Nice big wool blankets are always an excellent, substantial choice for gifting or just… having, and in these parts one usually turns to Pendleton. Because we live next door to a company famous for its—among other things—nice big substantial wool blankets. I’ve heard at least one person say that they perceived owning a Pendleton blanket to be a rite of passage into regional adulthood, and that totally makes sense to me.
So, no dis here Pendleton, but here’s a tip: I’ve written before about the Imperial Stock Ranch and its Imperial Collection line of apparel. Locally, you can find it at Mercantile, and it was while they were filling the order there that the idea came about to add blankets to the range of knits and shearling-lined jackets for women. So they did, rolling out a line that goes from baby blankets all the way up to king sizes. They don’t traffic in the kind of patterns that Pendleton is famous for, but they have a lot of quietly hued ombres and detailed cabled throws, all made with wool raised on an Oregon ranch with a long history of being ahead of the industry on sustainability issues, completely designed and made in USA, and the prices are quite competitive with those of the big P.
Anyhow, if you want to find out more about the blankets and the rest of the collection, Imperial’s Jeanne Carver is hanging out at the Mercantile until 5 pm today. She’s a pretty remarkable woman, a practical rancher with one foot improbably in the fashion world. Ask her about having contributed the wool to the US team’s uniforms for the Olympics last year, too, while you’re at it. And seriously if you like Pendleton blankets these are kind of next level and sort of a steal… (sorry Pendleton I still love you).
- Imperial Stock Ranch