The sunshine, alpacas and the countdown to shearing.

It used to be that my job here at TOFT was very seasonal. Generally we did the majority of our sales September-February and the summer months were quieter times for designing and planning the next season. 

With the growth and popularity of our workshops, the coffee shop and the Studio in general, this has all now changed. With the sunshine of the last few weeks people have visited the farm in droves to come and enjoy seeing the alpacas at their best. 

Photo by Ella Harlow. 

We shear for three days from the 20th May, and we'll see the herd transform from the cuddly teddy-bears currently standing in the fields to skinny creatures bounding round the paddocks with renewed energy. It is an exciting time of year for me as we grade our fleeces and send them off to the mill. Nine years ago the fibre from the TOFT herd sustained the sales of the whole business throughout that busy winter sales period. Over time the level of business has massively expanded and we now not only buy fleeces in from other alpaca farms, but process several tonnes of wool too. This year our TOFT fleeces are going to be spun into our FINE yarn range, and we hope to have these in stock by September. 

So if you've got the chance over the next few weeks then come over to see the alpacas in their full glorious fleeces. You can even join us at shearing for a farm tour and cream tea if you would really like to experience this process yourself.  It's where it all starts, and a great reminder to all knitters about where the yarn on their needles comes from. 

Gearing up for another Open Day Easter Monday.

Toft Open Days have become somewhat legendary. Every year we open up our doors for knitters and non-knitters alike to come and give the alpacas a hug on Easter Monday, the first Saturday in August and the last Saturday before Christmas. 

Ordinarily our workshop programme isn't geared towards families and children (but this may be about to change-more later), so our farm Open Days are the only real chance to come and get hands-on with our herd on the obstacle course and we offer drop-in craft sessions for children all day. The days are designed for everyone to get involved with what we do here at Toft and learn to speak 'alpaca' and perhaps learn a new skill in knitting or crochet. 

This Easter Open Day 2014 is a particularly special one as for the first time our Studio will be hosting The Cornflower pop-up cafe, which will then return every Thursday- Saturday through May, June, July and August. The ladies behind this new venture are extremely talented bakers, baristas and hostesses, and this we are guaranteed to get a but fatter this summer as we enjoy cream teas and rocky roads all round! 

So next Monday 21st April we will be open 10am-4pm for you to come and get at taste of Toft Alpaca at its best. Hope to see you there and bring the sunshine with you! 

www.thetoftalpacashop.co.uk/Article_Pages_OpenDays.aspx

An awesome August day at the farm...Toft Open Day 2012

Firstly I would like to apologise for how long it has taken to publish this post. Since our open day earlier this month we have been really busy here at Toft.

This year our Open Day was better supported than ever with over 500 people enjoying some alpaca action over the 6 hours. We had activities for all including alpaca halter walking, farm tours and knitting lessons.

Due to the success of the day and the wonderful feedback we have received since, we have decided that in 2013 we shall host not one but TWO of these days.

So... EASTER MONDAY. Get it in your family's diary right now- you're coming to Toft for a full day of alpaca activities.

It is guaranteed to be bigger and better than ever and full catering and refreshments will be available.

A very crafty afternoon in the Studio

This Saturday we enjoyed a very busy day here at Toft with a visit from the Knit Now magazine editor, followed by a taster workshop for 18 ladies keen to learn all they could about alpacas and knitting in three hours.

Kicking off at 1pm just after lunch we welcomed the group and then set off on a farm walk while the sun was shining. As ever the cria didn't fail to please and there were plenty of photo opportunities as they all played with each other in the field.

For those more advanced ladies who already knew their knit from their purl they set off knitting a phone sock- or upgraded to another one of the Toft knitting kits. 

This coming weekend we have our Intro to Knitting workshop.  Speand a whole day on farm knocking the rust off your skills or learning to cast on for the very first time for just £50 per person including all your materials and lunch. 

SATURDAY 7th JULY 2012.

BOOK HERE. 

The next date in the calendar is a first for us- in the form of  Giant Knitting workshop learning to use two very big sticks!  This is an afternoon workshop and just £33 per person including lots of cake and your very own set of 25mm knitting needles! Suitable for total beginners. 

FRIDAY 13th JULY 2012.

BOOK HERE.

If you've always been intimidated by cables and boobles but loved that traditional texture in knitting then our Aran Workshop is the one for you.  You will need to know your knitting basics (cast on, knit, purl, inc, dec, cast off) but we will take you through getting to grips with a cable needle and getting proper texture into your work.  This is an afternoon workshop and costs £35 including your aran weight yarn.

FRIDAY 20th July 2012.

BOOK HERE.

Toft's Open Farm Craft Day - Roll On Summer!

 
Today at Toft we finally got some sunshine after a week of high winds and heavy rain. It got us all excited for summer's arrival, and doubly keen for the 4th of August to swing round - because we're having a party!





Between 10am and 4pm Toft Alpaca farm will open its doors for a summer open day where visitors can meet our beautiful alpacas, tour the farm and enjoy taster sessions in an incredible variety of crafts. 






You can try your hand at knitting, felt-making and crochet under the supervision of our expert tutors, and talk the hind leg off an alpaca about all things crafty. The best part is it's completely FREE. We'll even be laying on one of our scrumptious cream teas.



Activities will be suitable for all ages and all levels of experience - we're all about passing skills between people of every background and every generation.








You'll get a chance to find out exactly what goes on here and meet the entire team (including some of our hairier members).



Make sure you save the date in your diary: August 4th. Come and soak up the sunshine - even as I write this, the ladies from today's crochet workshop are standing on Toft Manor's terrace with bulging bags of newly purchased yarn, looking out over our rolling fields at Draycote Water shining in the distance. I can't think of a better way to spend a day - hurry up August!