In Stitches
Sometimes a skein catches your eye but doesn’t hold your attention. Sometimes, your attention is held long enough to reach out, but the touch doesn’t live up to your expectations. Sometimes your touch ignites thoughts that swirl with possibilities and you cannot imagine walking away. That’s what happened with this Red Heart, roll with it Melange. I am somewhat enamored by the word melange- the way it conveys a silkiness to the concept of a mixture; a beautifully symbiotic relationship between all the parts.
I’m borrowing the following words from Vocabulary.com
“Why call it a mixture when it can be a melange? A tricolor vegetable melange makes even carrots, peas, and corn sound like gourmet cuisine. A melange is any combination of anything, but the word always heightens the glamour quotient.
The French have a way of making simple words sound like romantic entreaties of love. Call any random assortment of things a melange, or as it’s sometimes spelled, mélange, and voila, you’ve given it a sparkle that plain old words like combination, mixture, and blend just cannot convey. This word — along with a melange of other attributes, like great bread and pastries, delicious wine, and fine fashion — are all reasons why we love the French. All that accordion music? Not so much.”
I don’t usually pause to consider Red Heart yarns and I think I’ve been remiss in my dismissal (I’m fully aware that I just used words that have mutual synonyms but it works. At least for me.) I immediately pictured mandala inspired ponchos with color transitions that ease into one another beautifully. I’m currently on the second project and I’m gushing over these muted, earthy tones, the texture and the beautiful drape of the yarn. I vow to dismiss long-held biases against certain yarns and perhaps additional pleasant surprises await. For now, I’m thoroughly enjoying my Melange… but I definitely need a baguette.
