Chiengora Anyone?

If you want to see the precursor to chiengora, here it is…

Looks like somebody killed an animal or something!  But it’s just some of Toby’s undercoat.  Operative word there is *some* of it.  I only combed out one side, and didn’t get all the fur from there even.  He sheds an amazing amount each spring!

I think his fur would be too short to make pure chiengora though, but would have to be blended and spun with other fibers.

If you’ve never heard the term “chiengora” before there’s a good explanation over at Chiengora Fibers:

Chiengora (pronounced she-an-gora) refers to yarn spun from dog hair. Chien is the French word for dog, and gora is derived from “angora,” the soft fur of a rabbit. The spinning of dog hair is an ancient art form dating back to pre-historic Scandinavia. It was the main fiber spun on the North American continent before the Spaniards introduced sheep.Chiengora is up to 80% warmer than wool and sheds water well. Its fiber is not elastic like wool, and is characterized by its fluffiness, known as a halo effect. It has a similar appearance to angora and is luxuriously soft.

Chiengora Fibers is located in British Columbia, so I suspect the shipping would be a little high to send fiber there from the States although probably not too bad for smaller amounts.  If you live in Canada, then you’re good to go!  You can have dog fur from your pet spun and even made into something if you want.

For people in the states, there’s another place that spins dog fur into chiengora, called Custom Dog Hair Spinning . . .

You can have the brushed out hair from your pet made into beautiful, very soft, and luxurious yarn. Most dog and cat yarn has a beautiful halo similar to mohair.

Since it’s in New York, it ought to have cheaper shipping for people in the States.

Maybe I should be collecting all that dog fluff. . .