Judi Jetson

When you have Persian-Himalyan cats living with you, there are several benefits – there’s always something cuddly nearby to talk to and plenty of free fibery material available at your finger tips.

Little Sister, my Persian-Himalayan kitty pictured to the right, is all white with light green-blue eyes, a pink nose and a sweet disposition.  My husband Gary grooms her nearly every day with a brush, and also “plucks” her by hand once or twice a week, saving the hair for me to spin.  Her fleece is several inches long, and has some guard hairs I like to pluck out before and during spinning.  She is an indoor cat and very clean.

Here are the steps I use to make yarn for knitting and weaving:

1) Card the fiber about 50-50 with a more info

medium or fine white wool (like Merino or Romney) and make rolags.

The cat hair is very fine and slippery.  You can spin it alone if you twist it tightly, but I think it feels and looks better when it’s blended with wool.

2) Next, Z spin the fiber into singles.  You need to keep the triangle fairly small, and the rolags have a tendency to deteriorate into clouds of fluff.

3) Finally, ply your cat hair singles with white rayon, tencel or sewing thread for a knittable yarn that looks a bit like mohair.  Enjoy!