Dog floof happens. It’s part of the package of dog ownership. But turning Samoyed fur into yarn? That’s pretty crazy, but it doesn’t stop one Scottish woman from putting her pets’ annoyance into somewhat useful material.
If you’ve ever seen a Samoyed in the show ring (perhaps Striker at the AKC National Championship) and thought “How much work would combing all that dog hair be?”, the answer is probably “A lot!,” but it’s good to know that Samoyed fur/fibers of love are going to a good use.
This Scottish knitter is Edinburgh resident Jane Crewe, and her day job is in the gift shop of the Edinburgh Zoo, which already makes her an amazingly interesting person.
She has two seven-year-old Samoyeds named Artemis and Phaidra. She turns their excess dog hair into yarn which she then knits into scarves and snow hats.
According to People Magazine, this process can take several days, most of it waiting for the washed dog fur to dry out enough to work with.
Dog fur turned into Samoyed yarn by a Scottish knitter.
When she’s used up her own dogs’ supply of material, Crewe will sometimes reach out to her fellow Samoyed owners via social media to see if they can donate, and she has made items for about a hundred other dog owners out of the unique material.
“I like the spinning, but knitting takes a lot longer. I’m usually quite happy to pass it back to the owner,” Crewe is quoted in the People story.
Apparently the undercoat of Samoyeds is similar to angora yarn, which is quite a high compliment indeed, which makes sense, as they originated in quite cold climates
“You could crochet with it, or do house insulation with it, or make a duvet (comforter) from it,” Crewe said.
This is kind of the reverse of Cruella de Vil, and we’re fairly sure both Dodie Smith herself (author of the original novels) and Emma Stone‘s portrayal of the young Estrella would approve of this daring fashion gambit.
Speaking of which, the Cruella prequel is now streaming on Disney Plus if you wish to watch it.