to blend with 1-2 pounds wool. I charge a small fee per pound for wool which I did not include in your email because I didn't realize how large a project you have in mind when I replied. Let's talk more via e-mail! Thanks!, kim
Aren't you using mask?❤️💖 You should dear. Because you might enhale it..hmmmm... I'm wondering if I can do this too, will the short hair fur of cats can be spun too?
It's all personal preference. You can keep them separate or blend together. Blended will make a more interesting yarn and possibly make it easier to spin the shorter stuff. But, you can keep it separate and spin two different yarns. Really whatever you want.
@@FairilyFiberFun Thanks so much for the reply! As you can probably tell, I'm new to this whole thing. But I have a cat with the most gorgeous silky soft fur & as my mom has been knotting for over 40 years thought I could try my hand at carding & spinning. I'm still in phase 1- collecting a bunch of his hair so it will probably be a while 🤣
Hey, it doesn't look like your Andean plying technique is the same as mine. Maybe that's why it's discouraging you so much? It looks like you have to manually unwrap many of the loops from your wrist. When I have a good Andean ply going, both strands just slip off my wrist with equal tension.
Could be... it's been a while and my Andean plying has improved drastically since this video was filmed. The extremely high amount of twist in this single could also be causing issues.
I appreciate the request. Sadly, I do not spin pet fur for customers. Here is a link to a friend who does spin dog fur for customers... www.etsy.com/listing/842549822/i-can-spin-your-dogs-fur-to-make?ref=shop_home_active_1
@@xaviersanders7063 do you have a drop spindle or support spindle? I once spun a cotton ball with my fingers, winding the spun yarn around a pencil as I went. I don't see why cat fur would be that much different. Carefully fluff your fur so that it's not matted, lay it out sorta like a small sheet (can use several things layers) and roll up with your hands into a rough tube, like the rolags I made in this video. Pinch a bit from one end with your fingers and give it some twist. Experiment with how much twist is needed as you go.
You should knit the word “meow” on a cat sweater. That would literally be adorable!
That would
Cool video! My cats are getting old, so this may be a good way to make something to remember them by when they do pass
That's a great idea!
@Infinite Mess How are your cats doing?
@@instant_mint I hope they're fat old happy cats
I barely know how to knit, but I've been saving my medium length haired cats fur for a while, I don't have carders or a way to spin, but thank you for the video!
Does the fur need to washed?
@@abijahdixon2771 I would not wash it until after spinning into yarn to prevent it felting... unless it stinks.
Thank you! Cat fur is very difficult to spin because it is short and very slippery, but it does make yarn! Maybe one day you can learn to spin with wool and then you'll be confident to try your cat fur
Hooray! That yarn looks beautiful. Now to convince my little Pepper to give me some time with her under a brush.
It is years after you made this video, and I was brushing my cats and decided to find out how to make cat hair yarn. My calico has a great undercoat. She is a shorthair but has so much fur! It would make beautiful yarn.
@@AC-kw4st are you going to spin it?
It was great to see this. I've been collecting fur from my cat for a couple of years with the intention of turning it into yarn and maybe making a cushion or something similar when she is no longer with me. (Fingers crossed she will have a good long life and I will end up with a throw blanket for my sofa!)
That is an amazing plan!
This is some lovely work and I'm so happy you posted this for everyone. I've been looking at videos all day trying to find something that could help me. And your video is just what I needed.❤
Thank you! So glad it was helpful.
When spinners tell me a certain fleece is not worth spinning, I have to try it and see for myself! I figure, if cotton, which is an inch or less in length, can be spun into yarn, then short wool can, too!
Im gonna start collecting my cats fur because she sheds a lot
Thank you! Our sheep are unique and have extremely short wool. I'm completely new to carding and spinning so I'm trying to look up carding and spinning shorter wool this was very helpful! My drop spindle is still in the mail and I'm trying to card as much wool as I can before it gets here and I'm FRUSTRATED! 😂
Oh, you sound like me!!! I was so impatient for my spindle to arrive, I made a terrible one while I waited. You could make a spindle with pencils and rubber bands and practice spinning commercial yarn. It'll keep the frustration from overwhelming you 😁
How long is your sheeps wool? I work with all different lengths and may be able to film a tutorial. Also, are you hand carding with carders or dog brushes, or are you using a drum carder?
@@FairilyFiberFun I have large curved carders. They're really nice, so I'm trying to watch a bunch of different carding techniques to find one that works well for me. The sheep's wool is probably only about 2 inches at the longest. Thanks so much for your reply! We've had sheep for a few years and I'm finally getting the time to figure out what I can do with it.
@@mycupoverflows7811 Ah yes, hand cards are so nice for short stapled fibers! I like to load my carders only at the tip farthest from the handle as they tangle up less that way, but by all means... experiment and learn your way to card this wool. 2 inches is a great staple length to card and spin, anything under an inch I would probably not work with, but as for experimentation goes, try it and have fun. You never know what you might discover. Cotton is about a quarter inch length and can be spun, so why not short wool?
I also, mainly, wet felt my cats' hair:) lovely rugs memorabilia..
Wet felting is a great way to incorporate pet fur... I should try that
I am so happy I found this!! I thought I am the only ond with thoose plans... My Senior Cat is almost 16 and I planning on making some kind of thread for a necklace or s.th. similiar. Want to wear it -when- his time has come.. Hope it will be strong enough..
Thank you!!
Oh, that is such a neat idea! If spun well, it will be quite strong and will make a lovely necklace
Thank you for this video. I have never prepared fiber or spun, but have always wanted to learn. I have a very old horse that puts on a heavy winter coat, so I wanted to have a keepsake from him. Your preparation (carding) of the short cat fur is most similar to his hair. I am watching many videos and I’m very appreciative of artisans sharing their skill. Wish me luck.
I've never spun horse and always wanted to try it! Good luck
Don’t have a Cat....
Won’t have one for a while, but I just recently discovered that you could use pet hair. Always assumed people just threw it out. To think it has so many cool uses! Definitely going to upcycle my future cat fur and potentially learn to spin it into yarn. I’ll definitely want to try making cat toys from felting among other things.
It's pretty amazing what you can spin! I never thought to felt pet fur... I wonder how easy it would be. Making cat toys out of your cat's fur would be too cool. I think long haired cat would be easier to spin than a short haired, since longer fibers tend to be a bit easier. Oh, now you've got me thinking about my future pets!!! The BF wants a dog and I want a cat, so I guess we'll have to get both with long enough fur for some spinning and felting projects. I honestly think there's not much animal fur that can't be spun.
Fairily Fiber Fun Try mixing the fur together, not like one type on top and the other on the bottom...I mean put each type in bit by bit-mixed up.
It is a cool experiment because you can use two textures and colours in one go: will they blend or separate?
I need to get better at double checking comments... lol... didn't see this until today. Oh well, better late than never. You have a great idea here... I love it! If very well blended, two very different fibers will stay blended during spinning. The only way they would separate is if they are extremely different in length, as in one really long and one really short or if they are not well blended but instead clumped. It's the same as spinning any other blend of fibers such as wool and alpaca.
This is so wierd yet amazing. ♡
right?! I had to see if spinning such short fur was possible... it is.
I did spin my cat fur once. Fun.
I should show this to my mom. Maybe she can make socks from all the fur our cat sheds. Can you imagine how soft and smooth cat fur socks would be?! XD
Oh, now that is an idea! But is cat fur able to stand up to abrasion? someone should do an experiment and tell me. I am all out of cat fur
@@FairilyFiberFun If it doesn't work for socks, it would definitely work for something like a hat, or a scarf... No abrasion there.
Next time I call my parents, I'll definitely give them the idea, as I live abroad.
When I was a kid my mom used to sow and spin and do minor corrections on clothes, but she stopped somewhere around 2003.
I'd love a homemade cat-hat for Christmas.
@@Megadriver that would make a warm and snuggly scarf... yesh!
Wow! I have a Persian and I collect TONS of long hair. I would love for it to be spun like this. I want to make things with it! Would it take a lot of hair to make a cardigan? or a sweater?
I would mix it with sheep wool for memory and stretch. You'll need at least a pound of fiber in total
Great job! congratulations and thanks for sharing this process 😊
Oh that's super interesting!!! I want to just try spinning to see if i like it but getting my hands on sheep wool seemed a bit complicated, so i think i'll just ask my dog-owner friend if he can gather some hair for me to try spinning it :)
Nothing wrong with spinning dog fur. I prefer wool, it is easier to work with and feels amazing. But, give the dog fur a try and see how you like it. I recommend using two dog brushes to card little rolags then spin from those. That should make the fur easier to manage
@@FairilyFiberFun Thank you, i'll try it if my friend accepts the weird request for dog fur i sent him !
Today I was grooming my medium haired cat and had so much fur I said I could make a blanket. So I ended up here wondering if you can actually turn cat fur into yarn.
And you said you did it with dog fur too, maybe I should start saving up my animal fur
Absolutely you should try it!
Hello, I really appreciate this video.
I'd like to know if you give the hair a special treatment, if you wash it or you only use it like that. Thank you!
So sorry I didn't see your comment. I don't give the hair any treatment at all before spinning. This fur was combed off the cat, so shed fur only. It is very clean and didn't require washing or anything. Dog fur I would probably wash first but that depends on how it smells.
Very cool and very informative video. Thank you for posting!
Your welcome! and thank you!!!
Thank you for the video !
I get 3-4 golf balls of super soft fur out of my long-haired cat every other day after brushing her, I was just wondering if this was possible!.
Is it true that unless spun together with a bit of something that is a longer strand -like sheep‘s wool - it will continue to shed over time from your finished product? I’ve read a few comments on other sites with people saying their hats or purses, whatever was made from cat hair , continued to shed after being knitted.... would love to hear from someone who has had a finished product for a while.
I have not made anything from my cat fur yarn, so I can't say for sure. Blending cat fur with wool is an excellent idea to give the yarn memory and bounce. an item knit with 100% cat fur will have loads of drape but not hold it's shape all that well. Try experimenting with at least 40% wool and see how that turns out.
Are you still making cat coin purses? I have a large baggie of my Ragdolls fur. Can get more.
Thank you,
DJ
Hi Donna, thanks for watching my video! I do not make cat coin purses, I just spin the yarn. I am happy to discuss prices for spinning via e-mail in the discription
Do you have an Etsy shop? I'd like to discuss having my cat's fur spun with you
Hello Kathy! I do not have an Etsy shop, but I do have a FiberCrafty shop as well as a listing for pet fur spins where you can see the full details of pricing and such. My shop is linked in every video. You can also email me direct, again linked in video show notes. I look forward to hearing from you!
Awesome! I came to the comments exaclty for this!! It would be awesome if I could pay you to spin my cats fur. I will check out your website 💕
So cool!
So u still collect cat hair to make things, I brush my cat every day and I can send it to u depending on cost I have a short black hair but obv I’m summer there’s more hair❤
I am sorry but no, I do not spin pet fur anymore. It was fun to experiment but I don't enjoy it.
Very interesting video.
thank you!
Im not sure if you'll see this comment but if you do - what type of wheel do you use to spin this video? What era/design?
Thanks for asking! It is an 1850's New England flax wheel. She was a dream to spin with
very cool!
This was so cool!! Did you end up making something with this? I'm allergic to cats but I've heard that you can in theory wash the fur and it would solve the problem. It seems like it would be tedious and a pain, but I mean...free yarn is free yarn? Maybe?
I never did use this for anything. I think the little yarn sample is hanging out somewhere in my stadh
I have just been asked to spin some dog fur. Would it be better to turn it into rolags or just spin it from the cloud xx
oh what fun!! I always find rolags to be easier to spin, especially if the fur is short stapled.
@@FairilyFiberFun thank you so much kim x
I wanted to start with a hand spindel is it possible wit catfur ?
I would use a support spindle for cat fur because of how short it is, a drop spindle may not work out. You can certainly try
Do you know how to make chunky yarn with cats fur
Spinning chunky might be a bit difficult due to the short staple length, but if you draft thicker, the yarn will be thicker. Same as with any other fiber. I am a very thin spinner, so have trouble going thick.
@@FairilyFiberFun thank you for your advice i really appreciate it
Easiest way is to make a 4-ply. Two 2-ply plied. Remember to ply both 2 plys the opposite direction (same as spin).
Is there a way to make a faux fur Fabric out of your kitties fur .. i have five cats and it would be cool to be able to turn their shedded fur into a nice coat 🧥
Oh, I had a long reply all typed up and it disappeared! I shall try again! Thank you for your email, I sent you a detailed reply with a link to my shop.
Yes, there is a way to make a knitted garment from your kitties fur. I have no idea about weaving it, as I don't have a loom and have never woven fabric before. However, I am a knitter and have made several sweaters. I'm working on an order for a long cardigan right now with a deadline of "before next winter". These things take a lot of time to make. If you are a knitter/crocheter, weaver, then you can finish your garment after I've spun your yarn. If not, well... I'm happy to spin and knit your kitty fur into a cardigan. I do recommend blending your fur with wool which I have in my stash. This will give your garment elasticity and memory which cat fur by itself does not have. A 50/50 blend will give the yarn just enough memory to hold its shape after knitting while keeping the soft feel of kitty fur and its halo. I love how fuzzy kitty yarn turns out to be, like angora bunny... so soft and amazing! If this is something you are still interesting in hiring me to do after seeing my pricing. The pricing I gave is for small projects. I'm willing to negotiate for a much larger project, but you'll still need 1-2 pounds of cat fur for me to blend with 1-2 pounds wool. I charge a small fee per pound for wool which I did not include in your email because I didn't realize how large a project you have in mind when I replied. Let's talk more via e-mail!
Thanks!, kim
Can you blend with cat fur with silk or cashmere instead of wool?
Fun fact: I searched this up after watching how wool is made
That's awesome!
That is so cool
Thanks!
Aren't you using mask?❤️💖 You should dear. Because you might enhale it..hmmmm... I'm wondering if I can do this too, will the short hair fur of cats can be spun too?
The shorter the fur, the harder it will be to make a strong yet soft yarn
There's more than one way to spin a cat
Can't look away.
My cats body has shorter hair than its tail which is quite long. Should I keep the hair separately or can it be carded together?
It's all personal preference. You can keep them separate or blend together. Blended will make a more interesting yarn and possibly make it easier to spin the shorter stuff. But, you can keep it separate and spin two different yarns. Really whatever you want.
@@FairilyFiberFun Thanks so much for the reply! As you can probably tell, I'm new to this whole thing. But I have a cat with the most gorgeous silky soft fur & as my mom has been knotting for over 40 years thought I could try my hand at carding & spinning. I'm still in phase 1- collecting a bunch of his hair so it will probably be a while 🤣
@@iLitAfuseiCantStop What a fun adventure! I'm happy to be here for you. I'd love updates on your progress
Hey, it doesn't look like your Andean plying technique is the same as mine. Maybe that's why it's discouraging you so much? It looks like you have to manually unwrap many of the loops from your wrist. When I have a good Andean ply going, both strands just slip off my wrist with equal tension.
Could be... it's been a while and my Andean plying has improved drastically since this video was filmed. The extremely high amount of twist in this single could also be causing issues.
My cat has a lot of dandruff in his fur and I'm really hoping it will wash out when I do this in the future. Otherwise this could be so gross 🤣
Ugh... dandruff... that is no fun
@@FairilyFiberFun wait so can I be worked around? Have to experienced it?
@@TopHatKitty depends on how you process your fur. It is very hard to get dandruff or scurf out of spinning fibers.
Can you do my dogs hair if I ship and pay u
I appreciate the request. Sadly, I do not spin pet fur for customers. Here is a link to a friend who does spin dog fur for customers... www.etsy.com/listing/842549822/i-can-spin-your-dogs-fur-to-make?ref=shop_home_active_1
I have a question
I have an answer
@@FairilyFiberFun well so is it possible to do it by hand
@@FairilyFiberFun oh I almost forgot with no spinnery and to loosen the fabric
with your fingers
@@xaviersanders7063 do you have a drop spindle or support spindle? I once spun a cotton ball with my fingers, winding the spun yarn around a pencil as I went. I don't see why cat fur would be that much different. Carefully fluff your fur so that it's not matted, lay it out sorta like a small sheet (can use several things layers) and roll up with your hands into a rough tube, like the rolags I made in this video. Pinch a bit from one end with your fingers and give it some twist. Experiment with how much twist is needed as you go.
Interesting. I need to try this one day, if I can get enough fur from my cats, that is.
It was a fun experiment. I much prefer wool, but cat fur is spinnable
lol was idly wondering if this could be done. Now I know👍🏻