A long overdue post about the best knitting workshop EVER!

I'm not much of a knitter really, and truth told since I've mastered crochet I have never really looked back. So, when asked by a friend to bring some yarn away with me on a ski holiday to teach her to knit I was initially a bit dubious (and genuinely concerned that I might have forgotten how to do it!).  

I have skied with the same group of friends for a few years. Every year we go to a different place, sometimes we drive, sometimes we fly, but this year we decided to take the train all the way to the mountains.  We were looking at a full day of travel and it seemed like the perfect excuse to get our knit on and I had my eye on some charcoal chunky that was crying out to become a big beanie. 

Once I floated this idea to the general group I was astounded by the reaction from both the guys and girls. I ended up boarding the train with 1.2kg of yarn! An intensive knitting lesson and six beanie hats coming right up! 

Needless to day it was one of the best knitting workshops I've had the pleasure of teaching.  Lots of wine, bread, cheese and some great vintage (6yrs isn't bad!) TOFT yarns I've been stashing away for a rainy day.  My best friend, husband, her husband and not one but TWO other guys and myself all made a hat and wore it with pride that holiday. Couldn't really ask for much more! 

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!  

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.

Bulb Bag Workshop Review

We can't be sure if it's the whiff of spring in the air, or perhaps it's the love felt (pardon the pun) for our bulb bags, but last weekend's bulb bag workshop was one of the nicest workshop sessions in a long while.

Don't get us wrong, our craft workshops are always great fun. We love sharing our alpaca and craft knowledge with all our visitors, but sometimes it all comes together in a magic way- the weather, the mix of people, the animals looking their full fleece snuggly best, the knitting and of course the cake- this was one of those days.

After a gloriously sunny walk, a highlight of which was watching Archie the llama trotting and swooshing grandly about his paddock, we came back to the farm to choose two balls of Aran alpaca yarn and a unique handturned small button with which to begin knitting mini bulb bags.

Some of the group couldn't pick just one and few opted for a big button instead of a small one. One creative lady even decided to try a striped bag, she very kindly sent some photos pre felting.

Toft Top Tip- don't always stick to the rules- upgrading to a bigger button than recommended makes for a fab statement. And because you can always transform your bag by swapping the button for a different wood type or size there's no excuse not to use your bag season after season.

The dogs were as usual a bit of a talking point, joined on Saturday by honorary workshop guest Matilda the terrier cross. Harvey skulked around under the table trying to disguise himself with yarn in order to pounce on any crumbs that might fall from the yummy shortbread biscuits that are fast becoming as talked about as the view from Toft.

We discussed the endless merits of knitting with KnitPros especially since circular needles are used for knitting any size of bulb bag. We covered topics such as felting, picking up stitches, knitting in the round and leaving and returning to sts (several of these techniques can be found in our knitting help pages). Our new KnitPro sets and the fixed needles were super popular in the postworkshop shopping spree, as was chunky yarn for a couple of beginner snoods

Toft Top Tip- you don't need to be a beginner to love our beginner knitting kits like the snoods or beret, they are perfect easy knitting projects to take to your knitting group so you don't get your needles in a twist after a few classes of wine!

If you are a Toft SUBSCRIBER tomorrow's free knitting pattern will be for a simple snood or cowl.

Sarah (thank you for your photos), she of striped bulb bag fame, went for several chunky colours with which to knit rib cowls- a fantastic effort for someone who claimed to have taught herself to knit backwards by mistake and then re-learnt the right way just a week or so ago!

So if you fancy joining us for another fantastic alpaca crafty knitting workshop we've a beginner crochet workshop and felting workshop next month. The next bulb bag workshop is 26th May and they're all available to book online now. The next time we host a workshop we will be in Toft Studio- what a treat.

Hope to see you soon!

Fully festive

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The tree is up, the lights and music are on (much to Kerry's dismay) and we all feel that we've already had a few too many mince pies, but what really starts Christmas at Toft? A felt bauble Workshop of course and what a great time we had at said workshop yesterday. Shirley treated us all to one of her walks and the chilly sunny views were to die for.

Once back at the farm the knitting and of baubles, hearts & candy canes commenced, ready to be felted during lunch. Everyone was very creative with their needle felting. We had spots, stripes, stars & hearts adorning the fluffy alpaca decs, great effort ladies!!!