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ew, insect blood. that doesn't seem like something I'd want to use as a selling point.

Strawberry ice cream is also colored with beetles...

nooooo, not ice creeeeeam.....

:(

Yeah ... eek. That was not a super awesome selling point for me. Makes me sad. And strawberry ice cream ... really??? ;-(

Cochineal is not insect blood; this type of dyeing has been done for thousands of years and is very earth-friendly.

Cochineal is a crushed scale insect (a parasite) and is indeed used as food coloring and dye. Click on my name to read all about it.

It's what gives Persian rugs their rich reds too.

Wait, does this mean strawberry ice cream isn't kosher?

[Kirk] KHAAAAAAAAN![/Kirk]

yuck.

This summer I read a book called "A perfect Red" about the history of cochineal and the related trade and dye industry. It was fascinating.

Many traditional dyes come from things that seem 'gross' in our modern, saran wrapped world. Before reading the book, I would have thought 'yuck' too.

oh my goodness! i know the family that originally started this company. they are wonderful people & the blankets are amazing!!

Man, these are gorgeous blankets. If I had the budget, I'd definitely consider one. But the price-point is definitely prohibitive for me... Maybe Swan Island can be convinced to participate the AT Holiday Gift Bag? (Dibs on the yellow and cream blanket.)

Brace yourself: Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice and Danone strawberry yogurt both contain Cochineal-based coloring. Read it once a long time ago and never forgot it.

If you don't want to ingest bugs, you not only can't have a strawberry milkshake, but should skip the maraschino cherry too (and most red yogurts, juices, and liqueurs, as well as lipstick and other types of makeup etc., etc.)

No blood though--they're dried first! :)

I'd rather eat a dead bug than a live chemical.

$1000 blankets? reminds me of the doll set sold at steiner for thousands of dollars. makes one think of the waldorf movement as elitist.

These are some of the most beautiful blankets I've EVER seen... oh my gosh. I quickly emailed my mom to tell her about them (she's a natural wool fanatic) and she proudly told me that she's known about Swans Island Blankets for a long time. I think they'd make an incredible wedding present...

All Navajo dyes are made from natural colorants... like bugs! When you see those Navajo rugs with a million colors in them... every single hue has a natural source.

I can't believe that people don't know how commonly used cochineal is. I think I first read about it in a Nancy Drew book (I'm not kidding around!) That's where I learned the royal purple came from mollusks, too.

I think I'm with Jackie with the bug versus chemical thing. In a way, what's the difference because escargots and those bugs and cows and oysters? OK, in that little bouquet, I'm only eating the cows, but still... one really needs to not think too hard about where ANY of our food comes from, or you'll just waste away.

Gee... That ruined me on the strawberry thing. I think I'll be making my own ice cream and shakes, with real strawberries. I don't need my food "coloured" for me at all.

Just another reason to eat whole foods you prepare yourself. The blankets - no big deal. At least they are not coated with that flame-retardant chemical.

Pay the rent-buy a blanket? Yikes! For those prices I'll stay with Area.

Not posting this to pursue semantics in the thread...but...

....everything is a "chemical." The air we breathe is a chemical substance. Water is a chemical substance. Just because something is "chemical" does not make it bad for us.

Cloth colored with the crushed bodies of the dead (insects)? That is so f'ing METAL!

I wonder if they'll weave a special one for me with the Emperor logo. After singing those anthems to the Welkin at dusk I like to snuggle up in my Insect Death blanket on top of my bed built from the skulls and femurs of my enemies.

I for one am okay with the dead bug thing. I don't happen to like bugs, especially parasites, and if it's better for the environment than anniline dyes, great.

Make mine a double scoop of strawberry ice cream! And those are gorgeous blankets. Too bad you can't ask for wedding presents retroactively.

Thank you Dorianne I was trying to repress that.

Also, I have seen "chemical-free beer" being marketed, and finally decided that the bottle would have to contain a vacuum (no air, nothing).

Chemicals are everywhere! Well, working in a lab that should probably be obvious to me but it's true! And I wish the blankets were cheaper, too.

About the food and what you eat. As I said before, I work in a prison. A "Food Waste" truck (slop truck- prison term) comes daily to pick up the 'slop" - food waste, uneaten food from the inmates or left over food, you know that bit of food that you leave on your plate -- and gives it to his pigs. Pigs get slaughtered for bacon, ham, etc, sold to food stores, you buy this - thus you may be eating inmate food waste. The Circle of Life...

Anne, I love your take on the chemical-free beer!

I hope it didn't seem like I was jumping on anyone over the chemical definition thing, though. I re-read my last post and it seemed kind of....well. Anyway, my apologies to anyone if I came off as snotty or anything.

I too wish the blankets were cheaper.