How it Works*Save and store your brushings
*Submit your order form *Send your brushings *Your project is booked once the fiber is received *Generally booking with a 6-8 week lead time. It's worth the wait. *Fees are due 1/2 when the project begins and 1/2 upon completion |
Custom yarn made with your pet's hair
A project this special happens for some, once in a lifetime. I fully understand both the sentimentality and importance of your project; I'm truly honored to work with you & your cherished pet.
I look forward to presenting you with your companion expressed in this very unique medium. |
Fees 2020
Yarn spun from your pet's hair $27/oz base price
If your brushings look like this, the base price will apply. |
Yarn is 2 ply sportweight. Thickness is measured by WPI (wraps per inch around a ruler) Sportweight is 13-16 WPI and a great all purpose yarn. Occasionally, a worsted weight yarn results; it depends on the individual fiber. Bulkier yarn can be made by request. Cost of yarn made from your pet's hair is all inclusive: basic prep work and hand carding, spinning, plying, washing and finishing into a center pull ball or hank with custom tag.
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Opening up of compacted hair +$6/oz to base price
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Foreign matter and debris in brushings.
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Compacted brushings which will require additional prep time
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Additional Prep fees will apply if your brushings contain foreign matter or are compacted and difficult to pull apart. Remove as much debris or obvious felted clumps as you can before you send it to avoid the fee. Sometimes hair stored for long periods of time compacts. It's the nature of the fiber and it can still be spun with extra time and fiber preparation on my end.
The best way to store brushings is in a cardboard box, paper bag, or pillow case.
Clippings can be spun in some circumstances. Clips must be at least 2 inches long - consistent in length, no second cuts. It's best to plan ahead and speak to your groomer about these requirements. Often, clippings will need a blending fiber added to serve as anchor fiber for the clips. Bags of clippings containing various lengths of cuts will not be processed. Please be sure that your clippings meet these requirements if brushings are not an option. Clips are not ideal for spinning but I understand there are times when this may be your only option if your pet has passed.
Blending fiber spun with your pet's hair $23/oz |
Blending your pet's hair with another fiber is optional. This is sometimes advised with very short hair and is a great way to go if you need more yarn yardage. The cost for spinning the fiber includes my cost of the actual fiber used for blending.
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The softest and longest hairs are found on the undercoat. These hairs are what is left on your brush after grooming your pet. These are ideal for spinning and should make up the majority of your hair if choose to have it spun. The outer hairs are guard hairs or second coat and are not ideally structured for spinning. These coarsest guard hairs are sometimes scratchy or slick and will shed out of the yarn. All brushings need to be at least an inch to an inch and a half long to be suitable for spinning.
Store your hair in a paper bag or small box such as a shoe box and protect from pests if you will be storing over a long period of time. Cedar chips work well. Please do not store your hair with or near mothballs or in plastic bags. If you have your hair stored in plastic bags, take it out and transfer it to paper or cardboard. All hair must be pest free. If you wash your pet before grooming be sure that the hair you collect is completely dry before storing.
You are charged by the ounce for the weight of the hair provided before it is processed. To give you an idea of how much hair is in an ounce, a plastic sandwich bags holds approximately 1 ounce of hair. 1 ounce of pet hair will yield anywhere between 50-60 yards of finished yarn. The finished yarn ounce for ounce will be less in weight as there is some loss during the processing. Processing results in loss up to 25% depending on the oil content, length and texture of the hair. Average waste is usually 10-15%.
Store your hair in a paper bag or small box such as a shoe box and protect from pests if you will be storing over a long period of time. Cedar chips work well. Please do not store your hair with or near mothballs or in plastic bags. If you have your hair stored in plastic bags, take it out and transfer it to paper or cardboard. All hair must be pest free. If you wash your pet before grooming be sure that the hair you collect is completely dry before storing.
You are charged by the ounce for the weight of the hair provided before it is processed. To give you an idea of how much hair is in an ounce, a plastic sandwich bags holds approximately 1 ounce of hair. 1 ounce of pet hair will yield anywhere between 50-60 yards of finished yarn. The finished yarn ounce for ounce will be less in weight as there is some loss during the processing. Processing results in loss up to 25% depending on the oil content, length and texture of the hair. Average waste is usually 10-15%.
Is blending my pet's hair with another fiber necessary?
*No -blending in another fiber is optional unless your brushings are too short. In that case, the only way to make a yarn which won't shed excessively and fall apart easily is adding in another fiber. I will give you my assessment once I evaluate your pet's hair. I do recommend cat hair be blended with another fiber because of it's tendency to felt on itself. The benefits of blending are increased yardage, elasticity, strength, structure, and... it's not as warm. Dog hair really is 8 X warmer than wool! Think about what you will be making with your yarn and consider the benefits of blending. If you only have a small amount of brushings from your pet, it's a great way to get more yardage. When blending is necessary, a 50/50 ratio is ideal. I use responsibly sourced Alpaca, Merino and Bamboo.