Is this hair usable?

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trinityoaks

trinityoaks

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My Brazilians are shedding like crazy, but their fur is shorter, maybe an inch or so. Is that long enough to use for spinning or the like? If not, I might just collect it to use for does that don't pull any (or enough).
 
It was definitely nice to have a bunch of fur collected for cleaning out Pearl's nestbox!

I was about to say I thought that one inch was too short... then I looked something up. I found a site that specializes in spinning yarn from pet hair, and this is what they said:

Despite popular belief, it is not the length of fiber that determines how well it will spin into yarn, but the diameter (also referred to as "microns") of the individual hairs. The finer the fiber, the softer the yarn.

Undercoats of mammals are usually made up from very thin, sometimes near microscopic hairs. The lengths of these hairs may vary from very short (less than ¼") to very long (over 2") depending upon the individual animal. Regardless of the length, this fine hair will produce a very soft, luxurious yarn.

Do not discard the beautiful and plentiful outer coat. The hairs of the outer coat are smooth. This acts as a reflector for the sunlight and helps to keep your pet cool in warmer seasons. The outer coat is most often richer in color, the thickness adds strength and the reflective properties add luster to your yarn.

A mixture of both under and outer hairs can work together to create a very unique and beautiful keepsake yarn.
Click to expand...

-- from http://www.vipfibers.com/facts-about-pet-fiber.htm

So I guess you can spin it. I don't know if you could use it for a sweater, but perhaps you could. I decided to look up the fiber length of cotton. Cotton "is the shortest natural fiber used commercially in the textile industry, ranging from 1/2" to 1 1/2" in length."

-- from http://www.mielkesfarm.com/cotton.htm

Just a cursory look, I'm certainly no expert, but it looks possible.
 
Rabbit wool doesn't have much in the way of crimp to it, or memory..both are necessary for short fiber spinning. Like cotton...no real crimp (waviness) to it, but if you twist it around your finger, it stays twisted (memory). Rabbit wool doesn't want to do that.

HOWEVER, you could try felting it. probably work quite well.
 
Ok, thanks! I probably wouldn't spin it myself, anyway--just wondered whether it would be useful to woolers. I guess I'll save as much as I can for does that don't pull (or don't pull enough).
 
Thanks, Ann! :) I have learned something new!

Another thing about cotton... much more friction than with rabbit fur. It could definitely hold onto itself better in shorter fiber lengths.
 
It might be spinnable as a blend with a longer type of wool. Maybe add it to some sheep or llama wool.
 
Personally I would keep it to have on hand. I don't spin, will learn someday (I have American Fuzzy Lops and usually keep a pet English Angora). I do have friends that spin and had a bunch saved up for them, but one of my nephews decided to fill the bag with water when we were watering so I tossed it. I will start saving again. My does usually pull enough but I have had to dip into it when I've had a messy doe that soiled in the box. One thing I recommend to anyone using wool - chop it up. If not the kit can get tangled. Another thing I use is dryer lint for the nest boxes. The feed I use comes in brown paper bad - I cut up the empty bag (remove all plastic) and line the boxes with them - wood or metal, it really helps!
 

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