Whit's Knits: Hudson Bay Inspired Crib Blanket
We love the Hudson Bay Blanket for its classic simplicity and beauty. And maybe more, we love the underlying belief that, even in the midst of the great Canadian wilderness with its arduous cold and haunting vastness, the Hudson Bay Blanket will protect us.
Originally, the Hudson Bay Blanket's lightweight warmth and insulation made it common barter for Native American goods, like beaver pelts, buffalo robes and moccasins. But in the last three hundred years the Hudson Bay Blanket has come a long way. Now it is practically a national symbol to many Canadians, and to the rest of the world, an unmistakable design icon.
I love the idea of a handknit version, borrowing the iconography of the original and lending it a little homemade twist! Sized for a baby's crib, I'm also tickled by the notion of a small child wrapped in the gear of a rugged adult. No baby in sight? Use it as a gorgeous throw over your favorite chair, in front of a roaring fireplace. It may not be an open fire deep in a white pine forest, but, hey, you're probably not a fur trapper either!
For this special project we turned to Anzula's absolutely gorgeous For Better or Worsted. A merino, cashmere, nylon blend, it is the perfect blanket yarn with its machine washable durability and cuddly soft coziness. And its quirky hand dyed colors give the Hudson Bay Blanket a fresh look, warm and bright!
So, for a great barter idea this holiday season, give a handknit Hudson Bay Crib Blanket. In exchange, you'll get a whole lot of love! To get started, just visit my Hudson Bay Inspired Crib Blanket Project Journal. Thanks! -Whitney
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Reader Comments (10)
If anyone out there is looking for a less expensive yarn to make this blanket in here are a few suggestions:
Cascade 220- 6 Skeins of Ecru, and 1 each of the accent colors. This yarn is very reasonably priced and 100% natural wool. It isn't machine washable (neither is the original Hudson Bay Blanket!) but it handwashes beautifully. http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/649-Cascade-Yarns-Cascade-220
Cascade 128- 10 Skeins of Ecru and 1 each of the accent colors. This yarn is a slightly thicker gauge, so you would probably want to move up to a size 9 or 10 needle. It is machine washable and comes in great colors! http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/6355-Cascade-Yarns-Superwash-128
Blue Sky Cotton- 8 Skeins of Bone and 1 each of the accent colors. This is the softest, easiest to work with cotton around. It's machine washable and comes in great colors! http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/721-Blue-Sky-Blue-Sky-Cotton
Happy knitting everyone!
I had begun to knit the cream and striped leg warmers from a few weeks ago and thought the Hudson Bay Company stripes would look fabulous (which they do) and here you are with an HBC blanket highlighted this week.
As it gets colder in Toronto the HBC stripes pop up all over our country (including at the HBC stores themselves) as kind of a winter/holiday tradition.
Great to see it cross the boarder AND be integrated into fun and easy knitting.
sha