I have had the privilege of growing up on a British alpaca farm in a picturesque area of rural Warwickshire, England, named Toft. My parents bought alpacas back in 1997 at a time when only eccentrics could identify these animals, and there were fewer than 500 camelids in the whole country. Since then, the Toft alpaca stud farm has grown in size and reputation along with the British alpaca livestock industry, and resident alpacas in the UK now number more than 40,000. Toft is a place where my son Edward – for whom this menagerie is named – will be able to make weekly visits, and where he can enjoy taking part in the daily rituals of farming these beautiful animals.
I commissioned the first batch of TOFT yarn, made from the fleeces of our own herd of alpacas, in 2006. At the time, I was utterly oblivious to the world of fibre, yarn and craft. Since then, TOFT has grown to become a renowned luxury yarn brand committed to superior-quality 100 per cent British alpaca and wool yarns, and its design range is characterized by an all-natural colour palette.
Edward’s Menagerie has been crocheted in TOFT yarn. This collection of animal patterns showcases the soft handle of the natural fibres, the depth and range of undyed tones and the tactile appeal of the resulting fabric. The creation of Edward’s Menagerie was driven by an intimate knowledge and understanding of TOFT yarn. Naturally, I recommend using TOFT yarn to guarantee that your animals look just like mine, but the patterns will work in any other non-fancy spun yarn. The resulting animals will vary drastically should you choose to work up an elephant in blue acrylic yarn, or a lion in yellow cotton, but the patterns will work if you match your hook size to your yarn and check that your tension makes a dense, crisp fabric.
I hope these patterns inspire you to experience the pleasure of indulging in a luxury yarn. It’s all about having a good yarn on your hook, whether you’re bringing one of these patterns to life for yourself or for someone else.