Measured Extravagance

2001-03-15 - 12:22 p.m.

I've been mulling over the word "intarsia" this morning, after reading a krapsnart entry about yarns that mentioned an "intarsia cardigan" in progress. In one of my previous incarnations I specialized as a craft-book buyer, so I knew of intarsia as a woodworking technique, but I hadn't been aware of it as a type of knitting pattern until krapsnart mentioned it.

As it turns out, I'm not all that keen on the examples of intarsia (wooden or textile) I saw on my brief google search, although I've been enthralled by other examples of intricate wood inlay that I've seen in other books. I'm fascinated by the word itself, though - it seems to me mildly paradoxical that a word for an advanced, labor-intensive technique can loll so sweetly on the tongue, what with all the vowels to stretch and round it out. Say it aloud: intaaarssiaaa. Doesn't it sound like something gorgeously relaxed? I'm going to have to go look up the roots to see from whence it grew...

I'm going to hold it in my head as I thrash through the rest of my day (I'm the only manager present, and the queries have been coming fast and furious all morning).

With this, it's time for a brief hiatus. Have a merry solstice if you're inclined towards pagan rites, joyeux equinox if you're more inclined to celebrate the scientific, and in any case, thanks for reading - I'll be back online later next week.

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