Yarn Tails - Care & Maintenance

[Prinz Schrei Von Wolfheim]

Yarn Tails: Care and Maintenance

Hi, I'm Cody and a NewFur that has been making yarn tail commissions to my local group for the past two month. I really love, as many others love, the look and feel of the tails as well as the way the move. Unfortunately I have not seen many people having these wonderful tails. I asked around and one of the main reasons was because of the fragility of such tails. They are indeed not as hardy as conventional tails, but with proper care, can last a long time. Here are my list of rules on taking good care of a yarn tail.

1. Water
These tails do not react well with water. A little rain or water on them is not a big deal, but getting them soaked is quite a problem. DO NOT WASH THEM. They become extremely hard to dry, put a lot of wait of the tufts, and will end up looking like the tail of a wet Pomeranian. if wet or need to be cleaned, let dry then brush.

2. Brushing
This was something brought a lot when talking about care. Most people are quite hesitant to brush out their tail, as it can lose volume over time. This is an inevitable truth, but without tentative brushing, your tail will become matted, ratty-looking, and brushing it will do even more damage than what would be done with proper care. Just make sure to give it a light brush after every use and make sure to use a high-quality brush. It can be the difference between brushing your hair and pulling it out. I find a brush in the $10-$15 range is good and won't hurt it. Also, make sure you use a slicker brush. I find a slicker brush works best, but a no-tangles hairbrush will also work and also pulls out less yarn.

3. Travel
Unless you plan on wearing it out in public from the start. There are certain things you must do to transport it from place to place for use. If putting it in a purse/satchel or backpack, do not jut throw it straight in. Instead put it in a large zip-lock bag and remove most of the air before sealing. This prevents movement of the tail and therefore any major matting. When you want to use it, pull it out and give it a light brushing.

4. Cleaning 
DO NOT USE CONVENTIONAL WASHING METHODS. This relates to Rule 2. Wet will remove the poofiness of your tail and make it look nasty. Instead, brushing it with a slicker brush will remove much of the dirt that gets into the tail. As for stains, that is a mystery to me. I suggest just not staining it...

[Sasha]

Beautiful samples you've made. The following is more general and some of it tiger-theory, but should apply, test on any test yarn tails and see if it works?

For stains any spot-removal for carpets should do nicely, as they are designed for such synthetics, and any mild soap can be sprayed on with a small pump as to not soak anything underneath. Silicone-based fabric softeners can lubricate hydrophobic threads*, so surely any inexpensive silicone-based conditioner (containing polydimethylsiloxane) can lubricate synthetic fibres to make them softer to the touch too, and maybe protect them from a bit of UV/water damage and buildup of static. That's what you want for your hair, right? so why not your tail too?

*Some fleecey materials have a hydrophobic coating that may be stripped if any conventional fabric softener is used, or probably harsher detergent, although that may only apply to fleece fabrics.

As for (cold) washing, surely if done in the appropriate garment bag to prevent abrasion/pulling of the fibres, and that lifting them all at once (to prevent tearing) and drying them in a towel before hang drying should wash more used tails fine. My old one used for hiking and falling apart washes and comes out like new, albeit for this method it will displace any airbrushing, whereas spot washing will do a lot less.

I believe one should always have a backup tail for harsher weather where it may get dirty or soaked, and is less likely to need to be soft and at its best.

[Prinz Schrei Von Wolfheim]

Thanks for the info, I'll keep that in mind when cleaning. As for my samples, I do commissions. Right now they are limited to the Wack'furs, but as soon as everyone who wanted one has bought one I'll open myself up for requests. My prices range normally between $30 and $80, depending on style, colours, and type of wool(s). My mode price is $45, which is what those white tipped one's cost. Most expensive right now is a $70 ringed one I'm doing right now.