That iconic blanket, the Hudson Bay Company's Point Blanket, or Trapper blanket, with its green, red, yellow and dark blue stripes on a off-white background, is an iconic image in the history of trading posts in North America. The blankets first appeared in Canada in the 1700s and were very popular with uses as bedding, a kind of currency and robes.
Sadly, rumors about the use of bedding to spread smallpox to indigenous populations created a dark side to the HBC blanket. Although research has not conclusively linked the blanket to this practice, the shadow of these rumors falls over all blankets and bedding traded during that time, especially in Canada.
As the picture shows, the look of the wool blanket is very appealing with its clean, bold stripes standing out from the off-white background.
Now you can create a version of this blanket with traditional or 21st century colors. The blanket can be easily knit or crocheted. The pattern given is for knitting the blanket in garter stitch.
I was interested in updating this look with a new color scheme. I chose to use a gray background with off-white, yellow, red and blue stripes to give it a fresh new look.
