I noticed an ad in the paper today for a guest house which has "cotton embroidered linen". I am trying to figure this one out. Is it linen embroidered with cotton? I think it is probably linen that is made of cotton and then embroidered. Which is kind of impossible - linen is made of linen - except that these days, I guess, linen just means towels, sheets etc, whatever they are made of.
I have decided the phrase "cotton embroidered linen" belongs with "plastic glasses" and "acrylic wool". I saw the latter in a large craft store. I tried to explain to the sales assistant that it didn't make sense and should be "acrylic yarn" but she just gave me a really dumb look. Of course when I first learned to knit, the only yarn you could buy in New Zealand was made of wool. So everyone just called it "wool". But now there are so many fancy sorts with bobbles, fringes etc and most of these seem to be acrylic. Hence "acrylic wool".
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
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This is what the wikipedia has to say "The term "linen" refers to fabric made from flax fibers, however today it is often used to describe bed and bath textiles because traditionally linen was widely used for towels, sheets, etc. As used today the word "linen" is descriptive of a class of woven textiles used in homes as towels, sheets, and tablecloths (...)"
So I guess we don't have to take it literally... although I like accuracy with words.. have a nice day anyways, Michele sent me!
Yes, I get the "cotton linen" thing, but I still think "acrylic wool" is really dumb, when it would be so easy to say "acrylic yarn" instead.
(In fact I think it may actually be illegal in consumer law here to call something "wool" when it has no wool content).
Hmm. My impulse is to say that it's some sort of linen (either actual linen or, as mar suggests, "linens") with cotton embroidery.
"Acrylic wool" drives me a little crazy, but that is probably because I knit. :) I NEED to know what the fiber content of this yarn is, thanks! Wool and acrylic behave very differently when you're knitting them up! (Not to mention that people can be really allergic to wool, while nobody that I've heard of is allergic to acrylic...)
Thanks for visiting me!
lol, the play on words...so very true, call plastic plastic and linen linen!
Hi and thanks for visiting me today! I am ALWAYS thrilled to have a New Zealander visiting! My husband and I are actually waiting on our residency visas to move there - thus my comment on my blog about squeezing in this trip to Finland to see my family.
I got a great laugh out of your post today - and I thought your haiku was absolutely beautiful!
Plastic glasses....interesting. That's similar to jumbo shrimp 'eh? I understand what you're saying about the cotton/linen acrylic/wool thing things like that drive me crazy too. Here from Michele's!
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