Photo description: Griffin the dog wearing a crocheted striped dog vest
In October of 2015 I crocheted our dog Griffin a sweater because we thought he would be cold outside with his single coat of fur. I made stripes and crocheted in the round. It came out a little snug and getting him in and out of it wasn’t fun for anyone. Turned out he didn’t care about the cold at all. I always meant to make him another bigger sweater in Gryffindor colors, because that would be funny, but he was just as happy without.
Yeah, scrolling through old pictures was a kick in the gut this time. Lots of pictures of pets that are no longer with us.
This is the other puzzle my sister introduced while she was visiting: a stuffed ball. She cut small strips of fleece, put a bit of kibble in each, and stuffed it into Missy the dog’s holey roller ball.
Photo description: dog kibble, pieces of blue and red fleece and a green holey roller ball dog toy partially stuffed with fleecePhoto description: Missy the dog taking out the fleece from the ball
I’ve been alternating food puzzles at breakfast time. If I use just one, she isn’t motivated and doesn’t attempt it.
In May I received a mysterious fiber package. There was a tickle in the back of my brain, a shadow of a memory from the previous summer, when I talked with a woman who said her dog’s fur looked just like the Shetland sheep roving I was using for a spinning demonstration. She said she would send me some dog fur, and I gave her my address. I reached out to confirm, and yes! My mysterious package did contain the results of numerous brushings of her Samoyed dog, Sugar.
Photo description: Ziplock gallon bag full of Samoyed dog furPhoto description: Sugar the Samoyed photo from her owner
Samoyed dogs have a thick double coat that is usually white and naturally dirt repellant with very little smell. The fiber was very clean, and did not have much VM (vegetable matter), so I decided to comb and spin it straight from the bag, without washing or scouring. The staple length of the undercoat wool is about 2-3 inches, but the guard hairs can be much longer, I measured one guard hair at 9 inches long. I did not attempt to de-hair the wool.
Photo description: using wool combs to align the fibers for spinning on my Ashford Traveller spinning wheelPhoto description: Missy the dog is very interested in the smell of the dog wool, she can smell what I cannot!
The Samoyed wool was very easy to spin, and I was able to get a relatively consistent single. Combing produces more waste than carding, but the results are worth it. The waste fiber goes outside for the birds and squirrels as nesting material.
Photo description: single spun Samoyed dog wool
I chose to chain ply my singles to make a three ply yarn. The Samoyed wool also performed well in plying and I didn’t have any breakage.
Photo description: Samoyed dog wool three-ply yarn on the spinning wheel bobbin
I’m going to give the three ply yarn a gentle wash and hang it up to dry!
My sister recently visited and she had a great game for our anxious dog, Missy. She put treats in a hand towel, rolled it up, tied it in a knot and gave it to the dog. Missy loved it, figured out how to get the knot open and the towel unrolled to get to the food.
Photo description: treats, medicine, and kibble spread across a cotton towelPhoto description: small black dog eager for the knotted towel
I’ve started to use the towel trick for Missy’s breakfast. The snuffling helps calm her in the morning, and the puzzle keeps her occupied for about four minutes. The small amount of food stimulates her appetite for the rest of her breakfast.
Critters and Craft 