Inspiration
Under Cover: An Adventure in Blanketry
Hello, friends! We’re thrilled to welcome beloved author Clara Parkes back to the pages of MDK. Clara has been a tireless advocate for the sheep farmers of America for a long time, but her new book, Vanishing Fleece: Adventures in American Wool establishes her as a wool warrior of superhero proportions. Vanishing Fleece tells the true story of what happens when a woman buys a 676-pound bale of Saxon Merino wool. It’s a fascinating tale, and also a real-life education about the people, places, and things that turn fleece into yarn. If you’d like to hear the story in Clara’s own voice, we’ve got good news: the audiobook is finally out! We can think of no better companion for 6 hours of knitting—with wool, of course.
—Kay and Ann
Consider the wool blanket: useful and beautiful. It offers warmth and protection that endure long after the giver is gone. A good wool blanket buffers you from the cold winds and hard edges of the world. There’s a reason Linus chose a blanket for his trusty sidekick.
In our house, wool blankets are right up there with electricity and running water. Almost every chair has a blanket within reach. Even our blankets have blankets.
This year I decided that my nephews were ready for their first wool blanket. My brother is so careful with the thermostat that his downstairs rooms tend to have an arctic chill in winter. Since both boys are still young, and I’m no fool—I chose entry-level, machine-washable Pendletons in their favorite colors.
After shooting confused glances at their father, both boys politely thanked me, set the blankets aside, and got back to their PlayStations. I knew the blankets wouldn’t be an instant hit. But nobody is immune to the lure of wool. It was only a matter of time.
Sure enough, later that night I got a text from my brother. He’d run upstairs for a minute, and when he returned, his youngest son Henry was bundled up on the couch in his new blanket. Victory!
As for me, I had no interest in any of the high-tech gadgetry we’re supposed to want at the holidays. No already-obsolete i-whatever—I had my eye on a magnificent new creation from Faribault Woolen Mill, which has been making wool blankets in Minnesota since 1865.
A wool blanket makes the perfect gift. It requires no batteries or grounded wall outlet. It has no moving parts. It never needs upgrading, nor will it become obsolete. As an added bonus, in addition to providing sustainable central heating, it offers a perpetual air filter and fire extinguisher. What’s not to love?
And unlike that new computer, blankets don’t succumb to viruses. Sure, they could be nibbled by moths, but that’s easily stopped with a cleaning and some clever mending.
Wool blankets are vulnerable to ransomware, however, when trusted family members abscond with them. Say, a college-bound son or daughter or niece or nephew. While no amount of money will get you back your blanket, at least you can know that the perpetrator is being sent off with a hug.
Apparently, I Am Not Alone
When I shared photos of my blanket haul on social media, people sprang to action. Cats were disturbed, beds un-made, closets rummaged to retrieve the cherished blankie de la maison. What followed was a glorious parade of pictures depicting multigenerational heirlooms, wedding presents, thrift-store finds, and self-care splurges. I saw blankets that were made during wartime rationing and blankets that survived the wars themselves. And I saw what people chose to take with them on journeys across oceans and continents to start a new life. Best of all, I saw how many of you are rescuing abandoned blankets at charity shops and estate sales. Some of the most collectible blankets came secondhand for under $10.
Even more fun were the labels. Colorful and charming mini-billboards, they dotted the vast acreages of wool sporting alluring names and clever slogans. They showed leaping sheep and snoozing suns. They told of places where blankets used to be made, and of places where they still are. They boasted of wool’s curative properties, and a few even featured a sheep so proud, she was stripping her coat and offering it to you.
Pieced together, the blankets and their labels paint a beautiful picture of our intimate lives, one that is both deeply personal yet universal. What follows is just a slice of what you’ll find when you search the #showyourlabels hashtag on Instagram.
Want to play along? I invite you to hop into the MDK Lounge and share your own pictures and stories.
Eloise Holland felt a twinge of homesickness when she pulled out her Ottawa Valley blanket, having spent most of her life in that very place. Who wouldn’t want to live in such a bucolic sheepscape?
In Belgium, even the sun itself can’t resist taking a quick snooze under Maiike van Geijn’s Sole Mio blanket, which was snapped up for 3 Euros at a thrift store.
There’s no questioning the awesome majesty of the ram on Beverley Rintoul’s Kenwood blanket…
…until you feast eyes on the utopian vision that is Tracy Sadtler’s blanket. (RicolaAAA!) It was a gift from her grandma.
Some blankets need no label. A handwritten number will do. This was Kate Dougherty’s grandfather’s blanket during World War II. Fortunately, both he and the blanket made it out intact.
On the home front, gwennan redshaw shared two blankets sporting war rationing labels used during World War II.
Few labels alluded to what might happen beneath the blanket, but Regina Joskow’s Beacon Blanket came close.
Speaking of things that happen beneath blankets, Siri Larsen keeps this Baron Woolen Mills blanket in her car, not only for emergencies but to insulate ice cream on the way home from the store. (She wins the genius award.)
Sometimes the words are the fun part. Like this one, belonging to Karen of Enchanted Forest Fibers, whose label implores the owner to “wash with thoughtfulness.”
Several labels recalled long-gone institutions, such as Nancy Johnson’s relic from Gimbel Brothers department store, the Pittsburgh institution that closed in 1987.
Or Vicki Wallner’s childhood blanket from the 1970s, which came from the Canadian department store Eaton’s, which filed for bankruptcy in 1999. (Hers was pink, this one belonged to her brother.)
By far the largest and most frequently shared label was that of the Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket. First introduced as a form of currency in the North American fur trade (a colonialist history deserving of its own article), the blankets used a “point” system of short black lines along the selvage to indicate the size of the blanket.
Some were family heirlooms, like Nancy Lazerson’s pristine blanket, which graced her sister’s crib, her crib, and her son’s crib.
Others were lucky finds, like Corie’s $2 yardsale score. She felt guilty, she said. But not too guilty.
Also popular were the MacAusland’s blankets, which are still made in Prince Edward Island. Christine Ross’s MacAusland’s blankie is so beloved, they all call it “the miracle blanket” in her house.
While wool blankets may not be able to heal the world, they can, according the Dutch label on Lydia’s blanket, help with your rheumatism.
Not to be outdone, Marja Groenewout’s blanket—also Dutch—doesn’t stop at rheumatism. It also claims to fight gout.
But my favorite—by far—had to be the stripping sheep. Finally, indisputable proof that sheep like to be shorn!
This Dutch blanket, which graced Josh Moll’s godmother’s home for at least 50 years, features a stripping sheep who exclaims, “My new wool is happy for this!”
Keep warm and join the fun! Share your blanket labels in the MDK Lounge.
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Aren’t those labels fabulous! Very entertaining post, Clara – thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you for this lovely post! Just this week I found two green wool blankets that belonged to my husband’s brother with his name tag hand-sewn on the forest green/black stripe blanket. My husband said the blankets went to summer camp 65 years ago! Wow! Not moth eaten and intact! I will admit that after washing and air drying they smelled a bit of some type of repellant. We used them both last night to watch a bit of a movie and keep cozy in our turned-down-the-heat room! Love all the labels.
Thanks for mentioning Minnesota’s Faribault Woolen Mill. I have bought several of their wonderful woolen blankets and just this winter have one to my nephew who lives in his parents basement. I received the nicest thank you text for the warmth I gave him!!! Great story
If you’re on a college tour, Faribault is just down the road from Carleton and St Olaf in Northfield! There is a woman there who makes the most beautiful custom coats from the blankets- Annie Belle Creations. And she leaves the original label in the coat – I will post a picture in the lounge!
When I was a broke college student at Carleton I saved for a while and invested in a Faribault Mills wool blanket. Kept me warm and sane through those Minnesota winters, and 20 years later it is still one of my most treasured possessions. Looks like new, of course.
The tailor has very special Faribault blankets for you to choose from, and then a few months later, a custom, cozy Woolen coat. I wear mine all the time.
I add my enthusiasm for Faribault blankets. A staple at our house, along with Grandma’s quilts, those “Faribo” blankets are still in my collection. I am so pleased that the factory has started up again and is producing gorgeous double woven blankets. They are the original heavy blanket to soothe your soul. Had to buy one!
That is such a perfect descriptor! When I wake up in the middle of the night and my mind starts to wander down that dark avenue of regrets, I double up my Faribault and tuck beneath it and fall right back to sleep. Every time.
Great story and wonderful labels! But I confess that wool blankets make me sneeze.
My favourite wool blanket of all time was made by my mother-in-law’s mother. Hand knit in three sections in sport weight undyed wool, it generously covers a queen size bed. As it is basket stitch it is an easy calculation to determine how many stitches it contains: 250,000 !!! I am amazed that before she owned a washer and dryer, while maintaining a large garden and making bread in quantity every morning, my grand-mother-in-law managed to stitch such a treasure not just for my mom-in-law, but also for each of her 15 siblings.
Wow, wonderful story! And next years Xmas gift for my kids! (Except maybe the LA baby)
You could do a 50/50 wool/cotton blanket for the LA baby!
Very much enjoyed this post!!! Thank you.
Such wonderful nostalgia, I bet this topic brings out many memories for knitters.
There is one old wool green blanket slowly getting edged with tatters somewhere in my little home, I rarely use it but cannot get rid of it. I’ll give up the story to The Lounge, as soon as I find it.
I’m so touched to see my family blanket featured in this lovely tribute. My enduring memory was snuggling under it in the way-back of our Chevy station wagon on long road trips.
Very interesting post — thanks!
I don’t have a label, but I have blankets my grandmother had made from their sheep, circa 1950.
They are not just blankets are they; passed down or newly bought, they have stories. I treasure the yellow and white blanket woven from wool of the sheep on my Mother-in-laws family farm. Her parents came from Norway to WI in the 1880’s and raised 10 children there.
When i separates from my first husband I was happy for him to take his family’s China (beautiful Lamouges) and crystal and silver, etc. But I do admit to hanging on to a wool blanket that I am currently using on a camping trip. I love that blanket.
O M G. Best stories ever. (And best news item: Faribault is still/again making blankets!)
I only live about an hour away from Faribault so I am going to go take a tour of their mill in early February. I don’t have a blanket from them but I snagged a reversible ruana/wrap at a deep discount from their post-holiday sale just a couple of weeks ago.
These beautiful labels! I want to start a collection. Living in MN, I think that is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. 🙂
Unfortunately, some of my family members are allergic to animal fibers. So I will have to enjoy these in pictures only. Thanks for the label education!!!
Living in MN, I have two Fairibault blankets, one from before the factory closed, one from after it reopened. In the days “before” the factory store was a wonderful place selling bothe new perfect blankets, as well as deeply discounted seconds. But even better, they also sold overruns of the locally spun wool, on cones, blanket binding to renew your old blankets, and all manner of weaving and spinning accessories. I used to give the afghan size blankets as wedding gifts.
But also treasured is an icelandic wool blanket that was a gift from my mom, and a traditional wool blanket that I bought in Wales last year from the government supported business called Meilin Trygwynt. Being of Welsh ancestry and having sheeps blood running in my veins, visiting the National Wool Museum, and buying this blanket made my heart sing
Loving the beautiful labels! Bring back woven labels! Textile Museum in Tilburg, NL has a fantastic display of the ribbons and related equipment used to make such multi-colored lovelies. (There is a horrific story there as well, but I encourage you to go see it for yourself.)
MacAusland blankets for every wedding gift. I phone them up, they tell me what colours are in stock, and then I decide. It is always a lovely interaction. Every couple needs a wool blanket, whether or not they knew it…
Beautiful blankets that leave fond memories
What a fantastic post!
Wonderful post Clara! Can’t wait to read the new book.
When my twins grew out of the crib quilts and small blankets, and it was too hot for the wool duvet? We ordered two gorgeous wool blankets from MacAusland’s! They are absolutely perfect for Canadian summer nights, and I love that my little Canadians are sleeping under some serious woollen history.
I need to pull out some of my vintage wool blankets to check out the labels. Love these so much.
Personally…I cannot wear wool..regardless of how very luxurious and rich it may be…BUT, I have a good friend who is a knitter and creates much from the many wool lovelies which I have saved and harvested for her use ……….I feel it with my eyes and they never let me down…many are from Ireland, Hudson Bay, New Zealand, Holland and do on. thank you for this charming information………..
Love this! Thank you!
I remember being given a Hudson Bay blanket at a certain age (12 perhaps?) and feeling so grown up at being trusted to have a very good, very expensive blanket of my very own. I think my twin and her daughters now have my red Hudson Bay with the big, black stripe. And then our family always had Kenwood. I may still have one. The label brings back so many memories of my grandmother as well as my mother. Sounding like an oldie, which I am, “they don’t make blankets as they used to.” Dry cleaners and other folk who know about wool blankets will tell you that.
I love the wool blankets. I am a weaver and noticed that those very old blankets were all woven. It was a fun research time as I am pumped to weave a wool blanket!
A few years ago I wandered into a local antiques shop and found a ladder displaying 7 or 8 Pendleton throws… for about $20 each! My husband thought I was nuts, but I bought them ALL. In the Winter we can’t watch TV without one and in the Summer they come out on cool Wisconsin nights to sit around the campfire. Thanks for sharing your appreciation for these blankets…my family loves them but will likely never see why they are such treasures like I do!
Wow, didn’t this touch a nerve. I left behind an ancient wool blanket in a recent move and have regretted it ever since. Not only did I lose my favorite blocking surface, but a fruitless trip to the local Good Will yielded only polyester fleece coverings. So happy to hear from Clara Parks that “real” blankets still exist – both secondhand and new!
You’ve inspired me to sew labels onto my hand knitted wool blankets- I’m quite sure they will outlive me and someday the label may be all there is to say where they came from.
After I learned to spin, an elderly relative asked about “the” blanket and went to explain that her grandmother had spun yarn and made blankets for each of her children. (Great grandmother died in 1938). I had been given a linen sack full of homespun singles, but didn’t know about the blankets until one arrived from that elderly relative. It is a plain weave,off white blanket made of 2 36-inch wide handwoven strips. I’m trying to find out if my grandmother’s blanket is still stashed away in the upstairs hall closet at the farm where I grew up in Southern Ontario.
fabulous labels- machine washable Pendleton- any favorite sources? thanks
Love, love, love this post. I have a cherished Hudson’s Bay and a much loved MacAusland which were wedding gifts 45 years ago. I keep my eyes open at yard and estate sales for additions.
We had two woolen blankets my great aunt in Ireland wove in the early 20th Century. My brothers have them now. I hope they are taking care of them! We also used a green “army blanket’ from ww2 for camping, picnics, sleepovers etc. I wonder where it went? I have a 30 year old Faribo throw for cozying up on the couch.
As if I didn’t before, now I know I’m with my PEOPLE. My blankie as a kid was a wool blanket. The fabulous scratchiness! The way wool doesn’t smother, but carries its own weight! The impenetrability. Sigh. We have a gorgeous pendleton blanket and one more of unknown source inherited from my grandmother, and two with giant orange Ms from my husband’s high school. No labels on any of them. But I loved the ones shown here! big woolly hug to all of you.
OK! The search is on! I need a thrift store wool blanket (or 10).
Wow, wonderful wool blankets. Living in Vermont, they are a staple here. But years ago I found my favorite rose-colored wool blanket at a Goodwill Store located in Port Townsend, WA. For the glorious sum of 50 cents I got a vintage Pendleton 100% wool blanket which I am still using today. It is located at the foot of our bed for use when the mercury dips deeply. The reason for the ridiculous price? It was in the dog blanket bin but not one hole was to be found. I love my dog but this was too good for him!
Lovely writing and wonderful labels – thanks for collecting and sharing
I learned to appreciate wool here in Texas during rides with my dad in his unheated pickup truck during the ’50s. He’d bundle me in a Pendleton and off we’d go to break the ice for the cows and sheep to drink!
I was especially interested in the variety of blanket stitching – those interesting stitches that finish off the raw edges of the blankets. Looks like some silk threads here and there.