Warm wool beats the cold

Soft, stylish, Swedish... Roaming fall storms might keep us inside, but now, at least, we can snuggle up in style. Gulliver's in North Bay carries these cozy blankets by Swedish company Klippan. Made from 100% New Zealand wool, they are sure to keep you warm this winter. They will also introduce a note of fun into your home, and be a design statement in your couch. Plus, what a great Christmas gift they will make!

Pick a colour that matches the rest of your décor, or choose a complementary hue that will give the room some punch. Have fun combining several throws, like in the photos below. Hurry out to get your favourite, and stay tuned for next week's interview with one of the designers behind the blankets.

Your throw will steal the show

This afghan in cool colours is part of Universal 

Yarn's afghan kit collection. The kit includes yarns 

and instructions and costs $99. Stix & Stones can 

also create kits specific to what you're looking for 

in cotton, silk, mohair or any other yarn. Start 

envisioning your perfect throw! 

Enhance your living room with a cozy throw this winter. Not only does a throw keep you warm and toasty. It's also great for pulling the colours of a room together, and for introducing an accent colour that will make your space come alive. If you can't find that perfect throw in the stores, think about making it yourself. With North Bay's Stix & Stones around it has never been easier! This downtown knitters' paradise has everything you need for the project: needles and hooks, afghan kit collections, beautiful yarns and an enthusiastic knitting community to support you in your efforts. A visit to Stix & Stones is sure to get your creative juices flowing. And if you're hesitating about taking on yet another project, you have the option to buy one of the fantastic throws displayed in the store. Just take a look at these:

This throw is knit as a square and comes

in a range of beautiful hand-died variegated 

wool yarns. You need two skeins at $16 each,

thick needles and one very bad movie night to 

complete it. The result: a gorgeous, highly 

personalized afghan. Tempting! 

Let yourself be inspired by Universal

Yarn's afghan knit collection.

This amazingly colourful afghan is 

made by Dianne Giroux and is for

sale at Stix & Stones. If you prefer 

a calmer colour scheme, the throw 

below by the same knitter could be 

an option. $295 each.

This baby blanket is also knit as a square and should

be a piece of cake (says the time optimist). It is made

out of wool yarn and requires four skeins at $9 each.

Whether it's a throw or a quilt, who doesn't want

to see our little ones warmly wrapped up and

happy? In a future blog, I'll show inspiring quilt photos

and beautiful quilts available in our local stores.