Best blanket

I hugely approve of these blanket/throw things from Ian Mankin.

Ian Mankin was once the sole purveyor of very heavy, very expensive ticking and stripe material and not much else – but the material was exquisite. I used to rummage in the sale bin in their store in Primrose Hill and make cushion covers from the offcuts. Which on reflection was a bit mental.

Now the company has branched out into lots of other stuff, much of it very affordable and more accessible than solely striped sailcloth. It’s a lesson in retail diversification.

Stepney Grey Throw, £69.50

This is quite a boring grey colour way but I like it because it is a jazzy pattern and MACHINE WASHABLE. So it is replacing the pilled monstrosity from Ikea on the living room sofa. More colour ways and patterns here.

I found a brown smudge on the Ikea monstrosity the other day that was not chocolate but actual SHIT. Actual faeces on the actual sofa – from Sam’s bottom no doubt as he’s so painfully shy about his loo-trip bum aftercare that he occasionally manages to scamper off with no knickers on AND not a completely thorough job having been done. So machine washability in a sofa blanket is a must in our house.

I know £70 is quite a lot for a blanket but I think for what it is, it’s really superb value.