Hi, I’m Petra,
And for the past 10 years I have been quietly hand-dyeing yarn from my Sheffield-based Black Elephant studio just off Abbeydale Road, which was filling the shelves of yarn stores all over the world.
As several yarn shops in Sheffield closed down, Black Elephant Studio started coming up in your Google searches, and I had occasional people walking in looking for a yarn shop even though we were not open to the public and we weren’t your traditional brick-and-mortar yarn shop, as there was only one yarn- hand-dyed by me. This prompted my quarterly open days, allowing people to browse at least some of the yarns. And I often heard people complain that there is no yarn shop in Sheffield to go to, and that they have to travel miles to get to their closest one.
I was reluctant to open a yarn shop because I already had a successful business, and I didn’t want to spread myself thin.
I took another room in the building back in 2019, which was initially supposed to be a knit-and-natter room, but COVID hit, and I used it mainly as an office, packing and drying room. Having had it for seven years, it got filled with boxes and boxes of yarn, packaging materials and other bits and bobs. 
But as world events unfolded, it became clear that hand-dyed yarn is becoming a luxury, but people still want to knit, just with more budget-friendly wool. Yarn dyeing is also very physical work, and thinking about the future, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it forever. So at the end of last year I started working on the workshops revolving around yarn and knitting. At first I started teaching what I was most comfortable with - dyeing your own yarn workshops. Soon I added a few knitting workshops as and when time allowed. And to my surprise, I enjoyed it, and it looks like you did too!
For the longest time, when I thought about a Yarn Shop, I thought I would have to find a high street premises, and it didn’t click until early this year that my over-cluttered room is actually big enough to become a Yarn Shop. And it is also kind of hidden, in a quiet neighbourhood, like a secret room and a safe space. So I put my architectural background to use and visualise what it could look like. Everything fell into its place.
I had extra time AND space and excitement to create something new - a community space for crafty people of Sheffield.
The survey I popped out back in April was a great help to figure out what this space should be - thank you all for filling it out. I listened, and I have created the Sheffield Yarn Shop of your dreams - a place to sit down and knit or/and crochet, meet like-minded people, squish yarn, learn new things and have a coffee and cake. A shop centred on natural fibres, thoughtfully curated brands, and the joy of making with beautiful materials.
The shelves are built, the displays are ready, and I can't wait to open the doors.
There's just one thing missing.
The yarn.
Unlike future restocks, opening a yarn shop means placing large initial wholesale orders. Most suppliers require significant minimum orders to become a stockist, making that very first order the biggest investment of all.
That's where I'm asking for your help.
Instead of simply asking for donations, I'm inviting you to become one of Sheffield Yarn Shop's Founders.
By pre-ordering your yarn through this campaign, you're helping me place those initial wholesale orders, fill the shelves with beautiful yarn, and create a shop that belongs to our local fibre community from day one.
Your support isn't disappearing into a building project or refurbishment. Every pre-order goes directly towards bringing carefully chosen yarn brands into Sheffield, so when the shop opens, it'll already be full of colour, inspiration and possibilities.
My dream is for Sheffield Yarn Shop to become somewhere people love to visit. A place to browse without rushing, find the perfect yarn for a project, join workshops and knit nights, learn something new, or simply sit and chat with fellow makers.
This campaign isn't about opening a shop.
The shop is already here.
It's about filling the shelves together.
I assure you, I put my entire self into this project and spent all my savings to make this long-overdue shop come true.
If you've ever wished Sheffield had its own local yarn shop, this is your chance to help make it happen. Every pre-order, no matter how big or small, brings us one step closer to opening the doors with shelves full of beautiful yarn.
Thank you for supporting an independent business and helping create a yarn shop that Sheffield can proudly call its own.
I can't wait to welcome you in.
Love, Petra