Pendleton Woolen Mills produces almost a dozen blankets celebrating America’s National Parks. Shown here, from left, are the blankets for Grand Canyon National Park ($219-$249, depending on size), Rocky Mountain National Park ($219-$249) and Yellowstone ($199-$249). Each blanket bears the Pendleton label, plus a label inspired by a vintage souvenir image of one of the park’s iconic features.
The Pottery Barn catalogue’s limited-edition Rustic Lodge Blanket is a chic gray and ivory take on traditional Navajo designs. One size, 92 by 96 inches, in an acrylic/cotton blend, it’s $149.
Maybe Alexander McQueen’s wool-and-cashmere skull-print blanket, in blue reversing to red, will ward off the Grim Sleeper. Measuring about 78 by 55 inches, and made in Italy, it’s $745 at neimanmarcus.com.
Of course Baby needs a blanket! The cotton-flannel Junior Animal Blanket from Jonathan Adler comes in blue or pink and has a different image on front and back. Each is $68 from www.jonathanadler.com.
This fleecy Coles Creek blanket is made of recycled acrylic and polyester. But it’s really cute (I just love moose) and is on sale for $89.95 (queen size) at BlackForestDecor.com.
IN THIS WORLD of throws and duvets and comforters, I suddenly crave a plain old blanket against our current icy depths. Well, not plain or old, but a pre-trendy, bedroom-basic blanket.
There are, happily, manufacturers and retailers happy to accommodate the shivering among us. There are the oldest names in the country, such as Pendleton of Oregon and Faribault of Minnesota. And there are flossy newcomers, such as the latest Stateside location–949 H Street NW, in Washington, D.C.’s new City Center complex–of the fabled Loro Piana, the Italian textile house and creator of sumptuous cashmere (real cashmere) clothing for men and women. In addition, Loro Piana produces luxurious blankets of cashmere, and vicuña, and cashmere trimmed with fur (be sure your trust fund can accommodate a four- or five-digit purchase).
Pendleton Woolen Mills has a line of blankets woven to celebrate our National Parks, starting with the Glacier National Park blanket, first offered in 1910; the even older Faribault Woolen Mill Co., founded in 1865, has its Storied Explorations series, marking such wilderness spots as Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
For Pendleton and Faribault, you only have to get to your computer to order up a real blanket. Ditto the woolen Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket ($499 in queen size), which has been sold by L.L Bean since 1925. The storied Vermont Country Store covers the blanket front with everything from cotton to wool to “fleece,” with detours into acrylic and, dare we say it, Vellux.
