I've Got My Wool To Keep Me Warm

I have to admit, I didn't get the whole wool thing until a few years ago. When I attended a crafting group of mostly Waldorf moms, I just really didn't understand their fascination with wool. I grew up thinking it was rather itchy and prone to pest problems.

Now, I get wool. I get it whenever I can. When I found three yards of unblemished wool at the thrift store for $2.50, I snatched it up. I was a little nervous that the man next to me looking for wool with which to line the ceiling of his van-turned-home-by-the-river was going to beat me to it, but fortunately he went for a different remnant in shades of black and blue (not my color scheme, but I'm sure it looks great in his van).

The problem with bringing such a large piece of fabric home is what to do with it, and more importantly, when. I certainly didn't have room to store it long term (due to all the other great fabrics for which I provide shelter), so I decided to make a throw similar to Erin's, using Molly's pattern.


I used remnants of fabric (from the same thrift store trip) to piece together the binding. The blanket measures 54x54, so I used two strips each of six different fabrics, each strip measuring 4 inches by 19 inches, except the first and last strip which I cut two inches longer just in case and to give myself enough room to join the binding.

I enjoyed the project so much, in fact, that I am currently making another throw out of the remainder of the wool using more remnants for the binding (yay! to using up my stash to make room for new fabric finds). I am now at the tedious stage of binding by hand. The wonderful thing about binding a wool blanket this time of year is that you can drape it over your legs (watch out for the pins) and stay deliciously warm while slip stitching away.