Today I start my experiments in spinning pet fur, courtesy of my friend Angela who is a groomer. Yesterday I received my first batch of fur samples and I can't wait to get started. I'm starting with Merlin the Golden Retriever, and will soon move on to a Husky, Cockapoo, Maltese, and long haired Dachshund.



I decided to wash the Golden Retriever fur before carding it even though it didn't smell bad. All the wool-prep instructions say you must wash your fiber prior to spinning, but sheep are much filthier than house pets. Maybe I'll spin one of the others unwashed just to see how it comes out. I am glad to have found an online instructional video on carding because none of the books explain it in a way that translates easily to real life.

After I become comfortable in this area, I have a couple of ounces of my cat Hedwig's fur that I'm saving up for something special. I haven't decided what.