I am SOOOO super excited to have my hands on this book called Weaving a Zoo!!!!
It's been really hard finding any information about this book, like what animals are in it, what loom would be best to use, etc. In fact, I've searched the web and have only found 2 other weavers with pictures of what they have made from this book. I want to change that! This book was published in 2002, and being 10 years later, I would assume there would be more information about it on the web! So... here's a small review to start with. There will be plenty more along the way as I make these little guys!
The animals listed in this book and number of shafts required to weave their skins are:
1. Turtles and Tortoises = 8-shafts
2. Alligators = 8-shafts
3. Frogs = 8-shafts (can be the same fabric as the alligator)
4. Armadillos = 6-shafts & 8-shafts
5. Elephants = 8-shafts
6. Giraffes = 8-shafts
7. The Zebra = 8-shafts
8. The Lion = 8-shafts
9. Three wild cats: Fighting Tigers (8-shafts), Snow Leopards (8-shafts), and The Cheetah (6-shafts)
10. Polar Bears = 4-shafts
11. Kangaroos = 8-shafts
12. Wild, Wild Horses = 4-shafts
13. The Donkey = 4-shafts
14. The Shaggy Gray Wolf = 4-shafts
The patterns come with good stories from the author, great information about each animal, and very easy to understand patterns for weaving and for cutting out each animal. Amy Preckshot also includes a good "how-to" guide in the beginning to make your animal assembling experience a little bit better. She recommends weaving at least 3 yards of material to make a minimum of 3 animals, that yardage includes enough for the loom waste and by making 3 animals, one has a practice animal, one to keep, and one to pass along to a friend!
So... now the big question is, which animal shall I weave and sew first?