Wednesday, February 25, 2009

A bit about Beanstrings

On this very nippy Wednesday we have a Hearty Beef Stew with Red Wine and Harvest Split Pea Soup (vegan).

We also have The Virginian, ham, turkey, havarti and whole seed dijon grilled on a ciabatta sub roll.

Just a couple of months after we opened, I asked my friend Anne if she would teach a beginner's knitting class at the Cafe. At the time the cafe closed at 4:00 p.m. and this group would meet from 6-8p.m. once a week for eight weeks. That has been more than four years ago now and with a handfull of exceptions, Anne has been at every one. It's very casual. We just hang out and knit. If someone needs help there are plenty of people to offer advice or experience, but it isn't a formal class. Anyone is welcome. Lately, we've been meeting up the street at the Barnes and Noble because the Cafe is now open in the evening and getting busier.



I also dye yarn with coffee and acid-based dyes. For the past two years we have participated in the Charm City Craft Mafia's Holiday Heap, selling food, coffee, and hand dyed yarn. My yarn brand is Beanstrings.



One of the really interesting things I've started doing is painting on a "canvas" of machine knitted fabric (which I call Twin Toes), with the intent of un-knitting/re-knitting it into something else. Below is a picture of two Twin Toes yarns and the Dog Walker's Mitten they were re-knitted into.





If you are interested, drop a note in the comment section of this post or catch me at the Cafe. By the way, you can also catch me on Ravelry as CarmaFrancie.

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