| About Raven's Beak Design |
Beginnings & Full Service Yarn Shop
Raven’s Beak Design was formed as a business entity in May 2004 (although I had been knitting for over 50 years). It began in my home as a design studio. When a storefront became available for me to rent, I took the opportunity to expand my focus to include a full service yarn shop which I operated as such for 4 years. I confess I was one of those people who “always wanted to have a yarn shop”. I thought it would keep me around the things I love and I would be knitting and creating non-stop. That’s not how it works – I was spending most of my time counting inventory and keeping on top of paperwork. I learned a lot in those years and made some wonderful friends, but I’ve decided to return to the spark that ignited “Raven’s Beak Design” – my desire to create and my ability to inspire creation in others.
I have made the transition from yarn shop to design studio. I sell my work at local and regional arts festivals and in the Summer of 2011 you can find me at "The Garage" in back of "Threads" in downtown Grand Marais. I will be there Mondays and Thursdays selling yarns, knitting supplies, books and kits of my original designs. On Wednesdays I will be teaching a variety of fiber related mini-workshops. Beginning at 9 am with an open knitter's circle, from 10-11 and 1-4 you can "make it and take it" - knitting, felting, creative weaving, kumihimo and more.
Raven's Beak - Original Designs & Specialty Yarns: These continue to be the backbone of my shop. In addition to my designs, the number of which will expand as I create, you will be able to purchase the specialty yarns I use in my work. I strive to find locally produced product that is earth friendly, of excellent quality and is both beautiful and pleasurable to work with. Whatever interesting items I bring to my own creation I will share with you: specialty yarns & rovings, buttons, beads and other embellishments. Soon you will be able to find raw fleece handwashed and ready for carding and spinning.
Traditional, practical and beautiful: I create garments that are functional – that provide warmth from the cold, breath-ability when it is warm and incorporate beauty into our everyday lives. I believe that just because something is functional doesn’t mean it needs to be plain or dreary or not very inventive. I find that natural fibers work best in the area of practical function and beauty and after devoting so many hours to a project, it’s nice to know that in many instances (sweaters and afghans) I am creating something that will last a lifetime or more if cared for properly. As the knitting wave of frou-frou yarns and glitzy design has come and gone it has left in its wake a new crop of avid knitters and fiber enthusiasts - ready to learn as much as we can; eager to embrace our tradition and to appreciate the gifts of our ancestors. If that last describes you - continue to explore this site, and feel free to contact me.
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Why "Raven's Beak" ? We have lots of ravens up here, especially in the winter. Raven is associated with creation and the enjoyment of shiney and unusual things. I feel a special affinity with ravens and in coming up with a name for my enterprise I thought: what would be the business end of a raven with respect to knitting and beadwork? The beak! I brought the idea to Kelly Dupre, a local print and book artist and fellow raven enthusiast. Kelly created my logo. Thanks Kelly!
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