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I honor the bond between people and animals by transforming love, memory, and fiber into lasting yarn and keepsakes.I'm Theresa Furrer — the fiber artist behind Nine Lives Twine |
The Work I'm Called to Do
I’m drawn to the quiet magic of creating something meaningful with my hands — work shaped by patience, intention, and deep respect for the materials I touch.
Animals have been at the center of my life for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was captivated by every creature I encountered—collecting feathers, tending to injured animals, and instinctively understanding that all lives deserve dignity, care, and remembrance. That early reverence for animals quietly shaped the way I move through the world.
Over time, that deep love found its way into my hands. I became a fiber and textile artist, drawn to the slow, intimate processes of spinning and stitch. What began as curiosity grew into decades of study and experimentation with fibers of all kinds—learning not just how they behave, but how they hold memory.
Nine Lives Twine was born at the intersection of those two paths. Today, I specialize in transforming pet hair into yarn, keepsakes, and memorial pieces—work that honors the bond between people and the animals they love. Each piece is made slowly, thoughtfully, and with respect for both the fiber and the story it carries.
Animals have been at the center of my life for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was captivated by every creature I encountered—collecting feathers, tending to injured animals, and instinctively understanding that all lives deserve dignity, care, and remembrance. That early reverence for animals quietly shaped the way I move through the world.
Over time, that deep love found its way into my hands. I became a fiber and textile artist, drawn to the slow, intimate processes of spinning and stitch. What began as curiosity grew into decades of study and experimentation with fibers of all kinds—learning not just how they behave, but how they hold memory.
Nine Lives Twine was born at the intersection of those two paths. Today, I specialize in transforming pet hair into yarn, keepsakes, and memorial pieces—work that honors the bond between people and the animals they love. Each piece is made slowly, thoughtfully, and with respect for both the fiber and the story it carries.
Experience, Technique and Care
I have worked with yarn and fiber for more than four decades, exploring how different materials behave, age, and respond to time and handling. Over the years, I’ve presented and demonstrated my work at events across the United States and have had the honor of working with pet lovers from around the world.
While my techniques are rooted in traditional hand spinning and textile practices, my approach is deeply personal. Pet hair is unlike commercial fiber—it varies widely by species, coat type, and individual animal. Each commission begins with careful evaluation of the fiber itself so that I can choose the methods that will best support durability, softness, and longevity.
Some of my work has involved well-known animal companions, but to me, every pet is extraordinary. Whether the fiber comes from a famous face or a quiet family companion, it receives the same level of care, respect, and attention.
While my techniques are rooted in traditional hand spinning and textile practices, my approach is deeply personal. Pet hair is unlike commercial fiber—it varies widely by species, coat type, and individual animal. Each commission begins with careful evaluation of the fiber itself so that I can choose the methods that will best support durability, softness, and longevity.
Some of my work has involved well-known animal companions, but to me, every pet is extraordinary. Whether the fiber comes from a famous face or a quiet family companion, it receives the same level of care, respect, and attention.
Care Beyond the Work
My work is shaped not only by time spent at the wheel, but by how I move through the world outside the studio.
I am deeply involved in animal welfare and land stewardship. I care for and humanely manage a colony of feral cats, ensuring they are safe, supported, and no longer caught in the cycle of reproduction. I also volunteer with rescue goats and donkeys who help restore green spaces by clearing invasive plants.
In late summer and early fall, I responsibly raise, tag, and release monarch butterflies and contribute health and migration data to international citizen science projects. These practices—quiet, patient, and attentive—mirror the way I work with fiber.
Everything I create is informed by this rhythm of care.
I am deeply involved in animal welfare and land stewardship. I care for and humanely manage a colony of feral cats, ensuring they are safe, supported, and no longer caught in the cycle of reproduction. I also volunteer with rescue goats and donkeys who help restore green spaces by clearing invasive plants.
In late summer and early fall, I responsibly raise, tag, and release monarch butterflies and contribute health and migration data to international citizen science projects. These practices—quiet, patient, and attentive—mirror the way I work with fiber.
Everything I create is informed by this rhythm of care.
At Home
I share my home with my endlessly supportive husband and more cats than I can count — though as any cat person knows, cat math always works out perfectly.
Home is where much of this work begins and ends. It's where fiber is sorted at the bench, where cats (the well behaved ones) supervise from warm spots nearby, and where stories are held with care before they ever become yarn.
Thank you for being here, for trusting me with something precious, and for honoring the animals who have shaped your life.
Home is where much of this work begins and ends. It's where fiber is sorted at the bench, where cats (the well behaved ones) supervise from warm spots nearby, and where stories are held with care before they ever become yarn.
Thank you for being here, for trusting me with something precious, and for honoring the animals who have shaped your life.
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