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Making Yarn from Pet Hair
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I'm sure many of ou are curious about the process of making yarn from pet hair. Hand spinning is meditative, industrious, tedious and rewarding. There is so much to it - and while making yarn is labor intensive, I love every minute of it. From receiving the fiber and weighing it in until the very last skein is wound, it is a labor of love for me. I'm often asked how long it takes to make a ball of yarn. It truly is impossible to answer that question because the time it takes is dependent on the individual batch of fiber, condition and even length. Like any artisan product, there is an enormous amount of skill and time invested into creating the unique end piece. It's safe to say that many hours go into making just one ball of yarn. I utilize every efficiency possible in order to keep the process moving at both an enjoyable and productive pace. I hope you enjoy watching!
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Prep
Preparing the brushings for spinning is the most important step in the process. Properly prepared fiber will result in a much nicer yarn. The first step to prepare the fiber is to pick. Any visible debris needs to be removed and then any debris that I can't see but can feel with my fingers is teased out. Next, the fiber is put into a bench picker which is a tool that teases apart the compacted fiber. It is a large wooden box with a top that slides passing a little fiber at a time from the front to the rear with stainless steel teeth. This is where my arm begins to tire. After the fiber is picked, small handfuls are hand carded. Passing the fiber from one carder to the other with gentle brush like motions separates the fiber even more. The idea is for that handful to almost quadruple in size and fluffiness. The next steps are really variable. There are times that I use a larger drum carder to make batts (large sheets) of carded fiber, or I roll the fiber off of the carders in the shape of tubes called rolags and spin from those. Properly prepped fiber will take hours to prepare; even for just a few ounces.
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Spinning
Spinning the yarn is the process of taking prepared fiber and drawing it out with one hand (my left) as my feet control the treadles of the spinning wheel putting the power into the wheel. The energy generates twist which is controlled with my right hand and then released onto the bobbin where it is wound. Once that bobbin is full, it's known as a single. I will spin two bobbins, and then ply those two single bobbins together. Those two singles are twisted in the opposite direction and there you have a two ply yarn. I prefer to spin on a double treadle wheel and find the repetitive rhythm to be both meditative and relaxing. Like any true spinstress I have more than one spinning wheel (I'm not telling you how many). E spinners are motoroized spinning wheels that can add some efficiency to the process. Not all pet hair works well with e spinners, so variety and options are keys to spinning the best yarns. Spinning wheels have come a long way in both form and function and while I can't say I've found the perfect wheel, I do really enjoy using my Kromski double treadle for singles.
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Finishing
Just because it looks like yarn doesn't mean it's finished. After the yarn is plied it is wound into skeins on a niddy noddy. This enables me to measure the yardage and see the plied yarn in detail. The skeins are then washed, a few at a time, in a sink of hot soapy water. Wash, rinse repeat until the water runs clear. The yarn soaks in hot soapy water and is then rinsed with very cold water. This process sets the twist, removes and dirt or remaining dander and oils, and is the final step to actually making the yarn. I love a nice sunny day when I can dry my skeins outside. The sun is a natural deodorizer and the fresh air is great for drying yarn. Once the skeins are dry, they are put onto a swift (stretched and secured on a tool that rotates) and then one end is threaded into a ball winder and that skein becomes a center wind ball after many hand cranks. That, is truly the final step in making and preparing the yarn. From here the yarn is labeled with finished yardage and weight, and measured for thickness. The final act of packing is one that is bittersweet for me. I feel connected to every animal I spin and parting is never easy.
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