How to Knit a Sweater from Dog Hair

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It collects in the corners of your apartment, on your favorite clothing and all over your furniture. Small tumbleweeds roll across the floor if left unchecked. Pet hair.

How to Knit a Sweater from Dog Hair

But it doesn’t have to be like this. There’s a way to put dog hair to good use: You can make a sweater out of it. Chiengora is yarn made from dog hair or a blend. “Chien” is the French word for dog, and “gora” is taken from angora, the fiber to which dog hair is the most similar.

There are reports of dog hair fibers being found in the clothing and blankets of prehistoric Scandinavia and the North American Navajo Indians. DNA analysis on blankets used by the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia have found that canine hairs seem to have been a common fiber in their crafts.

We can’t imagine, however, that anyone back then called it something as pretentious as chiengora.

Dog Hair = Money

The material is gaining in popularity. A quick search reveals that the going rate for chiengora produced from the hair of two champion German shepherd is $4.95 for 3 ounces. That could add up to a tidy sum if you kept all the trimmings from your own favorite canine.

And just in case it’s not abundantly clear: No, the dog isn’t harmed to make chiengora. Harvesting dog hair is just like harvesting wool from a sheep — albeit a house-broken, spoiled, garbage-eating sheep that sleeps on your sofa when you aren’t looking.

COLLECT IT: To make your very own garment or pot holder, start by collecting the fur that comes off when you brush your dog, and keep any floor sweepings. Store it in a cloth sack such as a pillowcase, in a well-lit and ventilated area. This will keep it free from moths.

SPIN IT: When you have collected enough, the hair must be spun into yarn before you can make anything out of it. You can do this yourself if you know how to spin or you can send it to an outside organization that will do it for you. Woofspun by Detta’s Spindle is one location that will happily spin yarn so you can knit a sweater from dog hair. You’ll need about 4 ounces for socks, hats and mittens; 10 ounces for a scarf; or 42 ounces for a large sweater.

KNIT IT: Once you have your yarn, it’s time to knit! Follow any pattern as if you were knitting with traditional sheep or goat’s wool. For you experienced knitters, this means use a size 5 or 6 knitting needle. Blooming will occur with use, making it very easy to work with but difficult to undo — so no mistakes. It measures about six stitches to the inch and works well with two-ply sport weight yarn.

Here is an interesting video about knitting with dog hair. Watch this, then we’ll briefly discuss how to care for your new garment…

How to Care for Chiengora

To care for your dog-hair garment, hand-wash it in warm water with pet shampoo (no kidding!) or with mild liquid detergent.

And just in case you’re in no mood to do your own knitting, particularly with dog hair of all things, then consider buying a sweater made especially for your pup. Good compromise, right?

Additional Resources

• Bella Online: Making a Sweater From Dog Hair
• Amazon.com: Knitting With Dog Hair (112 pages), a definitive guide
• Seabreeze Spinners: Chiengora archive with a treasure trove of information

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