Alternative to sheeps wool insullation.

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Bigpeetee

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Some members advocate the use of sheep's wool to provide insulation in van conversions.

If anyone wants to try dog hair as an alternative, they can have all of mine!!

Our retriever has started moulting and it's coming out in clumps, go around all the WC bods with dogs and you could insulate your van and have a mattress for free!!

Oh well, here's to a month of hair all over the place, makes a change I suppose from the continual moult that retrievers have??
 
Bigpeetee said:
Some members advocate the use of sheep's wool to provide insulation in van conversions.

If anyone wants to try dog hair as an alternative, they can have all of mine!!

Our retriever has started moulting and it's coming out in clumps, go around all the WC bods with dogs and you could insulate your van and have a mattress for free!!

Oh well, here's to a month of hair all over the place, makes a change I suppose from the continual moult that retrievers have??
Click to expand...

Just a month?! You're lucky! My first dog was a white collie who exploded hair constantly. For 15 years I couldn't wear black fleece tops. He's been gone 3 years now and I'm still finding his hairs on clothes etc. But I have noticed that Rigg's spring shed does seem to be starting, people keep commenting that he's put on weight and I weighed him and he hasn't, he's the same weight as 5 years ago but he does look bulkier and I think it's his winter coat beginning to work loose and giving a slightly scruffy, slightly overweight look.

I have spun Rigg and Lanky's (the whilte collie) hair on my spinning wheel and have made a lovely scarf out of Rigg's hair. It's like mohair and lovely and warm but it sheds constantly too! So I am now experimenting with mixing dog hair with wool to make the yarn a bit more stable. A few years ago I discovered a book called "knitting with dog hair" which is what made me try spinning it. I saved alot of Lanky's hair to spin but losing him was so hard and painful for such a long time afterwards, that I've not been able to have a go yet, just the smell of his hair was making me upset but perhaps the time has come to move on and make it into something useful, although it's too special to be used as van insulation.

Although Rigg is black, his hair when spun and knitted is a pale brown, I think it's because he has a much lighter fluffier undercoat. I don't think he sheds quite as much as Lanky used to but maybe I just don't notice as much as they are darker than Lanky's hairs. The great thing about not having carpets is that when you get unexpected visitors, you can just blow all the clumps of dog hair that gather in corners, against sofa legs etc under the furniture out of sight, no need to get the hoover out! :D
 
Funny you should say that. My Boxer (Ruby) could moult for England, she has been getting worse lately so the missus ordered a new brush called 'THE FURMINATOR". It arrived this morning and she has given the mutt the once over.

It certainly removes a lot of excess fur! We have accumulated a small binful. Daren't do it any more in case she starts resembling a pig rather than a dog :D

Cheers

Rob
 
Pepper - a large border collie - can shed hair all year round. When she moults it is very easy to fill a supermarket plastic carrier in about 5 minutes when brushing her!!! Like Whitevanwoman, we are forever removing hairs from socks, jumpers, fleeces, coats - you name it!!!
 
Bigpeetee said:
Some members advocate the use of sheep's wool to provide insulation in van conversions.

If anyone wants to try dog hair as an alternative, they can have all of mine!!
Click to expand...

Snap! We've got a long haired German Shepherd who moults constantly. If anyone wants it let me know, I hoover up at least two Dyson canisters a day!

Elaine
 
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