“Knitting A Close Bond With Dogs”

a retired grade school teacher has taken up knitting–using dog hair that you can collect from your best friend as s/he sheds it, i suppose. now the question is, would you be willing to wear a scarf knit from your cat’s hair?

see article below.

Knitting a close bond with dogs

Lemont woman
thinks she has found a niche by turning canine fur into fashion,
spinning hairballs into accessories that can cost $200

By Jennifer Skalka
Tribune staff reporter

February 16, 2005

Devoted dog owners will do almost anything for their favorite pooch.

They let them sleep in their beds on expensive linens. They give
them filet mignon and short ribs. They pucker up for wet, silly
smooches on the lips.

But would they want to wear Rocky or Stella?

One Lemont woman is betting they do.

Betty Burian Kirk knits with dog fur. Bring her your golden retriever’s hairballs, and she’ll spin you a scarf or a hat.

Kirk, whose work is featured through March in an exhibit in Lemont
Public Library titled "Putting on the Dog," is a former elementary
school art teacher turned spinner. She works with traditional
materials, such as felt and wool, but also has created a process for
turning dog hair into skeins of yarn, which can be woven into
accessories.

"Like anything else, it’s finding your market," said Kirk, 51. "I
thought this would be perfect because people love their dogs."

With her Belgian sheepdog, Rex, panting heavily at her feet and a
ball of yarn made from Rex’s hair in her lap, Kirk explained that she
is attracted to dog hair because it is sentimental and produces novelty
items that people won’t find at the mall.

"My youngest wants me to make a Rex hat for him," said Kirk, who has two teenage boys and is married to a systems engineer.

As she spoke, several scarves and hats born of man’s best friend
sat by her side. They were fuzzy, slightly coarse and in a range of
earthy colors, such as taupe, gold and chocolate brown.

Kirk instructs dog owners interested in immortalizing the family
pet to collect a grocery bag full of its hair. The most sumptuous hair,
she said, is from a dog’s underbelly.

Because no one wants to smell like their dog, Kirk’s first move is
to wash the hair with dish soap and vinegar. Once it dries, she cards
it to straighten out the fibers. Then Kirk, who grew up in Cicero and
is a graduate of Morton East High School and Northern Illinois
University, spins it into yarn, which eventually becomes the skein.

Kirk’s creations cost $50 to $200.

Not every breed’s coat provides a luscious finish. Fluffy
Samoyeds, huskies and chows are great. Pointers and Labrador
retrievers, which have shorter hair, are not.

Though Kirk has found her passion, she concedes it’s not
everyone’s bag. And dog hair, several local hobbyists said, still is a
rarity in the knitting world.

Renana Lavin, co-owner of We’ll Keep You in Stitches on Oak
Street, recalls a customer who brought in the shaved coat of her
recently deceased collie. With bags of the dog’s hair in her clutches,
she asked the shop’s owners to help her knit something with it.

But Lavin said she just couldn’t abide, and the woman left the store mumbling angrily under her breath.

"In my mind’s eye I saw the naked collie," Lavin said. "We were trying not to throw up. We were horrified."

Lynette Swanson, owner of Three Bags Full in Northbrook, said
she’s never knitted with dog hair. "I think of dog hair as something
you vacuum up," Swanson said. "I don’t think of wearing it."

But these days, experts say, knitters are using a variety of
textiles, including those made from paper and wire. Stores offer the
requisite range of wools, of course, but there’s also llama wool,
alpaca and rabbit fur.

"I’m not fond of that either, but people love it," Lavin said of
rabbit fur. "At least it comes already wound, so we don’t have to cry
and think of Bugs Bunny."

At Cherry Tree Hill Yarn in Barton, Vt., an imported yarn made of
opossum hair is a big seller. The yarn, from New Zealand, is available
in a variety of colors. "It’s just a very soft yarn," said store
manager Brittany Carpenter. "People really like it."

Carpenter may be keen on opossum, but she’s not at all into knitting with dog hair.

"I have a dog, and I couldn’t do it," said Carpenter, who has a West Highland terrier at home. "I just couldn’t do it."

But Kendall Crolius, co-author of the book "Knitting With Dog
Hair," says knitting with dog hair should not be pooh-poohed. There are
practical benefits in using dog hair–the materials are free, and the
dog owner is doing his or her part to recycle. Also, Crolius said, dog
hair is exceptionally high quality and is warm.

"You’re basically getting cashmere for free," said Crolius of Southport, Conn. "What’s not to like?"

Crolius said the emotional reward is by far the greatest gain from
knitting with dog hair. She’s gotten many letters over the years from
grateful readers.

Kirk says she has turned down requests that she expand her
repertoire to include cat hair. Her husband and one of her sons are
allergic.

And for naysayers who question the practicality or cleanliness of knitting with dog hair, Kirk has a quick reply.

"If you buy a camel sweater, think of a camel in the zoo," she
said as Rex whimpered nearby. "Your cashmere is from a goat. And if
you’re talking about odors, you don’t want a goat in the house."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0502160375feb16,1,741297.story?coll=chi-newslocal-hed
accessed 2/16/05