Hello!

If you found me on this page, it means that, like me, you love handmade and unique garments that reflect your taste and personality. Welcome to my world!

My name is Cécile Smith and I started “Purl and Purr” in 2021. The "Purr" part refers to my two cats who think they are helping when they play with yarn.

I have been a knitter on and off all my life, and can remember knitting with my mother as a little girl growing up in France. I knitted clothes for my doll, and still have two items from my childhood that survived all these years!

My taste for unique and well made garments came from my mother who, as a young woman right after the Second World War, worked as a “petite main” (seamstress) for the House of Molyneux, in Paris. She used her amazing sewing and knitting skills all her life and taught me (and my siblings) the skills needed to make something with your own hands. Both my parents were lovers of unique hand-made things. For a while, they traveled all over France, searching for artisans to represent in their small home arts and crafts business. I grew up surrounded by pottery, sculptures, hand-made puppets, weaving, knitting etc... I'm grateful for this exposure to a world where creativity and uniqueness were greatly valued.

My life has taken me on many different paths, from France to Indonesia to the United States, from being a French teacher to becoming a mother, to embracing dance and leading a tribal belly dance troupe to becoming a massage therapist... and here I am, in beautiful Northern New Mexico, spending my days knitting up sweaters, shawls, hats, as well as felting and anything that my mind can think of.

I really started knitting again seriously in 2019; then Covid forced us to stay home and slow down, enabling me to hone my craft. As many before me have said, it is much more than a hobby; knitting and felting force me to sit with my thoughts while my hands work, and become a “moving” meditation of sorts.

My garments are created with patience and love; I never make the same thing twice and aim to infuse joy and playfulness in what I make. I love playing with colors and shapes, and if I am not knitting or felting, you may find me working on mosaic for my garden... but that’s another story!

Feel free to reach out to me at cecile@purlandpurr.com if you have a question about what I do or if you would like to ask for a specific project. I post most of my creations on Instagram @purlandpurr

Thank you for visiting my page!

Follow me on @PurlandPurr

or text me at 781-710-3116