Thursday, March 10, 2011

The Case of the Mysterious Blanket


I'm always on the hunt for interesting things and this past Christmas at my Grandmother's house I happened to spy a spot of bright color tucked beneath the cushion of my dining chair.  On further inspection, I discovered it was a blanket of sorts that my Grandmother had folded over several times and for some reason stuck under the cushion of a random chair because that's what Grandmother's do.  Later that day I left Grandma's with a sack of leftover tamales and the blanket safety nestled in the trunk of my car.

I kept the blanket folded and tossed over the arm of a chair in my living room for months until a recent room reorganization caused me to take the blanket off the chair and think about where else I could possibly put it.  I unfolded it and it was then I noticed that my blanket wasn't really a blanket.  I wasn't sure what it was.  It was a little heavier than a blanket and not really wide enough and there was fringe on the long ends.  It was kind of like a Turkish Kilim  rug except the pattern was more like a Pendelton blanket on acid.  All hot pinks and almost neon color.  I wasn't sure what my blanket/rug/throw was but that didn't keep me from putting it to use.  I've had it at the end of my bed  for a pop of color, I've put it on the floor in my bedroom as a rug.  I've curled up under it on the sofa, I've used it for just about everything and it will get plenty of out of door use this summer at picnics and the beach.

The only problem was I had absolutely no idea what it was.  I knew it was wool, the pattern and colors are definitely Latin or South American, but that was about all I could figure out.   Until, a few days ago when I was on Etsy purchasing Turkish Hammam towels and I found something that looked just like my blanket thingy.  Only it's not a blanket it's a Bolivian Frasada.  Frasada's are traditional, woolen blankets handwoven by the Aymara women in the Andean region of Bolivia.  They are thick,  vibrantly colored and can be used as rugs, throws or made into cushions.  Vintage ones are especially prized.

Viva la Frasada!  You can find new ones here http://shoptwine.com/index.php


2 comments:

  1. So. It's not a blanket but it's a blanket. Now that you know what it is, will you rethink the beach and picnics?

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  2. Nah, that flat woven wool is pretty indestructible. I probably won't throw it in the laundry though :)

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