Meet the Business: Wool Flower
A love of yarn, creativity and community in the heart of Holmfirth
There’s something rather lovely about walking into Wool Flower.
Located above Fair Trader on Huddersfield Road, this independent wool and yarn shop is a colourful little haven for knitters, crocheters and anyone who enjoys the simple pleasure of making something by hand.
At the heart of Wool Flower is owner Cicely, whose passion for knitting, crochet and all things woolly shines through in the shop.
With a carefully chosen range of yarns, patterns and accessories, there’s plenty to browse – whether you’re an experienced maker looking for your next project or someone who hasn’t picked up a pair of needles for years and wants a little inspiration to get started again.
And that personal touch is a big part of what makes an independent shop like Wool Flower special.
Customers can pop in for advice, ask about a project, get help choosing the right yarn or simply have a chat about what they’re making. The shop has built a reputation for being welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable, with customers describing it as a cosy and colourful place that’s difficult to leave without finding something you want to take home!
More than just a wool shop
For Cicely, it’s not simply about selling yarn.
Wool Flower has developed into a place where people can come together through their shared love of textile crafts.
The Wool Flower Craft Club provides a relaxed social space for knitters, crocheters, sewists and stitchers. Everyone is welcome to bring along their project, enjoy a cuppa and spend time making alongside other local people.
There are also workshops and classes for those wanting to learn something new. Recent sessions have included an introduction to sock knitting, giving participants the chance to learn the techniques and work towards creating their own pair of socks.
It’s a lovely example of how a small independent business can become part of the fabric of a community – quite literally!
We caught up with Cicely to talk all things Wool!
What made you decide to open Wool Flower in Holmfirth?
I moved to Holmfirth 10 years ago and have spent much of that time working with local businesses, helping them with their social media. For the last three years, I’ve worked at Fair Trader as a buyer and social media manager, and I care so much about the ethos of the shop. When the idea of opening a wool shop came to me, the upstairs space at Fair Trader felt like the perfect fit.
There’s also a lovely connection between Fair Trader and Holmfirth’s textile heritage; Stephen Sheard was one of the founders of both Fair Trader and Rowan Yarns, the much-loved yarn brand that originated here in Holmfirth and is still highly regarded in the textile world today. Knowing that history made stocking Rowan an important part of my vision for Wool Flower.
If I’m being honest, my motivation for opening the shop was partly a selfish one! As an avid crocheter and knitter, I wanted somewhere local where I could access quality wool & yarn, & support the brands I love, including Rowan, Sirdar, West Yorkshire Spinners and Stylecraft.
The hope was that if I wanted a shop like that in Holmfirth, perhaps other people would too. And nine months on, it makes me incredibly happy to see people come into the shop and get just as excited about all this lovely yarn as I do!
How did your love of knitting/crochet begin?
I come from a long line of fabulously talented textile men and women, and my love of knitting started at a young age. I have such clear memories of my grandma teaching me to knit with the knitting needles tucked under my armpits! My dad would cast on the stitches for me, and I’d spend hours knitting blankets and scarves for my toys.
My love of textiles never left me, and eventually led me to study Textile Crafts at the University of Huddersfield, where I specialised in Hand Knit.
Knitting also holds a very special connection to my late mum, so keeping it at the forefront of my life feels incredibly important to me.
What do you love most about having a shop in Holmfirth?
I absolutely love the sense of community Holmfirth has to offer. I’ve had such a huge love for the town throughout the 10 years I’ve lived here, and have got involved in the community in lots of different ways over the years. Opening a shop here feels like discovering a whole new side to Holmfirth and finding new ways to connect with the people who make it such a lovely place to live and work.
I’ve loved building friendships and collaborating with other local businesses, like our monthly Knit & Natter at Cooper’s Yard with Grahams Coffee, as well as getting to know the lovely, like minded customers who come into Wool Flower.
What’s the most unusual or memorable project a customer has brought you?
I love it when customers bring their projects into the shop to show me what they’ve been making with yarn they’ve bought from Wool Flower. One lady came in to show me a giant crochet tarantula she’d made, which was definitely memorable!
Another customer very generously donated a pair of giant knitting needles to the shop that are over a metre long. They are such a brilliant talking point in the shop!
What would you say to someone who has never tried knitting or crochet before?
We’re incredibly lucky to live in a time when there are so many brilliant YouTube tutorials out there to help us learn to knit and crochet. I actually learnt to crochet through YouTube, and I’m really grateful to the people who make learning these skills so accessible.
My advice would be to just give it a go and not expect to be amazing straight away! You’ll learn something new with every project you make. I’m 30 years into knitting and I’m still learning, so there’s always something new to discover!
I feel like I need to add a disclaimer that its easy to get hooked, & now I can’t stand in the school playground, go to the cinema or the pub without taking my knitting!
Keeping the craft of making alive
In a world where so much is bought ready-made, there’s something special about sitting down and creating something yourself.
Whether it’s a jumper, a pair of socks, a crochet project or simply learning a new stitch, making gives people the opportunity to slow down, be creative and learn a skill that can be enjoyed for years.
And places like Wool Flower help keep that tradition going, while bringing it into a modern, friendly and very local setting.
So, if you’ve never been inside, why not pop in and have a look?
You might go in looking for one ball of wool and come out with a new project, a new skill – or perhaps even a new group of crafting friends!
📍 Wool Flower, 32–34 Huddersfield Road, Holmfirth, HD9 2JS
🧶 Visit Wool Flower
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