Toft was launched in 2006 by Kerry Lord (27). After graduating from university, Kerry was given the task of creating a business from the alpaca fleeces produced at the family’s alpaca breeding farm, near Rugby, Warwickshire. Kerry was determined to produce the yarn without compromising the Toft environmentally conscious ethos and continued commitment to British manufacturing. She taught herself to knit, and researched local mills to spin the yarn. Their first range of alpaca wool was introduced in 2006 and tested the market at county fairs. Demand for their super soft alpaca yarn was instant. Toft was embraced by the knitting community and within a matter of months they opened a shop on the farm selling ready to knit kits, as well as a range of hand-knitted fashion accessories. 2012 sees the opening of a stunning knitting and craft workshop space on the farm, which will attract people all over the country, to enjoy an array of alpaca wool related classes, from felting, knitting to crochet. Toft are now the biggest UK seller of alpaca yarn and now, as demand has out-grown their own supply of alpaca fleeces, they buy the majority of British alpaca fleeces from UK farmers to transform them into their popular luxury yarns.
2014 sees the launch of the first Toft book – ‘Edward’s Menagerie’ – From aardvark to zebra, the book is packed full of cute & clever original crochet animal patterns created by TOFT founder Kerry Lord.
www.thetoftalpacashop.co.uk
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