thanks to my dad's learned helplessness when it comes to the internet, i doubt i can spoil part of his christmas surprise by posting about the elements that create it. (dad, if you've actually found your way here, hit the BACK button, please. the BACK button. where it says BACK. in the upper left... no, BACK.)
i am spinning dog hair. this is the hair of my old family dog, coby, who died on october 31, 1996. she was a shephard-collie mix. most of this hair was gathered in the months leading up to her death; a little of it was gathered slightly after. (she was brushed one last time after her death.) this hair has been sitting, clumped up, quadruple-bagged, in a spare room of my ex-husband's apartment since then.
when i finally claimed it, it was more than nasty. it was fetid. i washed it in scalding water and dawn dishwashing liquid, and that helped quite a lot. after the singles are plied, i will soak aggressively again.
even though it looked soft and pretty -- and had this distinctive, mottled, fawn color -- and was so clean it actually squeaked when i drafted it -- i had some prejudices, and did a lot of the first spool while holding my breath. now i am used to it. it never got combed or carded, as i thought that it would be easier for me to spin if it wasn't. so, here and there, i am removing a burr or even a bristle from the dog brush itself, stuck in the hair.