frequently asked questions

Our shipping rate for US orders is based on a one pound package with insurance up to $100.00.  While some packages do not weigh one pound, UPS requires that we round up to the nearest pound so even small orders such as a quarter yard of fabric or one pair of knitting needles would  still be considered a one pound package.   Keep in mind that the more you order the shipping rate stays the same.

We have business locations in New York and in California so you will be charged Sales Tax in those states.

Yes you can - we love meeting our online customers!  While we used to ask that you call for an appointment, that is no longer necessary.  You can come to see the warehouse and shop here on Tuesday - Friday from 9 - 2:30.  We are also closed on Tuesday after a Monday holiday.  If you are visiting with a large group of people, we would love to know ahead of time.  Also, keep in mind that it is a warehouse and can be on the cold side if you visit in Winter (yes, even in Southern California!) so bring a sweater!

Orders ship from our warehouse in Southern California.  While we carry mostly the same things online that we do at the store we can run out of different colors at different times so it is not usually possible to pick up your online order at the NY store.  

When Purl opened as a small knitting store back in 2002, there was only one owner and she lived in New York, Joelle Hoverson.  A year later Joelle's sister Jennifer joined the business to head up the website.  While she loves New York, she really loves California so the decision was made to run the warehouse from Orange County, CA.  The newest partner at Purl, Page Norman, lives near Joelle and together they try to convince Jen to join them on the East Coast but she just can't give up the sun.

We do everything we can to accurately represent the products we carry.  Products are photographed in natural light or lighting equipment that simulates natural light.  We do not use photoshop or other photo enhancing software to manipulate colors.  Our computer monitors are calibrated using Spyder Calibration Software so we know what we are looking at on our computers is a good representation of the color.  Fabric is scanned and also not manipulated in photoshop.   Unfortunately, all of these steps still do not 100% guarantee that the color you see on your monitor is accurate as each monitor shows color differently.  If you have questions about color, please feel free to call for clarification.

When you click on a thumbnail to bring up the zoom image while viewing fabric, this photo represents an 11 x 17 inch rectangle.  The selvedge runs vertically on the image shown.

Please see our return policy here:  http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/shop/return

It depends on the type of fabric!  We can fit about 8 yards of regular quilt weight fabric into a priority envelope and about 4 yards of upholstery weight fabric.  For double gauze, about 6 yards fits in the envelope.  

For fabric, you can order as little as a quarter yard for a sample.  For yarn, we regret that we cannot do samples as it takes away yardage from the skein.

The turnover on our inventory can be very quick so in an effort to save trees, we've decided to forgo a catalog.  Our inventory online is "live" so what you see is what we currently carry.  If an item is no longer available, it will be noted on the product page.