Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Fringe Element

"Everything is a gift.  Everything."*  As I dial the number for my chiropractor, I'm looking for the best thought about the odd angle I stand that looks a bit like a 90-year-old.  The gift will appear.

After a needed adjustment, a warm salt bath, and a nap, I know that of the Things I get to do today walking is one of the most important as it provides a balanced massage of the mid and low back. Standing is also fine.  Sitting, no.

A cast-off ball of cotton cord


I began by standing and playing with my knitting frame and a recent gold mine:  bags of yarn from an exploration through a friend's yarn bin.  An ordinary-nearly-ugly ball of cotton cord became a scarf.  Reverse stockinette looked better than the "right" side, so some handwork was required.  I walked all around the house while I closed the long scarf.

Half the scarf length










A fringe would sharpened the look. A fringe is made from dozens of pieces of yarn, equal in length, fastened with a loop by a crochet hook.  Picking up each strand, folding it in half, forming the loop with the hook, and securing it to the scarf can take some time.  And my idea was to be walking while putting on the fringe.




Fringe lengths folded in half over index finger


I took the whole handful of  waiting strands, folding them over my index finger at the halfway mark. Slipping the hook through the desired location, then picking up one strand from my finger, pull through, hook fringe tails through, tug, done.  Amazing!




Hook first through fringe-location stitch then picking up fringe strand

Pulled through location stitch

Ready for the final pull-through


Finished scarf: a gift
The round-trip to the chiropractor took less than an hour: a gift.  My back feeling better and standing and walking for an hour: a gift. Discovering an efficient fringing technique: a gift.  Getting to share the lesson: a gift--for you.  Happy Valentine's Day.

*From Vimala Rodgers' Alphabet (www.iihs.com).  This is the statement of intent for the letter G when written in the recommended style.


4 comments:

  1. Lovely gifts!! I feel so good after a chiro adjustment!

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    1. Follow it with a salt bath and you'll be in heaven--1 or 2 lbs. of salt in the bath for 20 minutes. Rinse. Bliss. Helps the muscles release their grip.

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  2. I love the color of this scarf. Nice job.

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    1. Thank you! The pictures here are quite true to color. The ball of cord, however, just has no appeal. Some sort of magic happened when it became a scarf. I love it, too.

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