Yarns

Yarns We Carry at Purl’s

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Purl's is proud to offer yarns that are beautiful, soft, and interesting, from around the world or just around the mountain—yarns with stories.

Below are the yarns we presently carry, along with some of their stories.

LOCAL YARNS:

EverThanks Farm (Leicester, NC): natural undyed alpaca yarns in sport, worsted, and bulky weights

Steve and Linda of EverThanks Farm raise alpacas and chickens. Thinking of buying an alpaca? Or just want to meet the fuzzy headed creature behind your incredibly soft skein of yarn? Visit the farm and meet Deborah, Cal, Orsino, and the rest of the alpacas whose beautiful, multi-colored fiber becomes the luscious yarn you love to knit with. The farm also sells fiber, hay, and eggs. Check out their website for more information.

WNC Alpaca Cooperative: natural undyed alpaca yarns in sport, worsted, and bulky weights

Ever Thanks Farm and several other local farms make up the WNC Alpaca Cooperative. Together these farms send their fleeces out to be spun into yarn, allowing for a more affordable product.

Hobbyknob Farms: 100% natural wool

Elizabeth Strub brings us beautiful wool from her farm, Hobby Knob Farms, in nearby Weaverville, NC. To read more about her farm, go here.

Rising Meadows Farm: 100% Corriedale yarns in solids and variegated colors; bulky

Nestled in the rolling hills of central North Carolina, Rising Meadow Farm is 128 acres of fields, meadows and woodland, springs and a pond. Begun in 1993 as an excuse to leave the stress of city living behind, the Fay and Henry families decided to turn a hobby into a working sheep and cattle farm. Group tours are welcomed at Rising Meadow Farm from April through November. To learn more, check out their website.

Good Fibrations: yarn spun from Angora goats on the farm in Barndsville

Marcia Kummerle’s colored and white Angora goats produce mohair for her custom spun and dyed yarn in gorgeous colorways like “Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors.”

The Unique Sheep: Hand-dyed yarns in various weights and fibers

The Unique Sheep is an independent yarn dyeing business started by Laura Bullins, a life-long fiber artist who was inspired by the owner of her LYS in Winston-Salem to start selling her handpainted yarn. Laura is now joined by Kelly Eells, another indie dyer. Check out their special charity colorways, including Doctors Without Borders, Amani, Children of Vietnam, and Hope.

OTHER USA YARNS:

Peace Fleece: Romanian American wool (30% mohair, 70% wool); worsted weight

Peace Fleece is an independent family yarn company in Maine begun in the 1980s out of a desire to help historic enemies cooperate and prosper through trade. Peace Fleece offers knitting yarn made from a blend of Russian, Romanian, American, Israeli and Palestinian wools.

Schaefer Yarns: silks and wools named for Women
of Distinction

Family members of the Schaefer Yarn Company have been hand dyeing variegated yarn since 1980 —first in Mendocino, California, then in New York City. The family of 11 now lives and works in Interlaken, a village just north of Ithaca in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York, where each and every skein of yarn is individually hand painted. All the colorways sold at Purl’s are sourced from USA fibers and represent Memorable Women in history.

Cestari Yarns: worsted weight, dk, and sock weight wools; AWESOMELY AFFORDABLE!

Francis Cestari began sheep farming in Virginia with his family in 1968. The Cestari family now has a complete sheep to skein farm and commercial mill that is sold throughout the US, Australia, Brazil, and Canada. Cestari wool is spun a little differently than most present day commercial wools and a portion of the lanolin is kept in to maintain softness and durability.

Kollage Yarns: Riveting—yarn that is created from
100% recycled denim jeans; Hope—American made
organic cotton

Kollage Yarns of Birmingham, Alabama carries a number of creative fibers. We were especially interested in their recycled denim yarn, Riveting, and their USA-sourced organic cotton, Hope.

Juniper Moon: Findley, Chadwick, and Willa

Juniper Moon yarns are not yet USA-sourced, but that is the goal of this unique and scrumptious yarn company that is the creative brain child of Susan Gibbs, founder of the first Fiber C.S.A., Juniper Moon Farms.

FAIR TRADE YARNS:

Darn Good Yarns: Banana, recycled sari silk, hemp,
and thistle yarns and ribbons made by women’s
cooperatives in Nepal

Darn Good Yarn was started by Nicole Snow with the goal of providing fairly traded, earth friendly, and child labor free yarns. Falling back on her experience with her previous business (Around the Om), Nicole takes that mission seriously.

Debbie Bliss Eco Fair Trade: Aran weight and
baby eco organic Fair Trade cotton

Eco Aran and Eco Baby yarns are part of Debbie Bliss’s new Fairtrade Collection. This 100% organic cotton comes in lovely soft shades, and beautiful jewel colors. The fiber is authenticated through the BioRe textile chain which brings together the farmers, their families, and the textile industry.

Mango Moon: silk ribbons, beaded, and other fibers

The motto of Mango Moon is “change the world one stitch at a time.” They work with the Nepali Women’s Empowerment Group and a spinners’
co-op in Indonesia to provide yarns that are colorful and fun, and that help improve the lives of the artisans who spin them.

Lantern Moon Handcrafted: crocheted tape
measures and stitch markers, knit-out boxes, woven
and cloth bags, display baskets, buttons, etc.

With offices located in Seattle, OR, Lantern Moon is a small company with global reach, believing that it is their “responsibility to make lives better socially, economically, and environmentally within the global community,” and thus pay fair wages and audit their suppliers to be sure that health and safety are maintained in the production of each Lantern Moon product.

Serrv: Natural Banana and Silk Yarns from the
Kumbeshwar Technical School, Nepal

These Fair trade yarns are provided to us through Serrv and are made by cooperative members of the Kumbeshwar Technical School (KTS). KTS was established in 1983 to assist the local Pode community of street sweepers, members of the untouchable caste, who were denied education and employment opportunities. KTS is now an educational and vocational training centre supporting the needs of all low-income families throughout Nepal and includes: a free nursery and primary school for 250 children; welfare and education for up to 25 orphan/semi-orphan children in the KTS orphanage. KTS provides vocational training for women and young men in carpet weaving, hand knitting and carpentry.

BeSweet: Magic Ball, Bambino Taffy

Be Sweet was founded on the principle of being kind to others. Nadine Curtis created Be Sweet in 2003 while living in Cape Town, South Africa.

Be Sweet’s mission; to bring socially and environmentally friendly products to fashionable consumers that evoke an individual style and help support community development around the world.

Frabjous Fibers: silk/wool blend yarn, felted bags and accessories

This small business based in southern Vermont and run by husband and wife team, Konstantine and Stephanie Shiman, offers exotic handspun yarns from women’s cooperatives, creative kits, patterns, hand dyed wool top, felt needle cases, and paper goods. Frabjous Fibers imports most of their goods directly from Nepal and India, where they are working with others to create safe, reliable, well paying jobs for women. They donate a portion of their profits to educational programs in Nepal, and help to purchase necessary equipment for cooperatives.

MORE OF OUR FAVORITE YARNS:

Berroco: Bonsai, Boboli, Link, Linsey, Peruvia Quick, Remix, Ric Rac, Sox Ultra Alpaca, Ultra Alpaca Light, Ultra Alpaca Fine, Vintage Chunky

The Stanley Berroco company began in Massachusetts (where it still resides) in 1968 as a new handknitting subsidiary of Stanley Woolen Mills. Berroco’s Ultra Alpaca is one of our primary, staple yarns. It’s 50% Super Fine Alpaca and 50% Peruvian Wool with 215 yards. These 3.5 oz. hanks are REALLY soft and come in beautiful nature-inspired colors. Vintage chunky is a washable yarn that’s great for afghans. Remix is a recycled yarn that behaves like wool with no wool in it! Many of Berroco’s patterns include beautiful designs by Norah Gaughan.

Noro: Kogorashi, Kureyon, Nadeshiko, Silk Garden, Silk Garden Lite, Silk Garden Sock, Taiyo, Taiyo sock

The colors of Eisaku Noro’s yarns are works of art. For more than 30 years, Noro has been creating these rich and diverse colorways through a unique process of dying the fibers before spinning. Click here to learn more about Eisaku Noro.

Malabrigo: Merino Worsted, Merino Lace, Rios,
Silky Merino, Sock, and Rasta

Malabrigo is a small, family owned yarn company located in Uruguay, the foremost wool producer country of South America and one of the world’s most important. Working closely with a cooperative of women from Uruguay, Malabrigo has developed a line of hand painted yarns of incredible softness and wonderful color variations.

Mirasol: Akapana, Hacho, Hap’i, K'acha,
Lachiwa, Miski, Qina, Sulka, Tika,Tupa, Ushya, Wach'i

Mirasol yarns feature beautiful hand dyed yarns in wools, alpaca, and other luxurious blends from the Peruvian Highlands. A portion of every purchase is dedicated directly to funding a school in the remote area of Puno to educate the children of the shepherds. Visit the Mirasol project website for more information. Knitwear designer Jane Ellison has dedicated herself to supporting these yarns with many beautiful patterns.

Araucania: Aysen, Azapa, Budi, Chaiten, Lenga,
Milodon, Nature Cotton, Panguipulli

Araucania Yarns was founded by a mother and daughter who sought to use their talents and experience to create yarns inspired by ancient Chilean crafts made from hand painted natural yarns. Their goal was to introduce “this traditional style to the world outside Chile.... Each hank is different; its individual beauty emerges as the artisan blends color in the kettle to create several unique shades.” Araucania yarns are supported by pattern books by Cornelia Hamilton, Jane Ellison, and Jean Moss.

OTHER YARNS WE CARRY:

Classic Elite: Chesapeake, Liberty Wool, Katydid,
Montera, Silky Alpaca Lace, Sprout, Waterlily

Debbie Bliss: Angel mohair & Party Angel, Como,
Donegal Tweed, Ecobaby & EcoAran Fairtrade,
and Riva

Ella Rae: Lace Merino, Latte, and Phoenix

Elsebeth Lavold: Bamboucle, Hempathy,
Ondine, Silky Flamme, SensuAl, Silky Wool, Silky
Wool XL, ViSilk

Fibra Natura: Flax

Jil Eaton: Minnow Merino

Katia: Bolero, Bombay, Gatsby, Temis, Tobago

Louisa Harding: Albero, Ca’D’Oro, Castello,
Cinnabar, Fleuris, Glisten, Grace/Grace Beaded,
Merletto, Mulberry, Willow Tweed

Nashua: Creative Focus Linen and Silk

Queensland: Kathmandu Aran, Kathmandu
Chunky, Rustic Tweed

Schoppelwolle: Zauberball, Zauberball Crazy,
Zauberwolle