Pyrenees Fun Facts!

Grooming Whitman

I often see on Pyrenees community pages people discussing things they might not have expected owning a Pyr.  One of those things is their hair!  I see questions like "why is my Pyr's hair falling out" or "when will this shedding stop?"  In the previous Grooming Tips post we mentioned that Pyrs "blow" their coats multiple times per year.  It's fun enough tossing out a few handfuls in the back yard in the spring and watching the birds gather it for their nests, but one of the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society's volunteers has come up with an amazing artistic and...well, practical use for Pyr hair!  Here is Sue and her new adventures as a spinner!

First Attempt...HA!

Since owning Pyrs, which started over 25 years ago, I often wondered what do with ALL THAT FUR!!!   So much soft, billowy and white fur that is in every corner of my house, my clothes, my sofa, my pantry, my bed...I'm sure all of you Pyr owners can relate!  Recently, while reading some posts on a Facebook Pyr group, I spotted a story about spinning Pyr fur...it was that post that sparked my interest to learn more.  I enrolled in a 10-week spinning course and that is where my journey began.  The first night, the teacher heard a few "bleep" words from me as I attempted to master the wheel, but after a few weeks and much practice, I slowly started to get the hang of it.

Spinning Improvement

After 4 lessons, I decided to attempt spinning Pyr fur, much harder to do than wool, alpaca, and others as the fibers are shorter.  It is going to take a lot more practice, but I recently completed an infinity scarf (50% Pyr fur and 50% wool).  It is NOT PYRfect 😉 by a long shot, but was super fun to see the result.  Here's your fun fact:  Pyr fur is 8-10 times warmer than wool!!  So, if you are looking for a new pastime, maybe try spinning?  Hey, if an old uncoordinated chick like me can do it, so can you!

                    Do you have a Pyrenees fun fact?   Mention it in the comments below!

Beautiful product (left) and Sue with her infinity scarf (right)