blankets

Cashmere Baby Blankets, by Hummingbird Lane

If you're looking for a soft and warm gift for a little one, visit Hummingbird Lane, makers of Cashmere Baby Blankets. These hand-loomed blankets are made from the highest quality 100% cashmere and are designed for newborns, toddlers and kids (though I could see Mom or Dad snuggling in one as well). The blankets are reversible, completely knit and finished with a special crocheted scallop trim. Hummingbird Lane uses imported, pure virgin cashmere, dyed using eco-friendly Swiss dyes.

Check out the gallery for some of the adorable patterns. If you're buying a gift and can't choose, you can let the new parents make a selection with a gift certificate.

Each blanket is 26" x 35" and costs $248, gift wrapping included, with free ground shipping. Wish I had known about these when my nephew was born!

Gallery: Cashmere Baby Blankets, by Hummingbird Lane

Tags: babies, baby, baby gift, baby gifts, BabyGift, BabyGifts, blanket, blankets, cashmere, Hummingbird Lane, HummingbirdLane

Yumi & Laurie Eco-Friendly BlanQuettes

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Green

Yumi & Laurie makes a high-end, stylish, eco-friendly line of blankets, which it calls "blanQuettes." They feel like a large, plush Turkish towel and are designed with vibrant and whimsical colors and patterns inspired by founder Laurie Suzuki's trips to Japan and Europe and the beautiful textiles she saw there.

The blanQuettes are woven out of 100% organic and sustainable cotton and bamboo fibers, are anti-microbial (safe for allergy sufferers), and machine washable. The blanket is light, so it can be used in all seasons, and is manufactured with environmentally sound materials and techniques.

Five styles are available, all 6'6" x 4'9": St. Moritz (rich texture, $225), Nevis (two-color floral, $225), Laguna (vibrant colors, great for teens, $195), Furano (three-color Asian-inspired design, $235), and Milan (texture with calming colors, $225).

All are on sale (20% off these prices) until December 31, 2008.

Gallery: Yumi & Laurie Eco-Friendly blanQuettes

Tags: bamboo, blanket, blankets, blanquette, cotton, green, organic, Yumi, Yumi Laurie, YumiLaurie

Swans Island Blankets

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

On a little island called Nash, off the Maine coast, a flock of sheep lives undisturbed, except in June when weavers from Swans Island Blankets come by lobster boat to gather some wool. This year's shearing produced 420 pounds of wool, enough for a year's worth of weaving.

Swans Island started in the early '90s when a pair of lawyers, John and Carolyn Grace, decided to move to Maine, meet some sheep farmers and get weaving. What developed was a company that has produced hand-woven blankets significant enough to warrant a Smithsonian Blue Ribbon for Craft in 1996. Weavers work in an 18th century farmhouse making blankets for summer and winter. Recently, the group started weaving scarves, wraps, throws and pillows, too.

I'm a complete sucker for age-old craftmanship. Add the free-roaming sheep, rustic farmhouse and beyond-cozy blankets, and this company is every New Englander's dream.

The king-sized version of the winter blanket at right retails for $1,125. Everything Swans Island makes can be custom ordered and monogrammed in a hand-done cross stitch.

Source
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Tags: blankets, decor, hand-weaving, maine, swans island, SwansIsland

Frette's Holiday 2008 Offerings

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Frette's holiday collection is always something special. In 2006, we had Sophia, a line inspired by ancient brocades and damasks used by royal dynasties across Europe. In 2007, we experienced Helena, a golden set inspired by Helen of Troy. This year the inspiration was 17th Century Swedish Queen Christina and her stirring portrayal by Greta Garbo in the 1933 film. The dramatic collection rendered in rich reds with a tapestry look consists of just 64 numbered sets in an ebony box containing a duvet, two Euro shams and two pillows. The retail price is $6,000.

The rest of the holiday collection includes mink slippers, a mink throw, wool blankets, cashmere scarves and a few selected high-end pieces of loungewear. The collection will be on display in Frette windows in November but you can catch a sneak peek in the gallery below.

[via Home Textiles Today]

Gallery: Frette Holiday 2008