On several of my recent shopping trips I have noticed the huge influx of knitted rugs, blankets and cushions that are currently filling the shelves at the likes of Next, John Lewis, Habitat and others.
This got me to thinking about how bringing a few woollen accessories into your home can really make a big difference to the look and feel of your room.
Wool is a great fabric for soft household furnishings. It is soft, warm, cosy and a great insulator for both heat and sound! Woolly rugs are a great addition to any home, they come in a huge range of sizes, colours, designs and perhaps most critically, prices. A couple of my favourites I have seen out and about shopping are these:
The Norrebro Triangles Rug from John Lewis, which is a great design for a contemporary look and feel:
Or for the more traditional, classically decorated household, how about this woolly rug from Next?
When it comes to rugs, where it goes in your home will likely make a big difference to the type of woollen fibres it is made from. Harder wearing rugs are made from more durable fibres that withstand more cleaning and wear and tear whereas softer pile rugs use fluffier, softer woollen fibres. Once you buy a statement rug, you can easily complement it with other soft, knitted furnishings too, cushions being the obvious choice.
There are hundreds of knitted cushions out there, but if you’re looking to add a little bit more of a personal touch to your home, how about knitting your own cushions for your home? You can knit a simple cushion with no more knowledge that how to knit one purl one. Or if you can follow a pattern, then how about considering something like this?
For an Orla Keily inspired look, try the Petal Cushion kit: which uses three balls of luxury West Yorkshire Spinners Blue Faced Leicester Aran wool.
Of course, if you are allergic to wool don’t worry, you can still go for the knitted look and style by choosing synthetic fibres such as nylon. If you’re considering buying a new woolly addition for your home, then the Daily Mail has an excellent article giving you more advice on which rugs suit which rooms best and how to choose just here. And if you’re interested in giving knitting a try for yourself, then we can give you all the help and advice you need right here at Needlecase, including how to knit, which wools to buy and what equipment you need. Either bob in-store to see us, book onto one of our knitting courses or drop us an email.