Woolly dog ​​hair knits

Carole Gauthier has always been fascinated by fabrics, their texture, their manufacture, an attraction that once led her to make her wedding dress and her daughters' ball gowns. Recently, she learned to spin and weave wool. And there, without her realizing it too much, what was a hobby for the accounting technician has just changed her life.

For ^Ms. Gauthier, the word wool does not correspond to the current definition: fiber with continuous growth coming from the fleece of sheep, indicates the Larousse, which also adds as an origin other mammals such as rabbits, goats, yak or the alpaca. Carole Gauthier draws her wool from man's best friend, the dog.

“When I became seriously interested in spinning wool, I realized that in France, they sometimes spun the undercoat of dogs to make a thread that could be woven or knitted. Make a tuque, mittens or a bag as a souvenir with the hair of your dog or your cat. I found the idea appealing. »

animal memory

She then learned the complex spinning of dog hair on an old spinning wheel and, one thing leading to another, refined her technique. Then the idea resonated with some dog (and even cat) owners as well as with his friends, members of the Association des fileurs et fileuses du Québec, who sent him clients. So much so that all of her free time, including Saturdays and Sundays, is now devoted to spinning and knitting. "I have become a specialist in animal memories," she says with a burst of laughter.

Last January, she even bought a grooming salon in Saint-Hyacinthe to ensure an income, stay in contact with the animals and devote herself full time to dog wool.

This is my semi-retirement project. A crush, not a really logical decision. But I don't regret it for a second.

Carole Gauthier

The undercoat is this down with a thermal role that we collect when we brush our dog. Its fine and silky texture makes it a very pleasant fabric to the touch, as noted by La Presse, warmer than sheep's wool and even a little water-repellent, argues ^Ms. Gauthier. It takes at least 100 to 150 g of hair to make a toque, for example, which can require many brushings and take a few months. We use the fleece of long-haired dogs, but ^Ms. Gauthier also spins the guard hair, the one that covers the animal. The fabric is however too rough to be worn on the skin.

Today, the raw material comes to her from dozens of clients from all over Quebec, and she even has to entrust certain projects to friends, for lack of time. Like any craft creation, the price varies according to the extent of the work. An electric carder will soon allow him to lighten his work. But there is no question of getting into making clothes like in Germany, she insists. “My goal is to offer a unique souvenir to those who have an emotional bond with their pet. »

Elsewhere in the world

The German Chiengora

Created last year, the German firm Modus Intarsia collects, weaves, manufactures and markets dog wool. The company has also registered its finished product under the name of Chiengora, a nod to the angora wool of the rabbit or the goat of the same name and whose softness is comparable. The term Intarsia also refers to a particular weaving technique. The house offers a wide range of products, from scarves to jackets, cushions and socks. It relies on an extensive collection network involving dog owners and grooming salons, in addition to relying on imports. Profits from the company are donated in part to animal welfare, according to the website.

Salish woolly dog

The woolly dog ​​of the Salish probably remains a historical exception in the long relationship between humans and canids. Renowned weavers, the Salish bring together some forty Aboriginal nations, the majority on the coast of British Columbia, particularly in the south of Vancouver Island. They did not practice agriculture, but bred dogs in large numbers specifically for their fleece, which they wove into elaborate clothing. Dog hair blankets, in particular, were the symbol of an enviable social position. Moreover, any crossbreeding of the woolly dog ​​with other breeds was avoided to preserve the curly texture and the white color of its fur.

Published in December 2020 in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, research carried out in particular in several coastal archaeological sites on Vancouver Island showed that despite its small size, the hair of the woolly dog ​​was much more abundant than that of its dogs. vis-à-vis larger, hunting or guard dogs, a situation underlined by several explorers, including George Vancouver. The millennial tradition was maintained until the arrival of wool and looms from overseas. The woolly dog ​​breed is now considered extinct.