About Us

TWO SHOPS – ONE PHILOSOPHY

We have two shops – one South Manchester/North East Cheshire small town and one Peak District – both run by teams with the same simple business philosophy:

To give every customer the welcome and level of personal service traditionally associated with the specialist independent retailer, backed up by a comprehensive choice from the best suppliers in the handknitting and needlecraft industry.

So, whether you prefer the relaxed atmosphere of a semi-rural town shopping centre (Marple) or fancy a day trip to a busy Peak District spa town (Buxton), why not pay us a visit?

Owner Dave Bluff bought the Marple shop in 1995 as his first foray into retail. Already a skilled cross-stitcher, he was initially keen to build up the needlecraft side of the business before going on to extend the range of knitting yarn stocked. The Didsbury shop followed in 1997 and with it came the opportunity to extend the range further by introducing the Rowan brand to an expectant local community of experienced knitters who were happy to pay for these premium knitting yarns. Then in 2006 Dave bought the Buxton business and has since gradually increased the ranges stocked there to mirror those held in Marple and Didsbury. All three shops have been able to benefit from the upsurge in knitting’s popularity and extend the brands stocked to comprehensively showcase the best yarns available today. During the summer of 2015 came the biggest change to the business to date, the opening of a new shop in Cheadle Village followed by the closure of Didsbury. 2018 saw changes again as the economics of 21st century high street retailing necessitated the closure of the Cheadle shop. The Covid-19 Pandemic brought high street retail closure for much of 2020 and early 2021, a local home delivery service operating throughout offered a ‘knitting lifeline’ to many customers.