published on in News Update

Owner of Samoyed dogs knits their fur into scarves that are like angora

Dog Owner Takes Fur from Her Fluffy Samoyeds and Knits it into Scarves: 'It's Quite Like Angora' https://t.co/eL8iCbhRXb

— People (@people) January 31, 2022

There’s a white-haired lady in Scotland turning dogs into coats! Fortunately she’s not coming for Cruella DeVil’s crown, though. Jane Crewe is spinning her Samoyed’s undercoat into yarn and knitting mittens, shrugs and jumpers (sweaters) from them. Not only that, she’s getting others to send their dogs’ fur to her so she can do the same for them. Because of the way Jane preps the fur, it does not smell like wet dog. Apparently her product is as soft as angora and truthfully, they look lovely… but I have so many questions.

A knitter is crafting clothes from hair shed by her beloved pet dogs.

Jane Crewe, 57, is devoted to her Samoyed dogs — a Siberian breed known for its thick white fur.

The innovative crafter collects the hair her canines Artemis and Phaidra, both 7, shed and uses a spinning wheel to turn the snow-colored fluff into yarn. Crewe then knits her handmade dog fur yarn into soft hats and scarves.

Crewe, who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, transforms dog fur into yarn by washing the discarded hair, drying it for two to three days, and then spinning it into yarn.

To make sure she has enough material, Crewe sometimes uses Facebook to connect with other Samoyed owners to get more fluff — spinning some of the fur into yarn for the owner. As word of Crewe’s unique skill begins to spread, more Samoyed owners are sending the artisan fur to make into yarn. So far, Crewe has sent custom yarn to 100 Samoyed owners.

“I like the spinning, but knitting takes a lot longer. I’m usually quite happy to pass it back to the owner,” Crewe told SWNS of the yarn she’s made for others.

According to Crewe, the undercoat fluff she collects from Samoyeds is known as “the halo” and is made up of luminous white fur tinged with silver.
“It’s a little bit of magic,” Crewe, who works in the gift shop at Edinburgh Zoo, said of the material, adding, “It is quite like angora.”

[From People]

I posted a clip of Jane and Phaidra on This Morning with Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby below. It’s interesting to hear her explain the whole process. And you can see how soft the yarn is, I don’t need convincing of that. I can lend credence to what Jane says about the halo, too. Samoyeds fur is pretty soft to begin with, but undercoats are particularly soft. Korean Jindos, my dogs main breed, have coarser hair, but they get undercoats. That fur is incredibly soft. And as Jane says in the video below, it does just come out. If you pet my male pup fast enough, it looks like an Edward Scissorhands montage.

As I said, I have questions, though. Mainly about allergies. Obviously if you have an allergy to dog fur, don’t wear it, but what about those around you? Does the washing and drying affect whether people are allergic to the fur? Because my understanding is that a dog allergy is much more sensitive than something like a wool allergy, although not quite cat-allergy level. I loved Jane’s project of soliciting dog hair from other owners for spinning-practice. One of the owners had kept her dog’s fur after it had passed 11 years ago. Jane will send the yarn back to her and she’ll forever have that keepsake. I can’t decide if I find that creepy of not. I’m still aching from the loss of my dog who died five years ago and when I read this I thought – oh! I wish I had some yarn of his fur. But would I actually wear mittens made of it? It’s a mental leap once they’re dead. Maybe a tiny basket for my wedding ring or something. Or maybe I’ll just stick with the photo I keep on my desk. As for Jane. It’s a great use of resources and she’s quite skilled. She’s obviously brought joy to many so purl on, Jane!

Photo credit: Twitter and Instagram

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