Reading Sunset online, we came across Berkeley stylist George Dolese's tip that he buys inexpensive, high-quality wool blankets. . . at an army surplus store. That's something that had never occurred to us, but when we did some searching, we came up with these great Swiss Army Blankets and Italian Wool Blankets (see photo of Swiss blankets below the jump). Both are just $29.50.
The Swiss blankets are 1940's to 1960's military issue. All have the traditional Swiss white cross insignia and red stripes. They weigh about 6 pounds and measure approximately 55" x 75" (full size).
The Italian blankets are new old stock. They're greyish brown with muted white stripes, and most have maker and date stamps from the 1950's. They weigh about 6 pounds and measure approximately 60" x 80" (queen size).
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Great tip. Both are hot.
I want to hack myself with a butter knife right now...I just spent $$ on a wool blanket for the dude's bday who insists that wool is the only way to go. he would have loved the Italian version since he is Italian...grrrr
I just bought two of Swiss from that store. They both looked great but not the best quality, the colors of the two blankes (both Swiss) were drastically different.
Hey Stephan (or anyone else who has these), how is the wool on the blankets? Scratchy or soft?
I was wondering the same thing as jennifer. I can't imagine armies spending loads of cash on soft wool...
Head on over to ebay, the red cross one is a bit cheaper there.
heh, i sewed up some of those blankets as upholstery for a vintage '40s rattan loveseat i found abandoned on bleeker st. last winter. i wanted something that could survive my rowdy blue point siamese (and it didn't hurt that it was a good match for her fur either). i used an old featherbed topper to stuff the seat and back cushions. it's not a soft material but i love it and so does my cat. and the rough surplus industrial quality tempers the down-filled squishiness that could have been kinda twee on that frame otherwise.
i'm thinking of sewing some messenger bags or laptop cases out of the scraps but i wouldn't advise using these blankets on a bed, at least not the italian ones. too scratchy.
i got mine at http://cheaperthandirt.com which is by far the cheapest source i found (under $12 each). but be forewarned if you buy from them, the first 2 shipments they sent me were embedded with pulverized mothballs and totally unusable. they were really nice about it though, sending clean blankets on the third try and never charged me for the others that i had to throw out.
i have a loft full of concrete floors, and i'm curious if these would make interesting (obviously cheap!) rugs ... i bet if you felted them they might ....
its scratchy, i use it on top of my leather couch sometimes when it is really cold... but with a sheet underneath, otherwise it feels really rough.
they are really thin to be used as a rug...and wool slides very easily around...
excellent tip-- loving the italian one. thanks, p
I bought two italian blankets at a Fleet Farm, and they stunk of mothballs. Thought I could wash out smell. I am Still working on it.
Can the smell be washed out?
cheaperthandirt.com still has the Italian wool blankets for $10. They still get the swiss blankets every now and then. They also have other types of surpluss wool blankets available. I have bought about 2 dozen from them and have found that the italian wool blanket is the best deal. The german wool blanket is softer, but smaller
chopper, you are right the do smell of mothballs. I put mine in the dryer every now and then with a couple of downey or febreez fabric sheets. Its seems to cover up the smell pretty good, but after you pull them out of storage they will need the treatment again.
When you guys wash them, add about 3/4 cup of white vinegar to the washer- it helped mine a LOT with the scratchiness and the smell.
The best way to get rid of the (horrible) smell is to soak it in a laundry tub with a double serving of eucalyptus wool wash (common product in the land of Oz) for a few hours. Then hang it outside for at least a few days. The smell should then disappear, leaving you with a pleasant smelling (wool and nothing else) blanket which is very warm and serviceable.
Anybody who can't get eucalyptus wool wash in their neck of the woods let me know and I'll provide a recipe to make your own!