Many animal lovers harbor an abundant natural resource: pet hair. A combination of brushing, vacuuming and lint removers provides an arsenal to combat the ubiquitous nature of this annoying substance. However VIP Fibers has a different approach, using the raw materials produced by Very Important Pets to produce yarn.

The company was inspired by its founder’s Chow dog. She saved all of the fur from its grooming, describing it as “so soft, so light and the color was unsurpassed by any other natural fiber I had ever seen.” Using a spinning wheel purchased by her husband, she learned how to spin the fur into yarn. Soon, a business was born.

Research and development is important in new products; VIP’s consisted of gathering samples from groomers and breeders across the US, refining spinning techniques to accommodate nearly any fur length or texture. To date, animals have included cats, dogs, rabbits, goats and even a buffalo.

• Since the company was founded in 2001, over 1,800 pounds of fur has been hand spun into nearly two million yards of yarn
• High demand for the products has created a 6-8 week waiting list

The website provides step-by-step instructions for gathering and shipping the raw material. Simply brushing, preferably with a soft wire brush, is all that’s needed. Upon receipt, VIP weighs and logs the fur, stores it in its own labeled box, and scans the pet’s photo submitted by the owner. An invoice is then sent, based on the fur received, with the pet product assigned a place in the queue upon receipt of payment. Following spinning, yarn is washed and hung to dry in the company’s special drying room, then skeined or ball wound, and custom labels with the pet’s photo applied.

For those who want a special pet keepsake but lack the craftiness to fashion it from VIP yarn, there is the option of ordering a completed product from the company. After spinning, products that can be created include a woven fur stole, tote bag, finger puppy puppets, pettable picture frame, iPod pouch, and the more traditional scarves, mittens and throw blankets. About 60% of customers choose this option.

Whether honoring a living pet or memorializing one who’s passed on, VIP fibers turns fur into fabulous, allowing animal lovers to carry their beloved pet with them in a way that does not involve bits of unwanted fuzz clinging to clothing.