Fiber Arts Friday: Collecting Tibetan Mastiff Fur

I know this is a bit of a stretch for Fiber Arts Friday...  But, I finally got my own Grooming Table last week.  :-)

I've been borrowing a friend's table for when Gunnar and I go to shows... either she would let me take her table or would let me use it at the shows where we were both exhibiting.

My friend has been very gracious and supportive of our start into the Dog Show World, so I don't want to take advantage of her.

Most of the grooming tables I've found are 30 inches or taller... but with the Giant Fluffy Puppy, who's pushing 30 inches tall himself, the shorter the table the better.

Gunnar 29.5 inches, 127 pounds and 14 months

After much searching, I found these Champagne Tables.  Made in the USA by a small, family-owned business... my favorite sort of supplier.  :-)

This table is only 24 inches tall which means that I can comfortably reach the top-side of Gunnar when he's standing on the table and the arm slides up and down so I can accommodate different grooming positions and dog sizes.  :-)

However the arm is not long enough to accommodate the Grooming Loop I bought and the Giant Fluffy Puppy in the standing position.

The Grooming Loop (or Noose as I tend to call it) was acquired from another vendor online and is way too big.  We use a 24-inch show collar, that just fits over his big head, so I figured the 24-inch Loop would be the same, but apparently Loops and Collars are measured differently.  :-/

24' Grooming Loop (top), 24" Show Collar (bottom)

So I tied two knots in it for now and will continue looking for another one as I'm not crazy about the slide-lock either.

So on to the Fiber Arts part of this post... I've been collecting Tibetan Mastiff Fur for a while.  I spun some a while back for one of the breeders we work with.  One of our other breeders gave us a bunch of his fur last year and I've been collecting our own fur for the last three years.

This year we seem to be having a more normal blow and I think using the table will help me collect more of the fiber.  The table will hold the head and bag for me, freeing both of my hands for brushing, collecting and encouraging the dog to keep their rear up while I'm working on their haunches.  lol.

So far, Noodle is just about finished blowing her coat.  Wasabi is in progress.  Gunnar and Wonton are just getting started.

Wasabi at 24 inches, 100 pounds and 2 years old

I've already collected nearly 2 bags from Noodle and have started bags for Gunnar, Wasabi and Wonton.

And for those of you who are new to Kathryn's Brain and grossing-out about the idea of using Dog Fur to make yarn... I ask you to go find a raw sheep's fleece and then tell me what you think about using wool for yarn.  I think you'll agree, soap is a magical thing. ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.  :-)