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.

Friday 15 April 2011

Lunchtime Knitting Group at Purl City Yarns

Take a break and relax from your workday by knitting at Purl City Yarns.

We are now hosting a lunchtime knitting group every Thursday from 12:00- 3:00. Bring your lunch and spend your lunchtime knitting on our comfy sofas. We also have tea and coffee making facilities to make yourself a brew.

Don't feel as if you can only knit at the shop during our knitting groups. Whether you have some time to kill before catching a train, meeting up with friends in town or just want to get out and knit, knitters and crocheters are always welcome to relax and work on their latest projects in the shop.

We have also got some great new yarns in for your summer knitting. Louisa Harding's Ondine is 100% cotton, and the Ondine pattern book contains thirteen summer projects to knit with Ondine. Ondine comes in vibrant colours, great for any season if you're allergic to wool and looking for cotton in colours suitable for autumn and winter.

Another new addition to Purl City Yarns is Manos del Uruguay's Serena, a gorgeous, soft, baby alpaca/pima cotton blend. Serena is the perfect yarn to knit yourself something for the cool spring weather or chilly summer nights.

Thursday 7 April 2011

Learn to knit here!


 Learn to knit at Purl City Yarns!
Ask about our classes
As well as our regular classes we offer one-to-one sessions with our staff.

We can get you started knitting or help you learn new skills such as

  • casting on
  • casting off
  • increasing
  • decreasing
  • reading patterns
  • grafting (Kitchener stitch)
  • sewing up
Cost: £7.50 per hour
Time: to suit you during our regular opening hours
To book: just ask!
at the moment our one-to-one sessions are limited to knitting only

Friday 1 April 2011

Weekend Sale!

Weekend Sale at Purl City Yarns, 1st April - 3rd April.

Spring is here so why not come to Purl City Yarns this weekend. We're offering 15% off everything in store and online! To claim your 15% off online, enter the following discount code, TYE-LMR-X9U.

Get a head start on your spring knitting with Natural Dye Studio's fresh and delicate yarns. In store and this weekend only, we are offering a 20% discount on all Natural Dye Studio yarns.

If that's not enough, the FeltStudioUK Trunk Show is this Sunday, 3rd April 12pm-3pm. Sunday is also the last day to vote for your favourite Manchester inspired design competition entry.