Shop Profile: Prick Your Finger

The next shop to be profiled, Prick Your Finger, is a delightfully quirky gem that we were happy to discover near Victoria Park. It's packed with lots of British yarns and oodles of creative energy!

How would you describe your shop's atmosphere in three words?

Everything you touch at Prick Your Finger is made with love, including the walls! Our yarns tell stories. If a yarn un- expectedly jumps out at you, we like to find a map for your new knitting adventure. Our shop is a library of patterns, a laboratory of color, a mill with workers, and a dance floor with a crochet disco ball, a record player and big speakers.

The shop is run by Rachael Matthews and a team of creative helpers.

What makes you different from other yarn stores?

Prick Your Finger happened primarily because we are interested in people, nature, and the process of making. We are committed to UK based and artisan yarns, because it gives us a sense of home, and increases our relationship with our environment. As artists, we are concerned with the impact that textiles has on the planet, and we love to explore how textiles nurture us as individuals and as a community.

A variety of classes in the shop, and opportunity for private lessons. Projects outside of the shop, introduce textiles to a broad range of people. The gallery window presents the work of local and international textile artists. 

What is the most popular type of yarn or product that you carry?

Badges that say 'Moths are Wankers'.

What expertise or classes do you offer to your customers?

Beginners knit and crochet, colour work, textured knitting, darning, tatting, sock and glove workshops, workshops with visiting artists, private lessons.

What is notable about your part of town/your location?

Prick Your Finger is behind the Museum of Childhood, and opposite a great vegetarian cafe called the Larder. We have two popular pubs opposite with real ale and we are a 5 minute walk from Vyner Street, and many other modern art galleries. We are near the newly restored Victoria Park, with a cafe and a boating lake.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about yourselves, your shop or your yarn?

We are inspired on a daily basis by our customers. Customers teach us so much about the generation of ideas and reasons for making. Prick Your Finger is a hub for people with the condition 'creativity'! We love your energy, and want to celebrate what you do next!