found out it was called Raining Cats and Dogs. The patterns are just of dog and cat faces...not an afghan.

Hello: Is there any way that I could see these adorable dog faces? Sue

I raised Alaskan Malamutes for years and collected their hair. I saw an article in a dog magazine about a woman who had spun her Samoyed dog hair and made it into a full length coat, a hat, and a gorgeous rug. Mind you this was back in the early 70s. I did some research and found someone who would spin it for $3.50/oz. I had POUNDS of the stuff, so I figured I'd better learn how to do it myself. I found an exploded picture of a spinning wheel in a Mechanic's Illustrated magazine and gave it to my husband to make for me. He gulped once and for my birthday I got an Ashford spinning wheel in a box. He made me put it together (like he made me build my own dog sled) so I would know how it worked and how to fix it if it broke. Once I learned how to spin with wool (it was a challenge, believe me) and figured out how to do the dog hair, I had to do something with it. I had to learn how to knit. I made a sweater for my first project and learned a whole lot about myself and my abilities. Dog hair is slick, it does not have the barbs or scales that wool has, therefore it "walks" or stretches if the twist isn't tight enough. I picked the wrong pattern, it was knit on large needles and the sweater grew after it was done. My daughter wore it for a mini skirt. Since that time, I only do hats and they are very warm. It has to be below freezing for me to be comfortable in it. If you are going to use the dog hair or cat hair for a garmet around your face, remember it is like angora rabbit hair and will tickle when it fuzzes up. We call the dog hair "cheingora" to give it a fancy name. I could never wear it as a scarf, it would drive me crazy. Once the hair is washed, there is NO doggie odor, even if it gets wet. I wash mine with human shampoo and a next to last rinse in conditioner, then a final clear water rinse. Right now I only spin my own dog's hair (Australian Shepherds) and do some for some very close and special dog friends. I did a batch for my best girlfriend that I've know since jr high. I didn't card it, took it out of the bag and spun it in different layers. When I knit the hat up and sent it to her, she said when she opened the package, she burst into tears because she recognized all the dogs she had owned in the hat. Some of them had passed by that time. I just did a hat for her husband out of some black dog hair. If you are going to felt it, try adding just a bit of wool to it. You can try a knitting store to see if they have roving. Ask around if there is a spinning guild, they can steer you in the right direction for supplies. The wool will make it hold together much better. I'd be afraid to spray it with anything like an acrylic spray because you will lose the uniqueness of the hair. You might try hair spray.

I used Flor tile rugs to solve for weird size and shape, as well as a cat the likes to tear up the rug and also throws up. If a tile is ruined you can replace it (buy a few extra). It’s not cheap. There are tons of styles and colors.