Interesting! Not something I would want to do but whatever floats your boat.LOL I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to wear it because I was allergic to my cat.Wonder if that would be a problem?
I think you could put a clear acrylic over the beads.It's been a long time since I looked for anything like that but I seem to remember something like that.I know there's a spray but I think there is also one that you paint on.Check the craft stores.Good luck with your project and please let us see the results.

Gosh..what a unique idea!!!!

Krylon makes a GREAT Acrylic Spray. It comes in Matte and Glossy!

A friend of mine saved her (4) cats' fur for a year and a half and joined the queue to have it cleaned and spun into a skein of yarn by a specialized company. Haven't heard what she's making out of it, but it was very soft and she told me the company takes all the dander out of it. I still find it a rather odd thing to do, let alone pay for!

I adopted an Alaskian Malamute when I was in high school. My Dad would brush him daily and take off a paper shopping bag full every week. I found a woman at the mall spinng and others knitting with dog full. I just thought it was the coolest! I had a sweater made for my Dad. He wore it for years. I still have it packed in the cedar chest. It's much too warm to wear in FL.

ohhh Ms. Marion I would love to see the sweater...can you take a picture?

sjerin...can you find the name of the people who can spin the hair? I'd be interested in calling them just to see how much they charge...

It's just something to remember our doggies by...they were sooo much a part of our lives...I want something unique to remember them by...

I'll be sure and post pictures when I get it done...My niece does beaded jewelry and I may give it to her to do!

The company she used is: http://www.vipfibers.com/

When you are number one in the queue, they put a picture of your pet(s) front and center on their website!

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.

WOW Pawsitive...this is sooo interesting...and I just realized where I can find spinners...(colonial williamsburg)...My MIL has worked for them for years and I know she'll know someone who can do the spinning for me! I've copied and pasted your info so I'll have it to pass on!

Right now I have a tall kitchen trashbag full...how much would I need to have a sweater/hat/or scarf made? (My doggies are collies)...

I'll try the hairspray!

Sjerin...Thanks so much for the website!

I have no interest in spinning pet hair. When I brush my dog, I clean the Brush outdoors and let the birds use the fur in their nests.

liz_ga: There are too many variables to say just how much hair you'll need. Some will be too short to spin, some might be clumped and unusable, some might be too dirty. If you think you have enough, you probably don't. But, the good news is, you don't have to buy enough to get the correct dye lot, you just gotta brush more!! I also suggest spinning a wool single in a matching color and knitting that with the dog hair to provide stability. The wool disappears when it's knit together with the dog hair. Find a sweater pattern you like, the plainer the better, find out how many skeins and the weight of the skeins, then weigh the dog hair you have and plan on losing about 15%. That should give you a rough idea. Me, I spin, I do a 2 ply yarn, I knit and if I don't have enough, I spin some more. If I had known knitting involved this much math, I never would have started!!!

jannie: I put a lot out for the birds, too, however, the robins seem to like the shredded papers in the compost bin to build their nests. I have two nests out in the orchard that are composes of mostly shredded paper!

Thanks Paws...the website sjerin provided gave a great detail for how much I'll need...we'll keep brushing as we do everyday...they usually blow coats this time of year and we're getting lots of good undercoat right now...see why I want a keepsake? These are the two that filled up the garbage bag! I also am gonna move it to an old pillowcase as the website suggested!
this is Mosey...he died in 2005...we still have lots of his hair...

and Dunkie on the right died last year...have lots in the bag of his hair too!

Abby, the blue doesn't blow as much as our last Blue...so we'll save hers for awhile so she can be included too...

Gabie our sable is blowing big time right now...we're filling out a walmart sack most everyday! He turned 9 in December so he's in the twilight of his years...he still acts like a puppy but that's his personality...

Thanks again for your help and advice!!

You could have pottery or jewelry made from some of it.Here's 1 site....but there's another one that makes jewelry by braiding the hair.I'll ask at the one horse board I go to to see where it is.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jewlry & pottery