A Wonderwool weekend

Following a late night packing our van to the roof with yarn, fleece and buttons we made a very early start off to Bulith Wells on Saturday morning. Far more important than our usual stock, this time we had two pet boy alpacas onboard.

It's been a while since we took alpacas into an exhibition with us (they're not too keen on it in central London!).

Linda the Toft Alpaca Stud herdswoman selected 'Orsino' and 'Qel-Droma' for this mission into rural Wales. We wanted to take both a Suri and a Huacaya with us to allow all the spinners and knitters to see and feel the difference between the two alpaca breeds.

The boys went down a storm, and attracted fans of all ages- especially these alpaca superfans who helped us load them on for the trip back on Sunday evening.

We had a wet and cold but very enjoyable weekend at this great show with everything you could possibly want to see and buy that's 'woolly'.

It's great to be at an event that reminds people where yarn and wool comes from- and lovely to meet so many sheep and craftspeople working with British fibre.

We will certainly be back next year and we hope to see you there.

Coming LIVE from Toft Studio...

To top off what's been a really BIG week at Toft we've packed our waxy jackets and wellies ready for Wonderwool this weekend.  Despite the weather we will be taking two of our boys with us to meet the crowds and of course lots of fleece and yarn. So here's a quick update (excuse the phone photos!) before we hit the road...

What a week it has been here.  We have successfully now uprooted the whole company from Toft Manor, and we have moved across the yard into the gorgeous Toft Studio.

Following some very late nights we got the yarn store and workshop area unloaded yesterday.  Complete with antique jewellery making benches and tractor seat stools we think it's looking pretty awesome. 

In the entrance to The Studio we are currently in the process of knitting up two sofas and eight tub chairs to create a realizing chatting area to sit and read the latest knitting magazines, and Albert is busy making us some giant button tables to rest our coffee cups on.

Through to the main workshop room and we are still awaiting a few pieces of furniture, but it is really taking shape.  These old sewing benches we perfect- providing a good height to work at and lots of built in storage too.  Next week they will be finished off with steel tops to give them a new lease of life as the 70s surfaces have seen better days.

We've acquired a few singer sewing machine bases along the way and knocked up some side tables- and a draughtsmans board to hold all our latest design collection ideas on.  The space is very light and airy and perfect for enjoying all craft and textile workshops.  The added luxury of underfloor heating means that we can see it being very cosy this winter and we'll be putting workshop dates in the diary very soon.

So next time you come up to Toft for a workshop, or just for your latest yarn fix, you'll be able to hang your coat on the old iron pegs and take a seat for a while to enjoy this fantastic new space.

The big coffee pot is on in the staff kitchen as all our knitters and regular customers drop in to say hi and look at the new building.  Come over to meet the new team soon.

Knitting for your Home

Although this week it does feel a bit chilly again, and here in the new office we've got our heating on pretty high, before too long we should be enjoying the gentle heat and long days of British summer time proper. Due to the expectation of shorts and sandals weather (unless you're a very organised knitter and have got your Christmas gift list on the needles already) it can be a time when you're a bit stuck for things to knit.

Although some of you will be the dedicated four-season knitter, others seem to regard knitting and crafting in general as a winter sport. In the summer the nights are longer and there just seems to be far more to 'do' so a knitting habit can fall by the wayside.

We find that summer is a good time of year to knock out some fast projects for instant gratification. Don't start a 50hr garment project, but instead embrace a few short 5-10hr projects to get done when there's a rainy evening or two.



A great idea is knitting for your home. Sofas and cushions need woolly jumpers too- and right now chunky knitted interiors are everywhere.  This White Company blanket and cushion is gorgeous and oh so simpleOr this even chunkier cushion and throw is also lovely and a serious knitted statement.



Knitted blankets can be as laborious or quick to knit as your diary allows. Something like this beginner blanket takes advantage of big needles (20mm) and you knit using multiple strands of yarn together.


For those who are a toft subscriber this will be this week's free pattern so sign up now.


In contrast a blanket like this herringbone one is in our chunky yarn. A stitch that takes you two steps forward and one step backwards so it is a much slower grower.

When knitting blankets in one piece rather than in panels or squares we would recommend using circular needles with a long cord circumference. If you knit straight on these it allows you to cast on lots of stitches, and also helps you manage the weight of your project. Holding up 2kg on broomsticks is hard work on the shoulders!



We now stock 25mm needles for just such projects- stash bust by running strands together. Cushion covers make great beginner projects too.

If you're looking for something a bit smaller these striped cushions are very simple and high impact. Choose two natural colours, get your big needles out and knit knit knit. No shaping required.

See our HOME section for more ideas. 


Or if you wait a couple of weeks we'll be doing to big reveal on some interiors of our own for Toft Studio. As we speak three of our knitters have been entrusted with massive quantities of yarn and some very funny sketches and measurements.


They're very big- and will be the perfect place to relax, enjoy a cup of tea, and flick through the latest knitting magazines on your trip to Toft Studio