Kürkcü Han- A knitter’s paradise in Istanbul, Turkey

How do you know if you are a woolaholic?

When you travel to another country just for wool!

In 2015 I decided to travel with my mom to Istanbul, Turkey, because it is a crafter’s paradise. Turkey is known as one of the biggest manufacturer of wool and yarn worldwide.

Istanbul is a big city with a long history and very beautiful religious art. In the old big mosques, palaces, craft museums and street markets the artist in you will get so much inspiration.

The city is divided into the European and Asian part. In the European part lies the old town. There you will find the knitter’s paradise: Kürkcü Han. The old town is made of tiny streets with markets, shops and old caravanserais. A roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey and keep their camel herds (and other animals) at the same time. Today these caravanserais (Han) are shopping markets. In Kürkcü Han you will get mainly yarn and some other things for the household. The price is cheap compaired to German prices. The range is mainly between 5 to 15€ per kilo, depending on fibre.

The address is: Taya Hatun Mahallesi, Mahmutpaşa Ykş. No:131, 34120 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey.

How to get there: Best is to get down on the train station Eminönü. You must walk through the tiny streets until the street Mahmutpasa. As this is a main road people can help you find the way when you ask (or look it up on Google maps).

This picture was made in the morning just before all the shops open. I advise you to go there in the morning as the old town will become really crowded at lunchtime and afternoon. The Kürkcü Han can easily be overlooked. So watch out for the big sign above and walk through the small arc.

And here it is. Wool, wool and wool!

Don't forget to go upstairs. There you will find even more wool!

Alize is the biggest yarn brand in Turkey. The quality and touch is very good. Most of the yarns have acrylic in it, but there are “pure” yarns like cotton, wool and bamboo, too. You can find other brands there, too. Some sellers made their own yarns with electric spinning machines. Alize and other turkish brands have a lot of self-striping yarns in all kind of fibers, e.g. mohair, cotton, bamboo, acrylic, wool, angora, etc.

Thenceforth I love Turkish yarns. In Istanbul I bought so much yarn, I first thought it won’t fit into my luggage. But my mother gave me some space of hers ;)

So, if you travel to Istanbul and you love knitting and crochet, you should definitely plan on a full day in Kürkcü Han!

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