Among the many vendors at Williams Lake’s Medieval Market is Grace Reimer.
She owns a grooming shop on Fox Mountain — a shop that has inspired the idea behind her booth at the Medieval Market: dog fluff spun accessories.
“I’ve been spinning ever since I was 14 years old. I taught myself and when I started dog grooming I started working with a lot of big dogs and I was seeing all this lovely hair and fluff that was better than wool,” she says.
“I figured if I could just get it clean enough it would make a lovely yarn so I taught myself to really clean it well, card it out, blend it with the wool — i blend it with hand dyed wool for some of these ones — and then I usually design my own patterns to match the type of wool.”
For dog jackets she uses the “crisper” clipped dog fluff, and for scarves and things that touch the skin she says she uses the softer fur.
While not everyone is enthused with the idea, “some people are ‘ew’ how can you ever make something nice out of dog fur,” Reimer says that many embrace the concept.
“Other people are like, ‘Of course, why didn’t anyone think of this earlier? I love my dog so I’ll wear dog.’”
Additionally, she says, dog fluff is 80 per cent warmer than regular wool.
While there is still a chance to pick up your own hat at the Medieval Market, Reimer says her creations can be accessed by contacting her via email at warmfuzzies@gracesgroomingshop.ca
Reimer is just one of the over 90 vendors who grace the floors of the Williams Lake campus of Lake City over the Medieval Market Weekend.
Read more: Vendors recall almost 30 years of Medieval Markets
The market is open for one more day, Sunday, Nov. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets for the day are $3 or you can reuse your ticket if you went to the market on the Saturday.
Live music will play throughout the day, and catch a glimpse below of just some of the vendors at the market.
