About us

Purling Paws appeared not so very long ago in a little shop on Long Street in Easingwold, just around the corner from the town market place. The company was founded by Emily Denison, an illustration graduate whose unusual 3D style began to lead her into the wonderful world of wool.

A word from Emily:

‘I chose the name, Purling Paws, because of my lovely feline mascot, Tiggy, who has always found all my knitting activities very fascinating. I think she’s always wanted to knit but simply lacks the opposable thumbs…

My passion for wool evolved from my love of making. At art college, I played around a lot with the use of different materials to make puppets to photograph for my illustrations. I would use wire, fabrics, recycled objects and knitting to make little animal sculptures. The approach was very improvisational, so my knitting skills developed based on seeking out interesting textures and colours and I loved flicking through knitting stitch books to pick out decorative stitches to give my creatures more detail. I gravitated towards high wool content yarns and ones that had been beautifully dyed, and took joy in how beautiful they looked and felt.

More recently, I have focused on developing my technical knitting skills and have brought crochet and felting into the mix. There is always something new to learn and so many applications for beautiful wool. I want Purling Paws to be an inviting place for people, with irresistible yarns and craft kits, friendly service and advice that can inspire creativity and joy for all ages and abilities.’

Contact:

Please do not hesitate to contact us via email for any questions or concerns, or just to say hello!

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