Author Topic: Wool blanket Question....?  (Read 4990 times)

Offline Nessmuck

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Wool blanket Question....?
« on: December 26, 2019, 07:10:12 AM »
Just wondering what size and weight you guys buy....I just got a hand forged blanket pin for Christmas....now I need a wool blanket. Also where to get a good USA made wool blanket...for someone 6’2” ...thanks !

Offline Top Jaw

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2019, 06:24:11 PM »
I’m assuming your not also wanting to try to use one blanket for sleeping and for wearing.  That’s a hard thing to do.  Especially if your 6’2”.  For wearing with a blanket pin (there are some things online that explain this) a mid weight to lighter weight wool blanket is best I think, as it conforms better to your body and moves more freely.  Something in the 72” x56” range (about a 3 point size) would be a good specialty size for most.  A 3 1/2 point size is starting to get pretty big for most  (about 80” x 62”) but could still be used.  Now for comfortable sleeping, the extra length of a 4 point blanket for someone your height would probably be appreciated.  So it’s better to have two blankets, in my opinion.  A thicker for sleeping and a thinner one for wearing.  You can find several used ones online.   

Now if your talking about trekking, you will have to reach a weight to size compromise on “one” blanket serving both roles.  But a 31/2 point size would be as big as I’d go. 

Offline Nessmuck

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2019, 06:49:19 PM »
Yup...just wearing it...thanks for that info...here’s my blanket pin


Offline trentOH

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #3 on: December 27, 2019, 03:17:40 AM »
That blanket pin design looks like it could double as a fire steel. And an awl. Sort of a Swiss Army tool of the days gone by.

Offline rollingb

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #4 on: December 27, 2019, 09:07:57 AM »
Just wondering what size and weight you guys buy....I just got a hand forged blanket pin for Christmas....now I need a wool blanket. Also where to get a good USA made wool blanket...for someone 6’2” ...thanks !

I'll vouch for this source, and they're great to do business with.  :)
http://www.nwtrader.com/index.html
http://tradmla.org/tmaf/index.php
"An honest man is worth his weight in gold"

Smokey Plainsman

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #5 on: December 27, 2019, 09:38:26 AM »
Last wool blanket I used was in Basic at Lackland, Texas.

Itchy and thin. Could never get it tight enough, hence lots of pushups. Bad memories LOL!

I’ve always wanted a Hudson’s Points blanket. Pretty expensive but supposedly the best there is, and they’re period!

Offline JohnnyFM

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #6 on: December 28, 2019, 10:17:33 AM »
What Top Jaw said. And I’ll add, You want 100% virgin wool. Warmer thicker soft and non-itchy . For us warrior woodsman types of lesser stature, a 100% virgin wool throw works perfectly for a match coat. I picked up one awhile back on a close out deal from a famous London department store. I just trimmed off the fringe.  Instant match coat! For someone 6’2”, it might make a match jacket.  BTW, I love it as an every winter day blanket at the homestead.  Wrapped in it as I write this.

Here’s another suggestion that some might call sacrilege but if you’re serious about really using your match coat as a vital piece of kit to avoid freezing to death and not just for wearing at the local club shooting range.  Wash it.  Then dry it in the dryer.  Yes it will shrink.  And by shrinking it will draw the fibers tightly together.  Thus making your match coat more wind and weather proof. 

A 100% virgin wool match coat is a perfect companion to go with a 100% virgin 4pt-sized blanket.  When there’s frost on the pumpkin, I never heard anyone complain about having too much blanket.  Keep the frost on the pumpkin and not on your bupkiss.

Offline Top Jaw

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #7 on: December 28, 2019, 04:34:28 PM »
If/when you do wash a wool blanket, it’s best to use Woolite.  Helps keep the moisture in the fibers which helps with water wicking and the natural bacterial resistance that wool has.   

Great idea from Johnny on using a wool throw as a match coat. 

Offline Nessmuck

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #8 on: December 28, 2019, 05:25:37 PM »
Thanks for all the replies....still searching for a blanket and where to buy one.

Offline bob in the woods

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #9 on: December 28, 2019, 06:38:24 PM »
I use 2 English Witney blankets for sleeping, and a CJ Wilde match coat for wearing.  The match coat is hand woven and is very warm.  The Witney blankets are the same thing as Hudson Bay blankets, and you can still pick them up on e-bay or in 2nd hand shops.  We have a very active craft scene here, with a few folks offering home spun wool and hand woven products, so you might look to your local craft markets, or re enactments for your needs. I know a couple of people who have purchased hand woven blankets from a Mr Baker who attends various events. Otherwise, I would 2nd the option of purchasing from N.W. Traders.  Great to do business with, and their products are top notch.  I actually got my Witney blankets from NW Traders many years ago, before the wooden mill in Witney, England was closed. Sad to see it go after more than 300 years in operation.

Offline WadePatton

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #10 on: December 28, 2019, 07:08:30 PM »
If/when you do wash a wool blanket, it’s best to use Woolite.  Helps keep the moisture in the fibers which helps with water wicking and the natural bacterial resistance that wool has.   

Great idea from Johnny on using a wool throw as a match coat.

It's woolwax, not really moisture that keeps wool functional.  You can revitalize over-washed/aged woolen items by making an emulsification of pure lanolin (woolwax) and soaking the items in it.  Use soap to emulsify.   Or so I have seen out here on the wild wild web. 

I've not done it, but do keep lanolin on hand for other purposes. Maybe I should dip some socks or gloves and see.  Moths are the real problem in this shack.

I'd definitely practice with socks and gloves before I moved up to a blanket though.  Probably make up a sprayer for treating a blanket.
Hold to the Wind

Offline JohnnyFM

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #11 on: December 29, 2019, 02:37:09 PM »
Yes, be sure to use a gentle soap when washing your wool if you need to get the crud off it.  You want to preserve the natural lanolin.  For a new blanket I skip the soap, per se, and just want to full it — shrink it— i used a handful of borax just to soften the water and run it through on the gentle cycle.
Most of the time I just air my blankets out and give em a good shake. ( Now hear this! Air all bedding, sweepers man your brooms).

Keep your investment folded neatly and stowed in a secured container in the off season.  Moths usually attack where the wool is dirty, so it’s worth the effort to clean.  I find that brushing the dried mud and what have you works.  A soft baby’s hair brush is effective.  Experiment to see what works without stressing the fibers.  In my experience the Whitney’s seem to be a slightly looser weave than the Hudson’s so be more gentle, but if you full your blankets they all get more resilient.

The Virgin aspect can’t be emphasized too much.  Not just 100% wool, 100%virgin wool. It’s not snobbery; it really does make a difference.

Bob in the Woods is one of those lucky fellas to have a genuine Wilde hand woven match coat.  They are as rare as hen’s teeth now and well worth the expense if you can find one.  Glad to hear there are other cottage industries weaving quality blankets but they seem to be allergic to advertising probably because they can’t make them fast enough to meet the demand.  It certainly is time consuming to weave a blanket.

I second the recommendation regarding Northwest Traders.  Major distributors of the Whitney’s.  Something else to consider, research your time period since you’re going through all the trouble and expense to wear a match coat, be sure it matches your time frame. Some of the famous patterns of the Hudson’s, for example are later than the colonial period.  i prefer subdued grays and browns but, from the research I have found, you’d be surprised what bright colors the pioneers used.  Also, most colonial period blankets were sewn from two pieces—right down the middle— because the looms of the period were not wide enough to make, say, a 4pt blanket.

Well, that’s probably way more than most would ever want to know about blankets and it’s certainly about all I know of the subject.  I’m no subject matter expert— just what I learned from others and my own experience .
Regard,
Johnny

Offline Mick C

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #12 on: December 29, 2019, 10:58:52 PM »
Great job on the blanket pin, Nessmuck.  It is indeed a multi-tool and I dare say that many an 18th century Scot or Scots-Irish wouldn't caught dead without one.
My profile picture is my beloved K9 best friend and soulmate, Buster Brown, who passed away in 2018.  I miss you buddy!

Offline Elnathan

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #13 on: December 30, 2019, 04:07:26 AM »
Great job on the blanket pin, Nessmuck.  It is indeed a multi-tool and I dare say that many an 18th century Scot or Scots-Irish wouldn't caught dead without one.

8th century Scots and Irish, sure. By the 18th century, though, they had been out of use for 700 or 800 years.

The proper term for that style of cloak pin is penannular broach, and while quite cool they aren't even remotely close to being period correct for Colonial America. How the Indians wore their matchcoats I've never been able to figure out, but they weren't pinning them with early medieval broachs.
« Last Edit: December 30, 2019, 04:10:32 AM by Elnathan »
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Offline JohnnyFM

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #14 on: January 02, 2020, 09:37:45 AM »
We have 18th century sources that describe the match coat as being tied with a belt around the waste with enough of the cloth draped over the head to form a hood. No source that I can find describe any form of European made cloak pin being used. 

What is meant by “belt” can be open for interpretation. Leather with buckle?  Woven sash? I, as well as others I know or have heard of, use a length of brain tanned leather and tie it around the waste with a square knot. Comfortable.
I’m confident there were at least a few common variations.

IIRC,  hook and eye fasteners were a prolific item traded to Native Americans, but I do not recall if any first person verification exists if these items were used per se for match coat closures. This may also be open to interpretation.

Match coats as we recognize them in an historical context are a Native American creation that was widely adopted by European colonial settlers.

From my own experience, the belt around the waste bears most of the weight of keeping the match coat closed around the body, however, there are times and weather conditions where one might need some extra help in keeping the wool secured closed around the chest.  I have improvised a wooden pin quickly whittled from a twig for this.  It will work itself out as you move about.  Keep checking it and expect to lose some  as you go about your day.

Offline Bull Shannon

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #15 on: January 06, 2020, 11:24:14 AM »
If I may suggest, if time allows you to wait until purchasing a blanket, is to wait until July to start looking on EBay and thrift stores. Buy in August, which is usually the hottest month of the year and you can find some real bargains on 100% Virgin wool blankets! I've bought two Hudson Bay candy striped blankets, one Whitney and one Polar Dawn blanket off Ebay. I found another wool blanket on the Goodwill auction site (be careful of the shipping cost as well as any additional fees though) plus finding another one here locally at a church thrift store. Knowing a seamstress I've traded blankets for her efforts in making a capote for my father, my niece and myself. I also bought an uncut, medium weight blanket that I use as part of my bedroll which is over 10 feet long. This was from a for sale post on a similar type forum, I don't recall exactly which one.

100% Virgin wool, very important!
You can't kill a man who is born to hang!

Offline Nessmuck

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #16 on: January 07, 2020, 05:23:19 AM »
Good to know on the 100% virgin wool

Offline Pukka Bundook

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #17 on: January 07, 2020, 05:40:06 AM »
Elnathan,

Good post and spot on!  (Post # 13 above)

Cheers,
Richard.

Offline mountainman70

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #18 on: January 08, 2020, 04:20:51 AM »
Last wool blanket I used was in Basic at Lackland, Texas.

That's where I met my first wool blankets too,smokey. Bought 2 at Malmstrom afb Montana. Back in 76 I made a capote out of one,and winter pants from the other. Marine buds called me Jolly Green. I still have both, cant get em around ol Bear.
I also did a heap o pushups for various reasons.

On the subject, 3 1/2 point works for me. Have a goodun,bros. Cold and snowy here tonight. Dave   aka Jolly Green/ redBear 8) 8)

CindyKick

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Re: Wool blanket Question....?
« Reply #19 on: February 03, 2021, 01:54:01 PM »
I think that nothing terrible happened to your blanket. You can still wash it and even remove stains if you have any left on your blanket. I have three cats, and this situation occurred to me a couple of times. Especially after one of my cats got sick, and she used to throw up all over my house. I washed all my carpets, blankets, and bedspreads. But after I washed them several times in my washing machine, they got ruined. I had to replace most of my bedding sets. Anyway, I wanted to change some things in my house. I bought a new throw on https://sommio.co.uk/KnittedWeightedBlanket I was afraid that my cat with throw up on it and destroy it. Thankfully it is machine washable.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2021, 01:34:51 PM by CindyKick »