Knitting with dog hair was a craze in the 90s – let’s make it happen again | Well actually

Several decades ago, the idea arose of writing a book to examine the ways in which dog hair could be used by knitters. Most people thought the concept was a few puppies short of a litter, if not downright crazy. The exceptions were experienced spinners (for whom dog hair was merely another nifty fiber to experiment with) and people of exceptional vision and imagination (nearly all of whom owned beloved dogs who shed exasperating quantities of fuzz).

The project began when I was spinning fluff from Ollie, a Great Pyrenees belonging to my friends Barbara Binswanger and Jim Charlton. Like many spinners, I already knew that dog fuzz could be spun – many books devoted to the craft of spinning carried a paltry brief paragraph on it, but the information was often sketchy and seemed like an afterthought, a footnote to more substantial sections on alpaca, vicuña and other exotic fibers. After collecting Ollie fuzz over time at each dinner date with Barb and Jim, I spent a weekend spinning, which yielded enough yarn to make nothing less than a sweater for Barb and a vest for Jim.

Dog hair garments have been worn proudly by the rich and famous. Vincent Astor sported a scarf knit by his first wife, Minnie, from yarn made from their beloved poodle, Nora. I have not a clue whether his second wife, Brooke Astor, continued the practice. Mikhail Baryshnikov reportedly pirouettes in a pair of leg warmers made from his dogs’ hair. And any pet lover can craft homegrown and handmade treasures by spinning and knitting with dog hair.

Fibers from the coats of all kinds of animals can be spun into yarn that can be used just as you would use store-bought yarn, for knitting, crochet, weaving and a host of other crafts.

In fact, pet hair has characteristics that make it more desirable than wool. It produces a yarn that has a lovely “halo” of fuzz, much like mohair or angora. Though it is not as elastic, it is even warmer than wool. Susan Wallace, author of Hair of the Dog, made a hat of dog and goat hair that her husband wore while climbing Mount Rainier. He swears that it saved his life when he was caught by a sudden storm. The hat kept him incredibly warm, and unlike the wool hats worn by the rest of his climbing party, his hat collected no ice encrustations!

While I can’t guarantee that they’ll save your life, clothes made from a canine critter you know and love are just so much more special than clothes from some anonymous sheep. What could be more delightful than wearing mittens from your Malamute, or a sweater from your Samoyed? Every knitter knows the feeling of satisfaction you get from wearing a sweater you’ve made yourself. Well, you can multiply that feeling about 10 times to get a sense of what it’s like to wear a sweater that was sourced from Fido.

One of the drawbacks of pet ownership is dealing with the problem of shedding. Most of us, out of loyalty to our pets, insist that they “don’t shed much”. Let’s be honest – a fine layer of pet hair probably coats everything in your house, and fur balls are collecting dust under all the furniture. Well, the solution is at hand! You can be proud to own a shedder once you take up pet spinning. All that fuzz that used to clog up your vacuum cleaner can now be put to good use.

While the original US publication of Knitting With Dog Hair in 1994 can take credit for raising awareness of the glories of dog yarn, this craft already existed. Hand spinners are always looking for new source material, and many spin pet hair as well as other exotic fibers.

Spinning dog hair was once very common among the Coast Salish Indigenous people of the Pacific north-west. They had no sheep, but instead kept herds of small dogs, called the Salish wool dog, that were bred specifically for their coats and sheared like sheep. These dogs were kept separate from the other dogs in the villages – in fact, sometimes on an island to keep them from interbreeding and losing their distinctive and valuable coat. Sadly, as machine-loomed woolen blankets became readily accessible, the craft died out, and the breed intermingled with other dogs and no longer exists.

Other cultures have been recycling Rover for centuries. There is a long history of using dog yarn in Scandinavia and the Baltic countries. On a trip to Estonia, another avid dog yarn spinner discovered a woman selling dog hair sweaters at a village market. Through the auspices of a gifted interpreter, she discovered that, according to the local folklore, dog hair alleviates symptoms of arthritis and rheumatism. And while I make no such claims, there was at that time at least one Estonian mill devoted to spinning a combination of dog hair and wool, which certainly indicates there are some true believers out there.

I admit it – when you first tell your friends that the garment you’re wearing was previously worn by your dog, you’re bound to get some raised eyebrows, not to mention a few shrieks of horror. Carol Kroll, author of Putting on the Dog, described a letter she received from an irate reader, who was appalled that anyone would kill dogs to make clothing. Well, obviously, none of us would dream of harming dogs in any way, and you should be sure that you’re absolutely clear on that point. And after your neighbors have had a chance to get used to this revolutionary idea – and when they notice how lovely a garment you’re wearing – it won’t be long before they’re leaving bags of dog hair on your doorstep in the hopes that you’ll spin it for them.

I remain delighted that the original edition of this book helped launch a renewed interest in spinning and knitting with pet hair, as evidenced by the dozens of enthusiastic practitioners who credit it with getting them started. And I earnestly believe it is even more relevant now than it was in the late 20th century. It really is the perfect craft for our times.

It is very economical. Talk about something for nothing: this is a way to get clothes from stuff you used to throw out! (Now if we could only figure out something to do with dryer lint … ) The tools you’ll need to start spinning are quite inexpensive, and some can even be made at home. Of course, you may ultimately want to invest in a full array of spinning equipment, but it’s not necessary until you really get hooked on spinning pet hair.

It is good for the environment. Talk about sustainability! No one knows how much pet hair ends up in our landfills and incinerators, nor how much electricity is used when vacuuming pet hair, but it is probably pretty significant. Going from garbage to garment by using the pet hair that would otherwise be discarded is, in fact, an extremely creative form of recycling.

It is certainly kind to animals. Spinning and knitting with pet hair is a way to get a fur that you can wear with absolutely no guilt at all.

And, not unlike sourdough bread baking, this is a craft for the whole family. The youngest kids can help brush the dog, and older children can help prepare the fibers for spinning. It’s a terrific way to spend time together. So start casting on with that cast-off fuzz!

The very first edition of Knitting With Dog Hair was nothing short of a 90s sensation. (Well, it wasn’t actually a bestseller, and the movie rights didn’t sell, so I had to keep my day job.) But the book certainly raised awareness of the craft of spinning and knitting with dog hair – ­the press coverage was nothing short of amazing.

The first of many book-related television appearances was on Good Morning America. A year later, the producer called to say the segment was one of their favorites from the prior year, and asked whether there was a follow-on book. (There wasn’t.) Were plans in place to write another book? (They weren’t.) Well, how about coming back and talking about the same book again? (Yes – and yes!)

A whirl of appearances on seemingly countless talkshows and radio programs followed, as did dozens of print interviews. People magazine even did a feature! When the book was published in the UK, I spent a full day in BBC House doing radio call-in shows. A surprising number of calls came from readers who had already purchased the US edition.

Jay Leno mentioned the book in his monologue five nights running, and one of the mentions appeared in his 10th anniversary show. I was one of the keynote speakers at the annual convention of the International Society of Canine Cosmetologists. You can only imagine how interesting an experience that was. At the other end of the spectrum, the book is mentioned in Dog Grooming for Dummies.

And while the intensity of 15 minutes of fame has diminished, it never really stopped. My name is pretty unique, so I’m easy to find – and for over 25 years, the press has kept finding me.

But by far the most touching responses were letters from readers. The general thrust of most of these letters was: “I bought your book and made a scarf out of my beloved Fluffy … Fluffy is gone now, and I am so deeply grateful to you that I have this scarf to remember her by.”

Not surprisingly, the original edition still appears on many websites on fiber arts, and also on many websites about dogs. What did surprise me is that it is also extremely popular on websites about survival after the apocalypse. My husband, Stephen, is fond of noting that when the end-times come, the preppers may well come to get me to spin their dog hair.

Perhaps the most gratifying outcome over the last 30 years has been the friendships formed with the fabulous dogknitters I have engaged with. What a delightful, creative and friendly fellowship this is. They stay connected with each other through various social media platforms and in-person meetups, and have been infinitely generous, sharing their best tips on this quirky craft.

Some have launched small businesses centered on bringing the joys of dogknitting to the broader public. I can’t take credit for helping launch a new cottage industry, but I certainly am pleased that the first edition of this book was the catalyst for many of them.

You can find lots more dogspinners and dogknitters on social media – just search “knitting with dog hair” or “chiengora” and you will be simply astounded. I keep an updated list on my website​. It really is a movement!

• Kendall Crolius, a Princeton graduate, has been spinning yarn from her pets’ hair and knitting clothes with it for most of her life. She lives in Chautauqua, New York