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Jane was always clearing up after her very hairy rare breed of dog so she put it to good use, spinning yarn, she tells
THERE are many disadvantages to owning two samoyeds, the fluffy Siberian working dogs known as “land clouds”.
As well as leaving white hair everywhere, they are intelligent, vocal, highly-strung and impossible to tire out.
But, apart from being adorable, they have another good trait. Their coats can be spun and then knitted into an angora-type of scarf, cardigan or jumper.
Jane Crewe, who has two “sams”, produces yarn from dog hair at her home in Edinburgh.
Samoyed owners from all over the world send her packages of their dogs’ hair – she calls it “floof” – and she transforms it into a garment, a ball of yarn or just a memento.
She said: “Samoyeds are one of the most ancient breeds in the world. They came into the west at the end of the 19th century when arctic explorers needed dogs to pull sledges.”
They have a double coat, with coarser, more bristly hair on top and a much softer, fluffier layer underneath.
Females lose their undercoat twice a year and this has been collected, spun and then used for knitting, weaving and felting for centuries.
Jane has had Phaedra and Artemis for seven years. She held off getting a pet until her four children – now aged from 14 to 21 – no longer needed her full attention.
Her husband does not like dogs and she was initially looking for something “small and unobtrusive that wouldn’t get in the way”.
But Jane had wanted a samoyed since she met her first one, 30 years ago. Eventually her husband caved in and said that she should get the dog she wanted. And why not get two?
“I think he’s regretted it ever since,” she said.
Phaedra and Artemis – they are named after a Cretan princess and the Greek goddess of the hunt – settled in to the family’s home.
The Crewes live in the gatehouse to an old dairy, with plenty of room for them to patrol the garden and go for a long walk.
Then it was time to learn how to transform their shedding coats from a pest into a pullover. Jane said: “My mum taught me to knit when I was five. I decided with the dogs I would like to spin their coats.
“A lovely lady in East Lothian taught me the basics.
“I bought a second hand spinning wheel from Ebay, watched a lot of YouTube videos and that was it.”
Only the samoyeds’ soft, thick undercoat is worth spinning. Their top coat is not worth the effort. Jane said: “That is like standard dog hair – itchy and spiky. It has not got this very soft woolly, fleecy feel to it. I call it floof – I don’t think there’s a proper name for it. There is a name for spinning it – it’s called spinning from the cloud.”
The first thing Jane knitted with samoyed hair was a pair of fingerless gloves for her to wear to work at Edinburgh Zoo.
They have been dyed purple. Samoyeds keep their own coats very clean but as soon as their they are spun they become high-maintenance garments that need to be hand washed and hold water. They are also toasty to wear. Jane said: “Samoyeds live outside at temperatures that go down to -4C. The fibre they produce is incredibly warm. So if someone wants a garment they’re going to wear, such as a jumper or a cardigan, I will spin it single ply. Otherwise it’s too warm.”
Jane gets requests to spin other types of dog hair but is not keen.
She said: “I have currently got a Newfoundland waiting to be done up and I do huskies occasionally.
“I am actually spinning a Yakutian Laika at the moment. It’s the only coat that comes anywhere near a samoyed. But sammies are where my heart lie.”