Cats and Kilts

[Carolina Kiltman]

Six cats here. Too bad you can't spinn their fur into yarn... I could have enough for a kilt every week.

Tried that once, didn't work, at least not with our two domestic short-hairs. However, I have been told that there is a breed of Scandinavian cat whose hair has the proper scales to be spinnable. Anyway, just ask any cat, they AREsuperior beings!

[thistlelass]

Tried that once, didn't work, at least not with our two domestic short-hairs. However, I have been told that there is a breed of Scandinavian cat whose hair has the proper scales to be spinnable. Anyway, just ask any cat, they AREsuperior beings!

Even short hair from animals can be spun-it might yeild less than close to the skin yarn, but it is spinnable. I spun short cat hair at a spinning conference last year as well as dog hair and even some New Zealand Opossum fur-very, very short staple,...a pain to spin, but spinnable all the same. Persian fur and others of that sort work well however and are almost as soft at Angora. They make nice warm sweaters, hats and scarves but a bit too fuzzy and girly for kilt hose.

[Carolina Kiltman]

Even short hair from animals can be spun-it might yeild less than close to the skin yarn, but it is spinnable. I spun short cat hair at a spinning conference last year as well as dog hair and even some New Zealand Opossum fur-very, very short staple,...a pain to spin, but spinnable all the same. Persian fur and others of that sort work well however and are almost as soft at Angora. They make nice warm sweaters, hats and scarves but a bit too fuzzy and girly for kilt hose.

What happened was I took a large bag of the undercoat the cats shed at the beginning of an Arkansas summer to a spinner in my college. She did manage to spin it into a beautiful pale golden soft yarn. I was delighted, but she said "not so quick" and tugged the two ends of the yarn, it immediately fell apart into just cat hair. My only attempt and experience with it. I do not know about all types of cats, we usually get ours from the shelter when needed.

[thistlelass]

What happened was I took a large bag of the undercoat the cats shed at the beginning of an Arkansas summer to a spinner in my college. She did manage to spin it into a beautiful pale golden soft yarn. I was delighted, but she said "not so quick" and tugged the two ends of the yarn, it immediately fell apart into just cat hair. My only attempt and experience with it. I do not know about all types of cats, we usually get ours from the shelter when needed.

Ah, yes, unfortunately short hair/fur/wool will fall apart if not carded with something else or spun wet and worsted (tightly spun)-so I see what you mean. The short furs I spun were carded with another fiber, although the "Possum" was just spun into wool as an add in fiber. It is my opinion that one should avail themselves of kittehs from shelters when needed. That's the right thing to do-and they do have the sweetest ones.

[george7]

I just see walking sporrans. I wouldn't do it, but they just look so soft... and roomy.

[sydnie7]

You'd never guess it from my avatar but we are cat people, up to four now that we have consolidated households with my mother. Each cat has staked off one corner of the house and all hallways are DMZ (complete with periodic saber rattling).

[thistlelass]

Cats are always discerning and superior in every way, no question about it.

[Q-Piper]

Of cats, they have uses...

Hmmm, I wonder if my Brother will let me take the cats to a Taxidemist to get Sporrans made.

Calico, Maine Coon, Tabby etc etc....

[SteveB]

I grew up under the watchful eyes of four Maine Coons. Our household never had less than four cats in it at any time. In Maine winters the wool kilt was further warmed by two or three Maine Coons on the aprons. I very rarely got permission to leave the chair while I was kilted. They basically ignored me in any kind of trousers. Didn't have poly-viscous or Acrylic way back then. If my sister had on a wool skirt, we would have two cats each. If she was in jeans and I was kilted, I would have up to four ( very large ) cats on my lap.

[Frank McGrath]

Of cats, they have uses...

Hmmm, I wonder if my Brother will let me take the cats to a Taxidemist to get Sporrans made.

Calico, Maine Coon, Tabby etc etc....

I keep threatening that when one dies, he becomes a sporran. ooooooh the looks I get.