Project Zoo Loves Alpaca

Hand Spun Alpaca Fibre

This is a really neat fibre-related volunteer project that I coordinate here in Toronto. We asked the zoo keepers to collect the fibre from the alpaca and camels when the animals are groomed so that we can use the fibre to make beautiful one of a kind objects to donate back to the zoo so they can be sold in the gift shop. The money (100%) raised from the sale of these items go to the "Enrichment Fund". The Enrichment Fund provides the animals that live in the zoo with supplies that enhance the animal's experience. I want to share some photos of some of the work that has been done so far on the project. Enjoy!

Needle Felted Alpaca

For more information on the project please visit our website:

www.projectzoo.wordpress.com

Toronto Zoo Fundraising Project

I have a couple of ads up currently on the TCA website. For those that do not know the TCA is the Toronto Craft Alert. The greatest invention since carbohydrates. I can't get enough of checking it out to see what is coming up next in my city in the world of art and craft.

This past summer I went on a field trip to the zoo with the clients I work with. I took a little detour into the gift shop and found a wonderful skein of camel hair yarn. Yummy, yummy, yummy. I am still saving it for something special. It looks so good as it is I may never knit it up. Anyway, while heading home from the zoo by public transit (a 2 hour plus trip) it occurred to me that the zoo could be making their own yarn. The yarn I bought was from an animal far, far away. We have our own animals! I contacted the zoo right away and proposed that the fibre be collected and processed so that people can knit it up into wonderful things to be donated back to the zoo so they can sell them for profit. Three months later I finally got a reply and was told that this is a possibility. I may be able to get my hands on that animal hair after all! So I am putting together a project team so we can tackle this together.