Wednesday 14 December 2011

Our Christmas Party & Holiday Reminders

You're Invited!

Purl City Yarns Christmas Party

Sunday, 18th December 12:00-3:00pm

Take a break from shopping or bring your last minute Christmas knitting and come celebrate the Holidays with us at Purl City Yarns this Sunday, 18th December from 12:00-3:00. We'll have mulled wine, mince pies and one of our party favourites, a quiz!


Reminders about Holiday Hours and Posting Dates


Closed from Friday 23rd - Tuesday 27th December

Open from Wednesday 28th - Saturday 31st December (11am-3pm Saturday 31st only)

Closed on Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd January

**Orders placed online will not be dispatched when the brick and mortar shop is shut.

If you've ordered from us online or over the phone, you'll know we post all parcels 1st Class Royal Mail and we strive to get orders posted to you as soon as possible. We will continue operate in the same way over the holidays while our brick and mortar shop is open. Beyond this, we cannot make any guarantees as to when your parcels will arrive or if they will arrive before Christmas. Please, be aware that the last posting date for 1st Class Royal Mail is Tuesday, 20th December. More information regarding postage dates over the Holidays, please refer to the Royal Mail website.

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Knitting Kits Now Available

Seasons Greeting everyone!

Just a quick post for anyone who's in need of a knitters Christmas gift;
Introducing our new Knit Kits! A selection of four Woolly Wormhead hats, and a Learn to Knit kit, containing your choice of yarn colour all in a cute tote/project bag for a special price.

In stock now are;
- Starburst Hat Kit £19.00
contains; 1x pattern, 1x set 4.5mm Knit Pro Symfonie DPNs, 1x skein of Fyberspates DK/Worsted yarn from your choice of 9 colours, and a tote bag.


- Forestry Hat Kit £19.00
contains; 1x pattern, 1x set 2.75mm Knit Pro Symfonie DPNs, 1x skein of Fyberspates 4ply yarn from your choice of 10 colours, and a tote bag.


- Limpetiole Hat Pattern £19.00
contains; 1x pattern, 1x set 3.75mm Knit Pro Symfonie DPNs, 1x skein of Manos Silk Blend yarn from your choice of 19 colours, and a tote bag.


- Weekender Hat Pattern £24.00 (or £19.00 with one set of needles) contains; 1x pattern, 1x set 5.50mm Knit Pro Symfonie DPNs, 1x set 6.0mm Knit Pro Symfonie DPNs, 1x skein of Arucania Azapa yarn from your choice of 10 colours, and a tote bag.


- Learn to Knit Kit £25.00
contains; 1x copy of Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n Bitch Knitters Handbook, 2x 50g balls of Debbie Bliss Fez yarn from your choice of 9 colours, 1x pair of 5mm Knit Pro Symfonie straight knitting needles.


All kits available whilst stocks last from the shop or by phoning and reserving on 0161 425 3864.

Thursday 10 November 2011

Winter Events at Purl City Yarns

We have a lot planned this winter and we hope there is a little something for everyone.

We would love for you to join us for some of the exciting events over the next few weeks and we hope to have more throughout December and January. There are also some new workshops as well as some requested favourites which are now available online, in the shop or over the phone.

  • 16th November, 6:00-8:00pm - Ravulous Launch
    Ravulous - a Ravelry knitting/crochet project viewer app for Android phones developed by shop regular and coder extraordinaire, Polly. She will be launching her new Ravelry application Wednesday evening. Learn how edit and show off your Ravelry projects to friends and ask Polly any questions you may have about the app. The app is available in the Android Marketplace and if your already on Ravelry, join the Ravulous group.

  • 4th December, 12:00-3:00pm - Susan Crawford Trunk Show
    Susan Crawford, author of A Stitch in Time Vol. I and Vintage Gifts to Knit will be promoting her new book, A Stitch in Time Vol. II at Purl City Yarns. A Stitch in Time Vol. II is just as fantastic as the first volume with 80 stunning, classic patterns for women from 1930 to 1959. The patterns have been arranged chronologically with both the original and re-written, updated and multi-sized adaptions of each pattern all with beautiful full colour photos. There is a balanced selection of projects from beginner to advanced: cardigans, sweaters, dresses, hats from stocking stitch to cable and from fair isle to lace.

    Space is limited for this event, so please book in advance by visiting the shop or over the phone, 0161 425 3864.

  • 10th December, 11:00am-5:00pm - Steeking with Debbie Tomkies, £64.99 per person

    Debbie Tomkies is teaching a steeking workshop where students will learn all about steeking, including the benefits and limitation, matching the right yarn and project, where to place a steek, making the cut, finishing, and more! Students are also welcome to bring their own projects to practice on or for advice.

    Steeking is a method of knitting colourwork in the round without interruption for sleeves, button bands on cardigans or necklines, until the end of your knitting. Then a straight line is cut in order to make room for the opening or to attach another piece. Some great projects that use steeking include, Mushroom Pulse Warmers from Hello Yarn, City Scape by Laura Chau, Little Birds by Ysolda Teague, and Deep V Argyle Vest by Eunny Jang.

  • 28th January, 11:00am-4:00pm - Learn to Crochet, £54.99 per person (materials included)
    Learn how to crochet in this one day workshop.

    First Things First: an introduction to the basic stitches, terminology and how to tell when it’s going horribly wrong. At the end of the class you will have started a sampler with several stitch types. You will have learned how to make a foundation chain, double and treble crochet (and maybe more) and spot common problems.

    How to read a pattern, when you’re tired of making rectangles, this is your next step. You will learn how patterns are structured, how to test your gauge, how to read charts and how to join pieces together.

  • 14th January, 11:00am-5:00pm - Dyeing for Beginners, £64.99 per person
    Debbie Tomkies will be our tutor for the day. First she will be showing you how to produce solid shades and you will begin by making shade cards, having a go at colour-blending and making your first hand-dyed skeins. In the afternoon Debbie will be teaching you a range of exciting techniques including yarn painting, semi-solid dyeing, rainbow dyeing and you will be able to choose from a range of lovely yarns to dye and take away with you. Debbie will also be including some of her own patterns so you can make something special to show off your lovely yarns!

    All materials are provided and you will go home with a lovely range of colour samples, rainbow-dyed yarns, comprehensive handouts and lots of ideas for adding colour to your textile adventures!

    This course is suitable for complete beginners as well as for those who simply want to brush up on their skills or just have a fun day out playing with colour! So, whether you're a knitter, spinner, crocheter, felter or textile artist, you're sure to have a great time.

  • 11th February, 11:00am-5:00pm - Finishing Workshop with Debbie Tomkies, £64.99 per person
    Learn how to make your projects look professional during this finishing workshop with Debbie Tomkies.

  • 19th February, 11:00am-2:00pm - Intermediate Crochet, £29.99 per person, (materials included)
    This course takes you beyond the basic stitches and gives you the confidence to tackle lace, textured stitches and working in the round. We will also discuss working with written and charted patterns, adapting and combining, and designing your own patterns!

    Students should be comfortable with the basic stitches: sl, sc/dc, dc/tr and hdc/htr, and should be able to follow beginners' patterns.
Cancellation policy - We operate a 21 day cancellation policy. If you cancel a course or workshop 21 days before the start of the course, we will refund the course payment. Any cancellations made after the 21 days or less from the course start date is non-refundable.

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Meet Debbie Bliss!

Debbie Bliss at Purl City Yarns Friday, 30th September

£5 per person to be donated to Francis House Appeal

Lunch with Debbie Bliss 12:00-2:00pm
Knit Along with Debbie Bliss 2:00-4:00pm

Internationally renowned knitwear designer, Debbie Bliss, will be joining us at Purl City Yarns on Friday, 30th September from 12:00-16:00 for lunch and a knit along.  Lunch will consist of tea, coffee, wine, sandwiches, and cake and as always, bring your knitting along for the after lunch knit along.  In order to attend, you must book in advance, £5 per person, which will be donated to the Francis House Appeal.

Debbie Bliss is one of the most well-known knitwear designers with her own brand of yarn and author of over 30 books.  Her designs are timeless and often inspired by classic British stitch patterns, particularly fisherman’s ganseys, aran and fair isle designs.  Debbie Bliss designs are well thought out to compliment the drape or stitch definition of one of her gorgeous yarns.  She loves to play around with colour combinations and is always thoughtful of how colours will look against the skin as well as how it will fit together as a piece of knitwear.  To find out more about Debbie Bliss’ designs, yarns, books, or inspirations, please join us on 30th September for some lunch and knitting.

The cost of the event is £5 per person and 100% of that will be donated to the Francis House Appeal, a Manchester based charity.  Francis House provides care for children with life threatening conditions and support to their friends and family.  Families can go to Francis House for rest along with treatment as well as end of life care and support.

To buy tickets for the event please visit the shop or call us on 0161 425 3864.

Help Us Make Room for New Stock!

Help Us Make Room for New Stock!
 
We have a lot of new Autumn and Winter yarns on the way and if you've been in the shop lately, you'll know we're running out of room to put things.  To solve this problem, we're having a sale!  Items on sale are end of lines or just the last few of a dye lot left, so grab a bargain while you can.  Sale items are only available at the shop or by ringing the shop to place an order at 0161 425 3864.

SALE ITEMS
Artesano Alpaca DK: was £4.30 - now £2.50
Hummingbird 4ply: was £5.35 - now £3.55
Hummingbird DK: was £16.15 - now £9.95
Mirasol K'acha: was £7.10 - now £5.50
King Cole Merino Blend 4ply, DK, Aran, and Chunky: now £1.99
King Cole Baby Alpaca: was £5.10 - now £3.50
King Cole Bamboo Cotton: was £4.60 - now £2.99
Natural Dye Studio Angel: was £15.65 - now £10.99
Natural Dye Studio Dazzle: was £12.60 - now £9.00
Natural Dye Studio Precious - was £16.90 - now £11.99
Austermann Algarve and Algarve Grande - was £3.20 - now £2.00
Austermann Alpaca Silk - was £5.10 - now £3.00
Louisa Harding Willow Tweed - was £4.25 - now £2.50
Misti Alpaca Shades 1742, 1400, 5764, and 5050 - was £10.25 - now £8.99
Magazine Back Issues 1/2 price

Learn to Crochet
1st October, 11:00 - 5:00
To book, please ring the shop at 0161 425 3864.
Learn how to crochet in this one day workshop. We can provide all the materials you’ll need or you can bring your own. We will provide you with everything you need for £54.99.
First Things First: an introduction to the basic stitches, terminology and how to tell when it’s going horribly wrong. At the end of the class you will have started a sampler with several stitch types. You will have learned how to make a foundation chain, double and treble crochet (and maybe more) and spot common problems.
How to read a pattern, when you’re tired of making rectangles, this is your next step. You will learn how patterns are structured, how to test your gauge, how to read charts and how to join pieces together.

Friday 2 September 2011

Learn to Crochet at Purl City Yarns

Learn to Crochet One Day Course
1st October, 11:00am – 5:00pm
£54.99 per person
To book, ring 0161 425 3864


Learn how to crochet in this one day course where we provide you with all the materials you'll need and plenty of tea and coffee to get you through the day. You are also welcome to bring their own lunch or can get something to eat at one of the many cafes, restaurants, or shops in the Northern Quarter during the lunch break.

For this crochet course, the day is broken into two parts:

First Things First
You will be introduced to the basic stitches, terminology and how to tell when it’s going horribly wrong. At the end of the session you will have started a sampler with several stitch types. You will have learned how to make a foundation chain, double and treble crochet (and maybe more) and spot common problems.



How to Read a Pattern
When you’re tired of making rectangles, this is your next step. You will learn how patterns are structured, how to test your gauge, how to read charts and how to join pieces together.

If you would like to book a spot on the Learn to Crochet Course on 1st October, you can book at the shop or over the phone at 0161 425 3864.

Friday 5 August 2011

Little Red in the City

July was a busy month at Purl City Yarns! Along with a visit from Woolly Wormhead, we were also lucky enough to host Ysolda Teague's Trunk Show promoting her new book, Little Red in the City.

She answered questions, discussed her design process and gave some tips for knitting successful garments. Ysolda also brought samples of the garments from Little Red in the City in a range of sizes for people to try on.


Despite the uncharacteristic heat and sunshine in Manchester that afternoon, everyone was excited to try on woolly jumpers and cardigans and receive fitting advice. Many people, myself included, discovered a garment they hadn't noticed in the book that fit really well.

















All in all, it was a fabulous day, thank you to Ysolda and everyone who came.


And an additional thank you to our Purl City Yarns regular, Rebecca Stunell, for the fabulous pictures of the day.

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Woolly Wormhead Visits Purl City Yarns

Everyone at Purl City Yarns would like to give a big thank you to Woolly Wormhead for visiting the shop on 24th July. People are still talking about what a great time they had and how excited they are to have found the perfect hat.


For the Trunk Show, Woolly brought many, if not all, of her hats for everyone to try. During the 'Hat Clinic' she gave excellent advice on how to wear her hats and chose the right hat for the right person every time - without fail. You might not necessarily think there is a right or wrong way to way a hat, but Woolly showed us all that there is, and it can make all the difference in the world!


If you missed out on the Woolly Wormhead Trunk Show, we have a selection of her patterns and books as well as our own shop samples that you are more than welcome to try on when you're in the shop. Her designs are interesting, thoughtful and the Purl City Yarns staff will gladly confirm that they are also an absolute pleasure to knit.

Saturday 2 July 2011

Woolly Wormhead Trunk Show 24th July


The wonderful hat designer, Woolly Wormhead, will be coming to Purl City Yarns on Sunday 24th July from 12:00-3:00. She will be bringing samples of some of her hats and giving advise on making a hat the suits you. Woolly Wormhead will also be bringing along photos and samples from her upcoming book, Babeanies.

Woolly Wormhead designs a large variety of hats to suit every face shape and age. Those of you who don't think you look good in any kind of hat will be amazed! This is the perfect opportunity to find yourself the perfect knitted hat.

She is the author and designer of Going Straight: A New Generation of Knitted Hats, Wee Woolly Toppers and Twisted Woolly Toppers. Many of her designs are also available as single patterns.

This is a free event, but you must book in advance. If you'd like to book a spot, please e-mail info@purlcityyarns.com.

Friday 1 July 2011

Ysolda Teague to Visit Purl City Yarns!

Ysolda Teague Knit Along - Sunday 3rd July
An Afternoon with Ysolda Teague - Saturday 30th July


Our copies of Ysolda Teague's new book, Little Red in the City have arrived! As an introductory offer, we are offering Little Red in the City for £18 until Monday, 4th July. With your printed copy of the book, you will also be eligible to receive a pdf e-book so you can easily access it anywhere.

To launch her new book, Scottish designer Ysolda Teague will be visiting Purl City Yarns on 30th July, where she will be talking about her new book and you will get to see some samples from Little Red in the City. The book contains seven patterns for cardigans, jumpers and vests that have been designed to fit a wide range of sizes, to fit bust sizes from 28-60", and is also a useful resources on how to successfully make sweaters that fit your body. Availability to this event is free, but limited, so you must book in advance. To book, ring us at 0161 425 3864 or book online.

To kick off the event, Purl City Yarns will be hosting a Ysolda Teague knit along throughout the month of July starting this Sunday 3rd July from 12:00pm - 3:00pm. Come to the shop this Sunday to cast-on your Ysolda project, or if you're already working on one of Ysolda's patterns, bring it along, it doesn't have to be from her new book.

Ysolda Teague is also the designer of Whimsical Little Knits and her designs have been published in Twist Collective and Debbie Stoller's new book, Stitch 'n Bitch Superstar Knitting.

Wednesday 8 June 2011

A Chance to Win £150 Worth of Knitting Goodies


Right, we will be brief!

All you have to do is complete the Let's Knit! 2011 Awards Survey and they will enter you in the draw to win £150 worth of knitting goodies, plus a year's subscription to one of their craft titles.

And if we are your favourite yarn shop, please don't be shy in letting them know!!

The survey takes just a few minutes to complete.

You have to be in it to win it!!

The survey closes on the 17th June 2011.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/79YYKD9

Friday 3 June 2011

New Courses!

Dyeing for Beginners with Debbie Tomkies
10th September 11:00 - 5:00, £64.99 per person


Debbie Tomkies will be our tutor for the day. First she will be showing you how to produce solid shades and you will begin by making shade cards, having a go at colour-blending and making your first hand-dyed skeins. In the afternoon Debbie will be teaching you a range of exciting techniques including yarn painting, semi-solid dyeing, rainbow dyeing and you will be able to choose from a range of lovely yarns to dye and take away with you. Debbie will also be including some of her own patterns so you can make something special to show off your lovely yarns!

All materials are provided and you will go home with a lovely range of colour samples, rainbow-dyed yarns, comprehensive handouts and lots of ideas for adding colour to your textile adventures!

This course is suitable for complete beginners as well as for those who simply want to brush up on their skills or just have a fun day out playing with colour! So, whether you're a knitter, spinner, crocheter, felter or textile artist, you're sure to have a great time.
Introduction to Lace Knitting Workshop
Saturday, 4th June 11:00am - 1:00pm

£15.00 (excludes material costs)

We are offering a taster course in lace knitting this Saturday, 4th June from 11:00am - 1:00pm.  There are a limited number of spaces, so book now!  You can book a spot from our website or ring the shop, 0161 425 3864, to book a spot today and pay on the day.

In this introduction to lace knitting course, students will learn how to read lace charts, use lifelines, how to block and the the importance of blocking your lace work, and how to choose the right needle for your project.  At the end of the lesson, you will have a lace sample to take home.

The course is £15 and students will need to provide their own laceweight or 4ply yarn and needles.

Learn to Crochet

13th August, 11:00am – 5:00pm

Learn how to crochet in this one day workshop.  We can provide all the materials you'll need or you can bring your own.
The cost without materials is £40 per person or we will provide you with everything you need for £54.99

First Things First: an introduction to the basic stitches, terminology and how to tell when it’s going horribly wrong. At the end of the class you will have started a sampler with several stitch types. You will have learned how to make a foundation chain, double and treble crochet (and maybe more) and spot common problems.

How to read a pattern, when you’re tired of making rectangles, this is your next step. You will learn how patterns are structured, how to test your gauge, how to read charts and how to join pieces together.
Today is the last day to get the new Debbie Bliss Angel at our introductory price of £6.95!  Grab yourself a bargain today from the shop or our webstore.

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Help Us Welcome In The Possum Yarns!

If you had a great time at our Japanese and Scandinavian nights, come to our New Zealand Night on Wednesday 25th May from 5-8pm!

We are celebrating the arrival and début of our delightful limited edition new possum yarns including:

Zealana Eco Possum Fingering (80% New Zealand Merino, 20% Possum),
Zealana Kia Ora Kauri Fingering (60% New Zealand Merino, 30% Possum, 10% Silk) and
Zealana Kia Ora Kiwi Possum Lace (40% NZ Merino, 30% Organic Cotton, 30% Possum)




These images show just a few of the shades available, you'll be spoilt for choice!

Come check out these unique yarns and as usual, there will be a fun little quiz, so get studying and you could win some possum yarn, courtesy of Purl City Yarns.

Thursday 5 May 2011

Afternoon Tea with Laura Chau

Join us in welcoming Canadian designer Laura Chau to Manchester on Sunday 8th May.


Laura Chau, cosmicpluto on Ravelry, is the blogger of Cosmicpluto Knits! and author of Teach Yourself Visually Sock Knitting. Her designs have been featured in Knitty, Twist Collective and Spud and Chloe and include, to name a few, Just Enough Ruffles, Thermal and Hibiscus Shawl.

Laura Chau will be joining us during her visit to the UK, so bring your knitting for a chat over tea, cake, sandwhiches, and wine!



Monday 2 May 2011

Drops and Ravelry Night on Wednesday, Come and Join the Fun!



Right, just a quick post to let you know that we are having a Scandinavian-themed Ravelry night at the shop on Wednesday. 

Why Scandinavian? Well, we have just gotten in a massive delivery of Drops yarn, which comes from Norway but we were struggling to find Norwegian food stuffs so we widened it out to Scandinavian so we could serve you foodie goodies from IKEA (Daim bars, Kex, cookies and crispbreads) and Swedish vodka!

Why Ravelry? Well, we have been meaning to have a Ravelry event for a while. We have ordered in Rav badges for everyone and thought it would be good to get some local (and perhaps not so local) Ravelers together so they can meet in the flesh the people they have been chatting to online for yonks!

So get yourself down to the shop on Wednesday between 5pm-8pm. We have Drops Kid Silk, a worthy rival to more expensive Kid Silks on the market, Drops Safran, a glorious 100% egyptian cotton yarn, as well as Drops Nepal and Drops Superwash wool Karisma. All the new yarns come in a wide choice of colours and as you probably already know about Drops yarns - quality fibres but cheap as chips!

We have also some Scandinavian knitting books in stock that you can have a good look at and some Lace Knitting books if you are planning some lightweight summer projects.
Viking dress optional.
Knitting (or crocheting) essential!

Wednesday 27 April 2011

Drop in for the Drops!


In addition to the Drops Alaska and Eskimo that we have been stocking for a few months, we are delighted to announce that we have new qualities of Drops yarn available now at Purl City Yarns.


Kid Silk is super-soft and luxurious, ideal for lightweight yet warm items. Although it is laceweight it can be used with bigger needles (3.5mm) since the mohair is so fluffy. It also comes in a very wide range of colours.

75% Super Kid Mohair, 25% Silk
25g
200m/218yds
23sts x 30 rows over 10x10cm
3.5mm needles
Handwash




Drops Safran is a beautiful soft pure cotton, with a gentle, natural sheen. I also comes in a vast range of colours.

100% Egyptian Cotton
50g
160m/174yds
23sts x 30 rows over 10x10cm
3.5mm needles
Machine washable at 40 degrees with gentle detergent.




Drops Karisma is a standard weight DK yarn, which is conveniently machine washable and comes in a vast range of colours.

100% pure new wool
50g
100m/109yds
21st x 28 rows over 10x10cm
3.5 - 4mm needles
Machine washable



Drops Nepal is a standard weight aran yarn with a soft and heathery mix of alpaca and wool. It comes in a vasts array of colours.
65% wool, 35% alpaca
50g
75m/82yds
17st x 22 rows over 10x10cm
5mm needles
Handwash

Stunning Sapphires!

Purl City Yarns
Not sure if you had heard.....but there's going to be a Royal Wedding on Friday!

To celebrate the marriage of William and Kate, Fyberspates has produced a beautiful limited edition Royal Wedding lace yarn in sparkly sapphire.
Until midnight on Friday, Purl City Yarns is offering you the chance to get your Royal Wedding yarn for just £20 (plus free UK shipping).

We have only limited quantities of this one off yarn, when it is gone, it is gone!

Imagine...Royal Wedding on the telly, Royal Wedding yarn, champers.....perfect day off work!


The Royal Wedding shawl pattern by Anniken Allis is available for instant download from Fyberspates website

Thursday 21 April 2011

20% off this Easter online at www.purlcityyarns.com

To wish you all a happy Easter we are offering 20% off everything online at www.purlcityyarns.com and free UK shipping until midnight on Monday with this code XZH-3FF-XT7

Remember.....yarn, much less calorific than chocolate, just as lovely!

Please note: the shop on Port Street is closed for the Easter break until Tuesday, 26th April. 

Sunday 17 April 2011

And the winners are...

Purl City Yarns would like to thank everyone who submitted an entry to our Inspired by Manchester design competition and to everyone who voted. We would especially like to thank our judges, Debbie Tomkies of DT Craft & Design and Jeni of Fyberspates.

Unfortunately, we didn't have enough entries in all of the categories, so the garments and shawl categories were combined. Thanks again to our judges who decided on the following winners.


The winner of the sock category is Geim, designed by Audrey MacDonald and knitted with Lang Jawoll.
This is a man’s sock. The subtle pattern of interlocking hexagons has two Manchester inspirations.

1. In 2010 University of Manchester physicists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselove were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics ‘for ground-breaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene’. Graphene is a special form of carbon, in which the carbon atoms form a one atom thick layer in a honeycomb lattice formation.

2. In the 19th century the city adopted bees as a symbol of Mancunian hard work and industry – there is a swarm of bees on the city’s coat of arms and on the mosaics in the town hall floor.

The winner of the accessories category is Polly McEldowney with her hat, Northern Skies. Northern Skies is knit with Fyberspates Sparkle Sock, Lang Jawoll Magic, Artesano Alpaca DK, and King Cole Baby Alpaca DK.

It’s a row of terraced houses like you see everywhere in Manchester. Some of the houses have got parties going on. The brim of the hat is slightly flared in homage to the classic bucket hat shape of the Madchester rave era. And the idea of focusing on the sky and adding stars came from the song ‘Northern Skies’ by local band I Am Kloot.

The winner of the shawl/garment category is Rebecca Stunell with her Rainy Day Shawl knit with Fyberspates Sparkle Sock.
Manchester has an undeniable, yet wholly undeserved reputation for being an incredibly rainy city. Personally, I quite like the rain (at least when I’m tucked up warm indoors with a cup of tea, watching raindrops chasing each other down window panes) and anyway, who could possibly dislike the rain when it’s made of Fyberspates Sparkle Sock with a few crystals thrown in for good measure.
All the entries have been on display on our 1st floor gallery for everyone to vote for their favourite design. The customer's choice winner is Polly's Northern Skies hat.


The wi
nners of each category will receive a £50 gift voucher to Purl City Yarns. Thanks again to everything that participated; we had some excellent designs and hope everyone enjoyed themselves.