Dog hair can be recycled into clothing, collars and pillows.
Dog owners know that their pets shed an astonishing amount of hair throughout the year. Instead of vacuuming up the excess dog hair and throwing it into the trash, recycle it into something useful. You can made sweaters, hats, dog collars and pillows---all out of your dog's hair.
Yarn
If your dog's hair is two inches in length or longer, you can make yarn out of the hair. Even if your dog's hair is not that long, you can blend it with wool and create yarn. To begin, collect the hair you dog has shed and hair from its brush. Do not shave your dog for its hair. Next, you must "card" the hair, which involves working the hair between two wooden paddles with wire teeth. Once the hair fibers are adequately separated by the cards, remove a portion of the hair and begin pulling and twisting some of the fibers away from it. Next, spin the yarn with a drop spindle---a wooden whorl with a shaft through it---by attaching the yarn to the shaft and spinning the drop spindle from the shaft in a clockwise motion. In a mild detergent, wash your dog-hair yarn then soak it in a white vinegar solution to rid it of that wet dog-hair smell. Once the yarn is dry you can knit sweaters, hats, gloves and scarves.
Felt
You can construct felt out of your dog's hair to make a dog collar. Place a thin layer of dog hair on a thick cloth. Know that dog hair shrinks when it's made into felt, so the layers of dog hair will have to be wider and longer than the finished felt collar will be. Add a second thin layer with the fibers going the opposite way. Keep laying down thin layers until you have your preferred collar thickness. Soak the collar in very hot water and roll the cloth up like a sleeping bag. You will have to repeat this rolling motion at least 75 times. After opening the cloth back up, submerge it in hot water once again. Roll it back and forth a couple of times. Once it dries, you have a felt dog collar.
Disguises
If you want a project for your children, have them create disguises out of dog hair. Cut pieces of construction paper into the shapes of mustaches and beards that will fit your child's face, then let the kids glue dog hair on the paper. A little double-sided tape will keep the disguises on their faces.
Pillows
Rather than buying stuffing for your homemade pillows, use dog hair. Collect the excess hair from around the house or after grooming, stuff it in a pillow case and sew up the side.
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