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Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Does anyone here subscribe to Piecework magazine? In the newest issue, there's to be an article on this:
MAXINE TYLER: OFFICIAL BEAR KNITTER
by Elena Chevalier
Discover why and how Maxine Tyler knits with yarn made from bear hair.
I'd LOVE to hear your review of the article!!!! I cannot imagine what bear 'fur' would feel like, or shall I say, be good for, other than really sturdy rugs!
Bobbie
Bears By Laurie BradyI suppose the undercoat might be long enough to spin and would be soft and warm, but I'm just guessing. A better question is - How do they collect the fiber??
-Laurie
LeftyBears by Natascha Sabo
A few years ago, I spent some time in the Gobi desert in Mongolia and there I had the chance to collect some hair from the very, very rare gobi bear. The first time, I just picked it from a tree where one of the bears used to scratch its back, the second time we found the remains of a dead bear, unfortunately ( there are only abozt 20 bears left): a lot of hair, some bones and a claw.
The hair is light brown, very long (nearly 4 inches) and not soft at all.
I just scanned some of the hair, plus pictures of our guide, the ranger of that area with bones of a dead gobi bear and a real, stuffed goib bear in the natural historrical museum of Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia.
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Thanks Natascha, that's as I suspected, the fiber is quite coarse and "not soft at all"; to my mind, worthy only and ranked in the category of 'rug' yarn.
To the best of my memory, though I may be mistaken, in a polar bear (as one example) what one takes as the undercoat is the actual coat of 4 - 5" fibers.
The longer, sparse, 6" guard hairs grow through this pelt to help shed the water from the coat (shaken off before it can freeze) and to keep the coat from matting when wet.
So bear fur isn't exactly the same as it would be on sheep, especially in the way that [most Fiber breeds] sheep fiber continues to grow and must be shorn, though the 2 types of fibers may help to serve similar purposes.
Waggle BearsI don't know anything about bear fur but I remember an early morning show years ago that talked with people who used their pet's hair for knitting, both dogs and cats. Somehow that just doesn't seem right...but that's just me. They loved having sweaters and scarves made out of their pet's fur. It was years, and years ago but it really stuck in my mind.
Bears By Laurie BradyI am a hand spinner and love fibers, especially the exotics. I raised angora goats, (mohair fibre) and angora rabbits(angora fibre). I also keep combings from my cats and dogs - the stuff is wonderful and make gorgeous mini thread bears and friends.
Most animals have 2 coat types - a longer, course guard hairs and a softer, denser,short undercoat that insuslates. The undercoat may only be present in the cold months.
The softer fibres I mentioned in my first post referred to the undercoat. Musk ox (found in the arctic) provides one of the finest fibres available - even finer than cashmere. I knew of a lady who followed the heard around, picking up clumps of undercoat during the spring shed. The problem with collecting bear fur is that bears are solitary animals - and not so easy to follow around. Having said that, I do have a small sample of arctic wolf and reindeer fibre that I collected at a live presentation!
Laurie
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Hi Laurie & all, Yes, doing research for my manuscript (comprehensive Needle Felting/Sheep/Wool/etc) as well as being a cosmetologist (beautician) since 1960, I do know about the undercoats, (and in some cases of animal fiber: 3 distinct types within a fleece) the 3 stages of hair growth and regeneration, etc etc...
What I was saying without going into a lengthy and slightly irrelevant discussion is that the 'fur' we see on a polar bear IS the 'undercoat' and it isn't shed in the normal sense as is the musk ox's or deer or even the family dog's in the sprng.
Their fur is more like ours in that it's a permanent coat that is replaced, hair-for-hair, without another shorter, softer, fluffier, downier layer underneath as these other animals have.
From http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content … arbear.htm
Fiber-optic Fur: Unlike other arctic mammals, Polar bears never shed their coat for a darker shade in the summer. The fur absorbs ultraviolet light. The hair does not have fiber-optic properties nor does it transmit light or heat to the skin (an urban legend). The thick undercoat does however insulate the bears to the point where they overheat at temperatures above 10 °C (50 °F). It also renders them nearly invisible in the infrared; only their breath and muzzles can be seen. Growing through the undercoat is a relatively sparse covering of hollow guard hairs about 6 inches long. These guard hairs are stiff, shiny and erect, and stop the undercoat from matting when wet. The water is then easily shaken off before it can freeze. The bear also rolls in snow to blot up moisture in the coat.
While their intent is to say that the hair is not shed to camouflage for each season as are other arctic animals, it also is saying that the hair is not shed.
This is the info I was paraphrasing in my first post, thought the same-worded info is on at least three other sites.
I was sent this url this morning and it really fits into this thread: Thank You, T!!!
Taking your cat for a spin - Cast On
desertmountainbearWhat a wonderful clip, Thanks Bobby for posting it, I loved it
Joanne
Bears By Laurie BradyHi all,
I tried to check out the link, but the photo(?) in the box wasn't comming up -I'll try again later.
I love learning about specific animal fibres - Every thing about their stucture is by design and there are so many interesting surprises (as with the polar bear hair)!
Thanks for sharing
-Laurie
