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cimoreneI like the weighted blanket a lot: it DOES feel like a hug: I don't know if I feel a significant lessening in anxiety specifically, but I do really like it. In fact, I generally feel like I want it to be a bit heavier (that would exceed the 10% of body weight rule of thumb, but my current one weighs less than the lightest standard/ widely-available 'adult' one, which is 6 kg).
I kept in on the sofa for a while instead of a wool blanket, but a whole twin duvet (150x200, standard 1-person bedding in Finland) is a bit too large for convenience on the sofa, and it also kept trying to ooze down out the bottom of the duvet cover, a tendency worsened by being used in a slightly more vertical setting because I was always sitting up and the edges of it would hang over the footstool. I appreciated the difference more at night, though, so it's on the bed now, but I miss it on the sofa!
And at work we have a weighted throw blanket by Cura of Sweden, the Minky... and it's tormenting me constantly with its seductive heavy velvetiness.
I got to take apart and reassemble the display last week and before that it was already out there hanging over a clothes rod. It's made of incredibly plush navy velour (our store only stocks the navy, but it comes in red and silver too) and the velour is the surface of the blanket, the quilting going right through it, so it's not intended for a duvet cover: of course it's 100% polyester velour, which is probably intended to make it more easy care and stain-resistant in the absence of protection.
Coincidentally though, it also makes it ethically impossible for me to buy it even if it didn't cost twice as much as my weighted duvet, because we're mostly through our replace-synthetics-with-natural-fiber-as-much-as-possible campaign (and the synthetics have an AWFUL static effect with the angora house rabbits). Also, it's smaller than a standard duvet to make a good throw, but it's only a LITTLE bit smaller; I think the ideal size would be another few squares smaller in all dimensions.
You COULD easily make a quilted weighted blanket out of cotton velour instead, care issues aside, but the fabric would cost a lot more and be a lot less soft and plushy than the poly they've used. The only all natural material that looks and feels as amazingly cuddly would probably be woven brushed wool blankets, but you couldn't sew a blanket out of them; they'd have to be a removable cover... and they're anything but easy care. And then having the soft fabric as a removable wool blanket envelope around a weighted duvet wouldn't be as great: it just wouldn't look as lovely and inviting, it would be baggy, it wouldn't have those lush quilted pockets.
I think a good heavy cotton flannel would probably be best. It wouldn't feel quite as plushy as the Minky, but it would still feel heavenly and it's easier to obtain and work with. (There is a US maker that's released a flannel weighted blanket, but it's bed size and tartan I think? And also expensive, not to mention international shipping of this sort of product is far less sustainable and economically feasible than making it yourself would be... and making it yourself would be a huge pain.)
I'll probably just give up the beautiful dream of the weighted couch blanket until and unless I happen to spot a child's-size weighted duvet on clearance somewhere. One DIY project of adding ties to a flannel duvet cover is enough to be getting on with. The whole bulk glass balls concept seems like [sorry] weigh too much.
I kept in on the sofa for a while instead of a wool blanket, but a whole twin duvet (150x200, standard 1-person bedding in Finland) is a bit too large for convenience on the sofa, and it also kept trying to ooze down out the bottom of the duvet cover, a tendency worsened by being used in a slightly more vertical setting because I was always sitting up and the edges of it would hang over the footstool. I appreciated the difference more at night, though, so it's on the bed now, but I miss it on the sofa!
And at work we have a weighted throw blanket by Cura of Sweden, the Minky... and it's tormenting me constantly with its seductive heavy velvetiness.
I got to take apart and reassemble the display last week and before that it was already out there hanging over a clothes rod. It's made of incredibly plush navy velour (our store only stocks the navy, but it comes in red and silver too) and the velour is the surface of the blanket, the quilting going right through it, so it's not intended for a duvet cover: of course it's 100% polyester velour, which is probably intended to make it more easy care and stain-resistant in the absence of protection.
Coincidentally though, it also makes it ethically impossible for me to buy it even if it didn't cost twice as much as my weighted duvet, because we're mostly through our replace-synthetics-with-natural-fiber-as-much-as-possible campaign (and the synthetics have an AWFUL static effect with the angora house rabbits). Also, it's smaller than a standard duvet to make a good throw, but it's only a LITTLE bit smaller; I think the ideal size would be another few squares smaller in all dimensions.
You COULD easily make a quilted weighted blanket out of cotton velour instead, care issues aside, but the fabric would cost a lot more and be a lot less soft and plushy than the poly they've used. The only all natural material that looks and feels as amazingly cuddly would probably be woven brushed wool blankets, but you couldn't sew a blanket out of them; they'd have to be a removable cover... and they're anything but easy care. And then having the soft fabric as a removable wool blanket envelope around a weighted duvet wouldn't be as great: it just wouldn't look as lovely and inviting, it would be baggy, it wouldn't have those lush quilted pockets.
I think a good heavy cotton flannel would probably be best. It wouldn't feel quite as plushy as the Minky, but it would still feel heavenly and it's easier to obtain and work with. (There is a US maker that's released a flannel weighted blanket, but it's bed size and tartan I think? And also expensive, not to mention international shipping of this sort of product is far less sustainable and economically feasible than making it yourself would be... and making it yourself would be a huge pain.)
I'll probably just give up the beautiful dream of the weighted couch blanket until and unless I happen to spot a child's-size weighted duvet on clearance somewhere. One DIY project of adding ties to a flannel duvet cover is enough to be getting on with. The whole bulk glass balls concept seems like [sorry] weigh too much.
(no subject)
Date: 6 Feb 2021 08:27 pm (UTC)Weighted flannel blanket does sound ideal. I've been thinking about getting one for a while now, because I have an old military surplus wool blanket for the winter and that thing is hefty, but all the blankets I've looked at require a duvet cover or just have an unpleasant surface texture to begin with. I wouldn't want one as my main blanket either way, they strike me as something I'd probably be hot sleeping under all the time.
(no subject)
Date: 7 Feb 2021 03:27 pm (UTC)I don't find it much warmer than a regular syntheic-filled lightweight duvet, I don't think. Probably a little bit warmer. Nothing comparable to the warm down duvet, which I've been putting on top of it the last week. It would be easy for that to be too warm if your bedroom is kept quite warm or in the summertime of course.