Merry Christmas to you all!

Just a quick post to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Thank you for your support this year and we look forward to seeing you in 2011.
 
The nativity scene above was knitted by Monica Morse who comes to our Wednesday night knit club. She was good enough to bring it in for us to look at and we love all the attention to detail!

New Courses for January 2011

 Is your new year's resolution to improve your knitting skills? 

If so, let Purl City Yarns help you!!

Knit 201 - Advanced Beginners 

Duration: 6 hours over three weeks

Know how to cast-on, knit, purl and bind-off but want to improve on those skills? Then this is the class for you. The class will be customised to meet the needs of the students but topics could include: increasing, decreasing, different types of cast-ons (including provisional) and bind-offs, picking up stitches, weaving in ends, fixing mistakes, blocking, and cables.

This course runs for three weeks, beginning on Saturday 15^th January and continuing on 22^nd and 29^th January. Each session is two hours long and takes place 10.15am-12.15pm in the gallery.

Each student will receive a kit at the start of the course containing two balls of King Cole Merino Blend Aran, a pair of Brittany needles and a 10% voucher which can be used against purchases in the shop or towards the next course. Students will also receive a Purl City Yarns tote to keep everything together. The price for the entire course and materials is £70.

Stranded Knitting Workshop

Duration: 3 hours

Date and time: 12pm-3pm, Sunday, 23^rd January

Students need to know how to cast on, bind off, knit, purl. Having knit at least one project in the round before is preferable, but not necessary.

Description: This class will cover everything you need to know about stranded knitting. Learn a bit about the history of stranded knitting, how to read a colourwork chart, how to work with two colours at the same time, and how to select colours for stranded knitting projects.

Project will be a pair of fingerless mittens (pattern included).

Each student will receive a kit at the start of the course containing two balls of King Cole Merino Blend Aran, a ball of Noro Kureyon  a set of Knit Pro double pointed needles and a 10% voucher which can be used against purchases in the shop or towards the next course. Students will also receive a Purl City Yarns tote to keep everything together. The price for the entire course and materials is £49.99.

Classes are limited to a maximum of eight students. Bookings can be made either by visiting the shop, via our webstore (click on the classes and workshops option in the department tab) or by telephoning 0161 425 3864. We regret we cannot reserve places without payment.

Little Fella

This little guy lives at our shop thanks to Louise Brandon, who made him with some of our very own King Cole Baby Alpaca DK. Unlike most hedgehogs, he is lovely and soft and doesn't get all mardy when you try to pet him!!

Dreaming of Manchester

PURL CITY YARNS DESIGN COMPETITION INSPIRED BY MANCHESTER

		Purl City Yarns wants to see your designs! Purl City Yarns is holding a design contest and we want to see your original hand knitted and crochet designs inspired by Manchester. Your inspiration could be a song lyric by a Manchester band, a painting by a Manchester artist, a Manchester landmark, or anything to do with Manchester that gets your creative juices flowing. Designs will be judged in five categories: garments, accessories, shawls, socks, and miscellaneous.  The winner of each category will win a £50 Purl City Yarns gift voucher and the patterns will be published in a special Purl City Yarns pattern book and displayed in the Purl Gallery. We are having a launch party for the competition in the Purl Gallery at the shop on Wed, 15th December, 6pm-8pm. Come along, grab yourself a drink and learn more! Contestants have until 31st January 2010 to make submissions to Purl City Yarns.  When submitting a design, you must include a completed knitted or crocheted sample that has been knitted/crocheted in a yarn stocked at Purl City Yarns and a description of how the design is inspired by Manchester.  You do not have to submit the written pattern; we will only ask for a written pattern if you have a winning design and will arrange to have your pattern test knitted before it is published.  Finally, all designs must be original and cannot be published elsewhere. You can bring submissions into the shop or post them to us at: 62 Port Street Manchester M1 2EQ If you have any questions and to receive a copy of our full competition rules, please contact us at 0161 425 3864 begin_of_the_skype_highlightiend_of_th info@purlcityyarns.com. We look forward to seeing all your designs!		December 2010 15

Are you ready?!

Purl City Yarns is pleased to announce:

The Christmas Treasure Hunt!

Win a ball of Noro Silk Garden Sock and a ball of Noro Kureyon Sock

It is nearly Christmas and we are feeling festive. Be the first to find the word 'SANTA' hidden somewhere in our webstore and you win the goodies! When you find the word, email us at info@purlcityyarns.com and tell us exactly where you saw it. We will let you know if you are the winner!

We are also pleased to announce that we are offering FREE UK SHIPPING on everything  bought online from now until Christmas.

We will also be offering vouchers via the webstore from Thursday.

Finally, just a reminder that tonight is the Natural Dye Studio Trunk Show, taking place in the gallery from 5pm(for 6pm) until 8pm. There will be cake and cocktails galore! We have a few places left and would love to see as many of you as we can fit in, so if you would like to attend please email us at info@purlcityyarns.com and we will add you to our list.

Happy hunting and bottoms up!

 

Future Event The Fyberspates Trunk Show takes place on Saturday 11th December, 4pm-6pm. RSVP to info@purlcityyarns.com

Future Event We will be launching our Design Competition on Wednesday, 15th December, 6pm-8pm. Look out for more information coming soon!

RSVP Let us know if you are coming to the Natural Dye Studio trunk show tonight and if you have guests.

Shop closing at 6pm tonight

Hi everyone,

Due to the current weather conditions and forecast for later today, we have decided to close the shop at 6pm tonight so that everyone can get home safely.


That means this evening's knit club is cancelled. Sorry folks!

Natural Dye Studios and Fyberspates come to Purl City Yarns!

Purl City Yarns is very excited to announce two upcoming events: The Natural Dye Studio Trunk Show and the Fyberspates Trunk Show.

Amanda Perkins from the Natural Dye Studio will be joining us on Wednesday, 8^th December, 5pm-8pm to celebrate the launch of our extended range of Natural Dye Studio yarns.

The Natural Dye Studio exclusively uses historical plant dyes which produce an astounding spectrum of beautiful subtle colour. Their aim is to produce desirable luxury yarns in as ethical and enviromentally friendly way as possible. They dye using the plants rather than the extracts as they say its ‘much more fun’!

Amanda will be at Purl City Yarns to explain more about the process of dyeing and the yarns they use. The Natural Dye Studio’s Dazzle British Blue Faced Leicester is licensed by the British Wool Marketing Board to carry the prestigious British Wool mark. All their exotic yarns come from a family run mill in Peru.

Amanda is also on a personal mission to make crochet motifs ‘sexy and desirable’. And will be talking about her beautiful crochet designs.

She explains: “Motifs normally have a bad reputation, ever noticed the un-loved granny square blankets lurking in the depths of many charity shops? The motifs deserve a bit more respect and love, hence my crusade!”

“I make pretty things exclusively using the Natural Dye Studio’s luxury yarns. The subtle plant dyed colours lend themselves to being mixed together in one big project. I am fascinated by the gaps between the joined motifs, they often form a secondry un-planned design that you will only discover after joining them. I like suprises!”

The Natural Dye Studio trunk show will take place in the gallery and refreshments will be available free of charge. The event is free to attend but as we can only offer a limited number of places, so in order to attend you need to email us at info@purlcityyarns.com to reserve a place. Places will be reserved on a first come, first served basis.

Jeni Hewlett of Fyberspates will be joining us at Purl City Yarns on Saturday, 11^th December, 4pm- 6pm to celebrate the launch of our extended range of Fyberspates yarns.

In addition to the beautiful Scrumptious range, we will now be stocking a wide range of absolutely gorgeous Fyberspates sock and lace yarns including Nef Lace, Scrumptious Sock, Sparkle Sock, Faery Wings and Ethereal. Trunk show attendees will be the first to see and pet the yarns!

Jeni will be talking all about her yarns and the inspiration and process behind them. She will also be discussing the range of beautiful patterns that accompany Fyberspates yarns.

The Fyberspates trunk show will take place in the gallery and refreshments will be available free of charge. The event is free to attend but as we can only offer a limited number of places, so in order to attend, you need to email us at info@purlcityyarns.com to reserve a place. Places will be reserved on a first come, first served basis.

See you there!!

Webstore now open - www.purlcityyarns.com

10% Off

The promotional code: 2AH-5E7-3U9 entitles you to 10% off any purchase made online at www.purlcityyarns.com until the end of 30/11/10.

We have just launched our webstore, yeah! And to celebrate we would like to offer you 10% off every online purchase at www.purlcityyarns.com. Be quick as the promotion ends at the end of November 2010.

Important class date changes

Due to essential maintence in the gallery, we have had to put back the class timetable by one week.

Please note the new start dates for Learn to Knit 101 and Learn to Knit 201 and unfortunately, we are unable to run the Make a Stocking course this Sunday.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. All students affected by the changed have already been contacted.

Learn to Knit 101 is a three week course which starts Saturday 27th and continues on 4th December and 11th December, 10.15am - 12.15pm.

Each session is two hours long and will cover the following topics: Cast on, knit, purl, cast off, k2tog, ssk, yo, make 1, how to make a tension swatch, basic pattern reading skills, understanding the right side vs wrong side of your work and basic stitch patterns.

Each student will receive a kit at the start of the course containing two balls of King Cole Merino Blend Aran, a pair of Brittany needles and a 10% voucher which can be used against purchases in the shop or towards the next course. Students will also receive a Purl City Yarns tote to keep everything together. The price for the entire course and materials is £70.

Learn to Knit 201 is also a three week course which starts this Saturday 27th and continues on 4th December and 11th December, 1pm - 3pm.

Each session is two hours long and will cover the following topics: Increases, decreases, different cast ons (including provisional), different cast offs, joining in a new ball of yarn, fixing dropped stitches, weaving in ends and blocking.

Each student will receive a kit at the start of the course containing two balls of King Cole Merino Blend Aran, a pair of Brittany needles and a 10% voucher which can be used against purchases in the shop or towards the next course. Students will also receive a Purl City Yarns tote to keep everything together. The price for the entire course and materials is £70.

Our special seasonal class is Make a stocking: Learn to knit socks and Fair Isle! This one off, four-hour class is a great introduction to sock knitting and Fair Isle techniques.

It will be running four times on the following Sundays: 28th November, 5th December and 12th December at 11.15am - 3.15pm.

Our tutor, Joeli, will be teaching students to knit an ornamental stocking using a pattern that she has specially designed herself and will be covering the following topics: getting to grips with double pointed needles, knitting in the round, Fair Isle, short-row heels and shaping toes.

Each student will receive a kit at the start of the course containing two balls of King Cole Merino Blend Aran, a set of Brittany double pointed needles and a 10% voucher which can be used against purchases in the shop or towards the next course. Students will also receive a Purl City Yarns tote to keep everything together. The price for the entire course and materials is £45.

Booking for all courses opens tomorrow, Tuesday 16th November and all classes are limited to eight students. Bookings can be made either by visiting the shop or by telephoning 0161 425 3864 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              0161 425 3864      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              0161 425 3864      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting0161 425 3864 begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting. We regret we cannot reserve places without payment.

Eucalan

You asked for it, now we have it! We have Eucalan, no rinse, delicate wash in 500ml and 100ml bottles plus single sachets. Eucalan comes in three scents: Grapefruit, Lavender and Eucalyptus plus a natural version which is the same formula but with no scent added to it.

And finally.....

Time is running out to name our alpaca.....we have had some great suggestions already but if you have not yet entered you have until 30th November to come up with a name for him or her! For more details click here.

Knitting classes

We are pleased to announce that we are starting our knitting classes from this Saturday. We have two courses running on Saturday and one on Sunday and will be adding more knitting, crochet, spinning, dyeing and felting classes and workshops as time goes on.

Learn to Knit 101 is a three week course which starts this Saturday (20th) and continues on the 27th November and 4th December, 10.15am - 12.15pm.

Each session is two hours long and will cover the following topics: Cast on, knit, purl, cast off, k2tog, ssk, yo, make 1, how to make a tension swatch, basic pattern reading skills, understanding the right side vs wrong side of your work and basic stitch patterns.

Each student will receive a kit at the start of the course containing two balls of King Cole Merino Blend Aran, a pair of Brittany needles and a 10% voucher which can be used against purchases in the shop or towards the next course. Students will also receive a Purl City Yarns tote to keep everything together. The price for the entire course and materials is £70.

Learn to Knit 201 is also a three week course which starts this Saturday (20th) and continues on the 27th November and 4th December, 1pm - 3pm.

Each session is two hours long and will cover the following topics: Increases, decreases, different cast ons (including provisional), different cast offs, joining in a new ball of yarn, fixing dropped stitches, weaving in ends and blocking.

Each student will receive a kit at the start of the course containing two balls of King Cole Merino Blend Aran, a pair of Brittany needles and a 10% voucher which can be used against purchases in the shop or towards the next course. Students will also receive a Purl City Yarns tote to keep everything together. The price for the entire course and materials is £70.

Our special seasonal class is Make a stocking: Learn to knit socks and Fair Isle! This one off, four-hour class is a great introduction to sock knitting and Fair Isle techniques.

It will be running four times on the following Sundays: 21st November, 28th November, 5th December and 12th December at 11.15am - 3.15pm.

Our tutor, Joeli, will be teaching students to knit an ornamental stocking using a pattern that she has specially designed herself and will be covering the following topics: getting to grips with double pointed needles, knitting in the round, Fair Isle, short-row heels and shaping toes.

Each student will receive a kit at the start of the course containing two balls of King Cole Merino Blend Aran, a set of Brittany double pointed needles and a 10% voucher which can be used against purchases in the shop or towards the next course. Students will also receive a Purl City Yarns tote to keep everything together. The price for the entire course and materials is £45.

Booking for all courses opens tomorrow, Tuesday 16th November and all classes are limited to eight students. Bookings can be made either by visiting the shop or by telephoning 0161 425 3864 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              0161 425 3864      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. We regret we cannot reserve places without payment.

Our Mascot Needs a Name!

You may have seen the Purl City Yarns shop mascot, the Misti Alpaca, and heard that we would be holding a contest to name it.  Since we’ve been open for a few weeks now, we reckon it’s time for our alpaca to have a name and gender.  So, we’re asking you to help us name our alpaca and have some fantastic prizes for the winner.

If you think you have the perfect name for our alpaca friend, come into the shop and give us your name idea and contact details.  Alternatively, send us an e-mail at info@purlcityyarns.com.  We will be taking entries until 30 November 2010 and will announce a winner during the first week in December.

Our judge, Lois Connelly, will go through all the entries and choose the winning name.  If more than one person enters the winning name, the contestants’ names will go into a hat and the winner will be chosen at random.

The winner will not only have the pleasure of naming the alpaca and choosing its gender, but will also receive one of our little alpacas and the choice of either two skeins of Misti Alpaca Chunky or one  skein of Misti Alpaca hand painted sock yarn in the colour of your choice.

Come down to Purl City Yarns to meet our alpaca and we look forward to hearing your suggestions.

Malabrigo Madness

Malabrigo Madness!!!!

 

The first delivery of the Malabrigo yarns has arrived!

We have now have Malabrigo lace, sock and silky merino in loads of gorgeous colours!!

Come down and grab some!

We are open until 6pm this evening, 10am-6pm on Saturday and 11am-3pm on Sunday.

Grab yourself a fantastic deal between now and closing on Sunday.....Our introductory offer is 10% off all Malabrigo yarns, if you say the magic word 'marvellous' when paying!
 

 

10 % off this Friday

10% off this Friday!

To celebrate Purl City Yarn's official grand opening this Friday, we will be offering you 10% off all purchases all day long. Come down and join the fun!

Oh, and just to let you all know...............the Addis have arrived! We now have stock of circulars, DPNs, crochet hooks and Tunisian crochet hooks.

Manos Lace, Crazy Zauberball and news of our Grand Opening Event.

M is for Manos Del Uruguay

Well, we have been open a week and it has been fantastic to meet you all in person at Purl City Yarns.
You have all been really helpful with your suggestions of what you want to see in the shop and how make Purl City Yarns even better for you.

Keep all your suggestions coming, they are most welcome and we do read them all.
In fact, in response to several people, we now stock Manos Del Uruguay Lace.
It arrived over the weekend and is now out on the shelves.

The yarn is 5% Cashmere, 20% Silk and 75% Baby Alpaca  which means it is smooth, shiny, soft and is lighter than air.

Each 50g skein is 400 metres (438 yards) long and it comes in a gorgeous array of colours.

Going Crazy

Also, in response to your pleas, we have expanded our Schoppel Wolle Zauberball range and now stock Crazy Zauberball.
Still using the vibrant graduating colourways of the original Zauberball, Crazy Zauberball is made up of two strands plied together for dramatic marbled effect.
Each ball is 100g and 420 metres (459 yards) long.  Great for socks, shawls, scarves, whatever takes your fancy!
We are getting deliveries on a daily basis, so we will keep you up to date with everything as it comes in the door, and yes, that includes the Addis, Malabrigo and Lorna’s Laces!

Calling all sample knitters

At Purl City Yarns we are keen to increase the amount of beautiful knitted and crocheted samples on display. So we need sample knitters and crocheters. If you are interested please email us at info@purlcityyarns.com telling us what kind of garments you would be interested in making, as well as your favourite yarns, fibres and colours and we will get back to you.

 

Grand Opening

It is almost time to round up this mail out but before we do, just a quick reminder about our Grand Opening event this Friday which will include the opening of our Purl Gallery and its very first exhibition by Kandy Diamond.  Hope to see you there!

Knit & Destroy exhibition opens Friday 22nd October

(click on image for larger flyer)

Knit and Destroy Goes To The Movies

22^nd October – 28^th November 2010

Purl Gallery is delighted to present the first UK solo exhibition and the exclusive first showcase of the new collection of machine knits from Knit and Destroy.

This new collection is inspired by classic movie making and the cinematic experience, and includes beautifully crafted designs of a celluloid scarf, usherette garments, Godzillas, Hollywood and popcorn.

Alongside the machine knitted designs is a new short film by Kandy Diamond. The film is an ode to the silent movie and demonstrates the scarf making process on a knitting machine.  

All pieces are designed, machine knitted and hand finished by Diamond using 100% lambs wool yarn. 

Diamond is a professional machine knitter and has designed under the name Knit and Destroy since 2006. 

During her degree studies in Textile Design with Design Management, where she gained a 1^st class honours degree from the University of Manchester, Diamond discovered she had a passion for knitted textiles and now shares her enthusiasm and knowledge for knit as a lecturer at The University of Manchester. 

Diamond has previously exhibited her works at Inter Warmth 2009 (Falkirk) and at Pimp My Pump 2007 (UK and Europe).   

As well as creating original, handmade knits for her own collections, Diamond also makes commissioned pieces and has collaborated with designers such as Leona Baker and Gemma Shiel. 

Diamond also co-writes the popular, independent craft-zine 'Sugar Paper - 20 things to make and do'.

http://www.knitanddestroy.co.uk/

http://knitanddestroy.blogspot.com/

Pumpkin Cozy..

Halloween is just round the corner so here is a lovely pumpkin cosy pattern, found on craftzine.com, to keep your needles clickin' for the next few weeks. Send us yours pics if you make one (info@purlcityyarns.com)

Click here to download the free Pumpkin Cozy pattern

Purl The City .. get creative, get 10% off yarn !!

Here at Purl City Yarns we like to get very creative with yarn! 

Purl The City is a project designed to celebrate not only our shop but to also celebrate the talent of our customers and to showcase all of your knitting and crochet skills.

We already have a few pieces that have been made by some very talented crafters in Manchester, which we will feature very soon, and we also invite people from around the world to contribute too! :o)

If you would like to take part in this project please click on the link below.

http://purlcityyarns.blogspot.com/p/purl-city.html

We are open until 8pm tonight!

Purl City Yarns finally opened its doors yesterday and we were really pleased that so many of you came down to see us on our opening day!

Thank you so much for dropping in, we hope you will become regular fixtures in the shop!

Wednesday is our late night opening so we will be open today until 8pm. So if you would like to grab yourself a post-work yarn fix, come and see us.

We will also have wine and nibbles from 5pm, so if you have had the day from hell at work, come and relax on the sofa with a bit of vino and a brownie and we will try to lift your spirits!!!!

Indie Quarter feature

Many thanks to the wonderful Jenny Hudson who visited the shop on Friday to have a good preview of the shop before the doors are open to the public, to take some snaps and to ask us some questions about the yarn, the gallery and the workshops for an article she has put together on IndieQuarter.com .

We must also say a massive thanks to Jenny as she very kindly brought us some flowers for the shop to wish us all good luck for the opening.

You can read the article Here and please make sure you browse the rest of the Indie Auarter blog - it's full of fab craft ideas, articles, features, vids and much, much more.

And don't forget... WE OPEN TOMORROW!! @ 10am - be there and get discount on your lovely purchases all day :o)

We open tomorrow!

Just a quick post to say we will be open from 10am tomorrow!

There will be wine and by saying the code word 'dragonfruit' at the till, you qualify for a 10% discount (tomorrow only).

Hope to see you soon!!

The Knitting Studio, Montpelier!

I (Rachael) though I would share these lovely photos with you that were send by my parents who are currently enjoying a holiday to celebrate their 30th year of marriage in the USA.

Whilst in down town Montpelier, Vermont, my Dad spotted this yarn store called 'The Knitting Studio' and took a few images to message straight over to me.

I managed to find the store's website: http://www.vtknits.com/ and I have especially enjoyed reading their blog.

P.S. - congratulations Mum and Dad Elwell from all at Purl City Yarns xxxx :o)

Good News and Bad News

 

Well, there's good news and there's bad news, which do you want first?

The good news is the shop is decked just about ready for you all. We have an abundance of yarn, needles and patterns all waiting for your approval!!!

Now for the bad news. We were hoping to open up on Thursday, 7th October, but today, the IT system, which controls the till and stock room, decided to play up. What looked at first like a minor problem seems to have opened a whole can of techie worms. We currently have IT guys in the US desperately trying to remotely fix the system but until they can, we can't trade at all.

We have therefore taken the decision to delay opening until Tuesday, 12th October, sorry folks. 

No one can say for definite what the problem is and how long it will take to resolve. We don't want to keep saying 'domani, domani' so Tuesday it is unless an IT miracle occurs. 

Perhaps it was better it happened today while we were still in training mode than next week when you are trying to purchase yarn!

So apart from the pooter, everything is just about set.

The majority of the stock is here, we are still waiting on Malabrigo, Lorna's Laces and a couple of other deliveries but they are due any day. 

Friends of the shop Marie Patterson and Alessio Bacci-Evers have been doing a cracking job putting the yarn on the shelves, so it is all colour coded and alluring and I can't move by the till for all the Knit-Pro and Brittany needles we have had delivered.

The indie dyers - Green Eyed Monsters, Six Swans, Skeins UK and Wild Fire Fibres - are putting together the most divine yarns for the shop. Might have to fight you for them!

Rachael of ArtYarn is working hard on The Purl Gallery, our gallery and workshop space and is organising a really special exhibition which opens on 22nd October. More about that every soon.

We have even have a mascot for the shop.....a little alpaca from Peru. Not named him yet. Any suggestions?

So, apologies for the delays in opening but hopefully it will all be worth the wait. We really look forward to seeing you in the shop and hope you like it!!!

Oh, and if you are not already on our mailing list, please email us at mailinglist@purlcityyarns.com as we will be contacting our special mailing list people very soon about exciting events.

Nearly opening time....

Everything is finally coming together at the shop and we are on the brink of opening our doors!!

Today the Purl City Yarns sign has been fitted above the shop window, we're really chuffed to bits with how it looks!

And the shop is nearly all laid out, just a few more bits of furniture and stock to go out on the shelves and we'll be right to go!!

Opening Soon....

If you were to walk past the shop, this is what you would see in the window. Yes, we are nearly open.

As soon as we can get the rest of the stock on to the system and out on to the shelves, we will be throwing open our doors!

Just want to give a quick shout out to Marc The Printers for producing all our posters and flyers. Excellent work, chaps!

Treat your hands and your feet with Austermann!

At Purl City Yarns we are very excited about our delivery of Austermann Step sock yarns. And not just because they came with some funny foot models.

Step is great because it comes in an array of lively colourways. It was difficult choosing which ones to stock in the shop because they are all so vibrant.

But what we got us really excited is what goes into the product, 75% soft superwash wool, that all important 25% nylon but also Aloe Vera and Jojoba Oil.

So not only do the special ingredients pamper your hands while you knit but they also care for and protect your feet when you wear the socks.

Good work Austermann!

Purl The City .. get creative, get 10% off yarn !!

Just a little reminder that you have the chance to get 10% of your first purchase at Purl City Yarns just by taking part in our collaborative art project 'PURL THE CITY'.

All you have to do is use your creative streak and knit or crochet a city scape feature... it can be as simple as a rectangular strip with several little knitted squares for windows, which you can sew on to your knitted rectangle :o)

For full details about taking part in the project please click here.

Quick update...

Here are a few new shots of the shop as it is today. We finally have shelves... lots of shelves!!! and we can't wait to get them filled up with gorgeous yarns. 

Rachael has been organising the first exhibition that will take place in The Purl Gallery in October, we have a wonderfully, creative artist to showcase in the gallery! More news to come on this very soon.

Until then, take a look at the shop...

Extras and a photobomb!

Managed to grap a few of the lovely extras from Captain America to pose outside the shop.

Check out the knitwear!

Top photobombing by Scott the builder in the background!

Captain America, anyone??

Purl City Yarns is a hive of excitement at the moment.

Not only are the deliveries of yarn coming in thick and fast (the last few days has brought gorgeous yarns from Austermann, Noro, Mirasol and Araucania, photos to follow) but the Northern Quarter is currently hosting the cast and crew currently filming Captain America.

The warehouse next to the shop is being used as the catering facilities for all the extras, so several times a day there's a parade of 1940s Brooklyn shopkeepers, businessmen, factory workers and pedestrians past the shop.

There's a great blog with some brilliant pictures and footage of the set.

And this guy has been putting really interesting updates on You Tube everyday.

The crew have been putting together the set for a couple of weeks and filming is due to continue until 2nd October. The sad thing is, despite all this effort, the bits shot in Manchester will probably only make up a couple of minutes of the whole film.

We're on Facebook and Twitter too ya' know :o)

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep right up to date with all of the latest Purl City Yarns announcements, including details of our big launch event in October, our first contemporary textile exhibition in The Purl Gallery and the all important news about which yarn's we'll be stocking on our shelves !.....

Click here to join the Purl City Yarns Facebook Group

Follow us on Twitter: @purlcityyarns

Schoppel Wolle

We've had another big delivery of gorgeous Zauberball and Lace Ball by Schoppel Wolle this week, those Germans sure know how to give us fantastic quality yarns in an amazing and unique range of colourways.

Which one is your favourite?....I think mine is 'Crazy Pumpkin' !

Here are a few photo samples of some of the other gorgeous colourways that were in the order...

More gorgeous yarns!

Feast your eyes on this lot.......!!!

Lots of new deliveries have continued to arrive at the shop this week, and now we can't wait to get those shelves up and stocked full of beautiful yarns, then we can start selling it to all you eager knitters and crocheters out there. We're really looking forward to your reactions on the choices of yarns that will be on sale and very importantly, what you make with it!.... we may even have a special customer feature post on this blog each month, so we can show off our talented customer creations.

We'll be back soon with lots more stock photos, but in the meantime....

Do you have any oddments of yarn in your stash that you have no idea what to use it on? 

Then why not use them up by taking part in Purl The City,  and you can also get 10% off your first purchase at Purl City Yarns just for taking part.

For more info on how to take part in Purl The City, please click HERE!!

We've been using up our odds and ends and made a sample for you to use as a guide...


ArtYarn's Rachael Elwell made this little sample with the help and a few special volunteers at The Just So Festival back in August, where she was teaching knitting and crochet to lots of family festival goers. Thanks to everyone who helped out to make this little house which will be added to the Purl The City project !!

P.S - If you would like to leave us a comment please feel free to click on the comment tab at the bottom of this post, we'd love to hear from you.