Spin Yarn From Cat Hair

© Karen MacEwan

If you are in to fashion or knitting, you'll likely know that yarn can be made from so many things other than sheep's wool. It can be spun from llama, alpaca, camel, yak, rabbits and yep, even cat hair. One person created an Instructable to show how easy it can be to spin yarn from your pet.

Karen MacEwan writes, "I acquired a long-haired cat that hadn't been groomed in a while. Rather than throw the new cat directly into a bathtub and scrub her, I decided instead to shear her and spin her fur!"

For anyone who has dogs or cats that shed, you'll know it doesn't seem too off-base to want to make something out of all that hair. If you have a long-haired animal, it could be easier than you think.

© Karen MacEwan

MacEwan, who had experience sheering four angora rabbits for their fur, writes, "Using a pair of scissors and a comb, I sheared her fur gently (and over a period of a few days) when I was petting her and we were getting to know each other. She had numerous mats in her fur, and I'm sure it felt good for her to get all of those off her body. She is actually pretty cute now that she looks like a lion!"

© Karen MacEwan

Though it looks like someone is a little bashful about her half-naked state...

Spinning the cat hair was much like spinning the angora wool from her rabbits, she notes. She first learned how to spin wool by using a spindle and watching YouTube videos. Later, she bought a spinning wheel for $60 off Craigslist, and figured out how to use it. In total, she was able to get 80 yards of yarn from the cat. That's quite a bit! And we've seen before how another woman makes some fairly amazing bags out of cat hair. Of course as she points out, it might not be a great idea to knit wearable items just in case you meet up with people who have cat allergies.

© Karen MacEwan

It might seem a little strange and impractical, but spinning yarn from pet hair is possible, and could be an interesting weekend project for making good use out of all that fuzz.