Whether you’re a seasoned writer/designer or putting fingers to keyboard for the first time, we absolutely know you can write for PURL! We want real knitters, authentic voices, strong narratives, great stories, practical advice, and passionate words.
Issue theme and content
Each issue has a theme and everything in the issue relates to that theme. The mood board will explain the theme, give you some ideas of what we’re looking for, show you the color palette, and tell you the proposal due date and when you’ll hear a yes or no.
PURL‘s focus is on articles that explore the hows and whys, the what ifs, and practical experiments. Each issue will also include 4-5 patterns, and each pattern will tie in to at least one article in the issue. So while we definitely want to hear your pattern design pitches, you might consider what elements within the design might fit with the theme and an article idea that could go along with it. (We’ll help out with this, but if you have ideas, share them with your proposal.)
Prior writing experience not necessary
Feel like you’re not the best writer in the world? We don’t care! It’s easy to help with writing, but it’s not easy to find somebody who knows what you know. We want your voice, your story, your knitting. We want you. That’s right, our goal is to get as many voices in this magazine as possible.
Feel like you don’t know enough about a particular topic? We still want you. While it’s true that some dense and heavy topics might require lots of knowledge and years of experience, we also have experimentation articles, learn as you go write-ups, knitter profiles, guild pieces, tip jar tips, etc. There is something for each and every knitter (to both read and write!).
Won’t you write for us?
We promise we’ll do everything we can to make it an easy and gratifying experience. Plus, it pays, and because we value the creative process, we only borrow the rights to your work. Twelve months after publication, the work reverts back to you and you’re free to do whatever you like with it.
Contributor list
Wanna be notified each time we put out a new call for submissions to PURL? Or when we are searching for a writer for a specific article? Sign up for our contributor list!
Current mood board
Summer 2027 – Seam(less)
For this issue, we’re looking at everything connected to seaming—or not. Within the idea of Seam(less) we want to explore a wide range of topics, from seaming to seaming less to seamless constructions.
Let’s start by comparing seamed projects and seamless projects. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each? When might it be beneficial to choose one over the other?
What options are there for seaming, and can they be used interchangeably? How do you make the beginning and end of the seam neat, and how do you seam along a shaped edge? What can you do along the way, as you knit, to make seaming easier when you get to that point?
What about picking up stitches for a seam— do you have tips for doing so and for figuring out the match of how many stitches to pick up? Do you know any tricks for grafting, especially joining non-stockinette stitch patterns? What about joining live stitches to bound-off stitches?
Along with articles, we want a small handful of amazing projects to highlight the theme and the articles, including seamed and seamless garments but also projects beyond sweaters and tops. Maybe you have an idea for a modular design or a project that includes a seamed (or seamless) border. We can’t wait to see you take this theme in creative directions!
Article and project proposals due by April 1, 2026.
You’ll hear back from us in May 2026.
Final articles, samples, and projects due by October 15, 2026.
Issue ships: May 2027
Submit your proposal
Fill out the form below with your proposal. We’re not asking for sketches or detailed information for your proposal; we just need a description of your article idea.
