national park blanket

Stanley x Pendleton for 2023 – Take it Outside!

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A Quality Partnership

Stanley x Pendleton tumbler in a woman's hand

We are excited about the newest additions to our partnership with Stanley, the first name in insulated bottles. This partnership brings together two iconic companies, both in business for over a century, with strong commitments to utility and quality. It adds some exciting new choices: a pour-over set for perfectly brewed camp coffee and a stackable insulated tumbler, perfect for your other favorite brews. Stanley is a wonderful company to work with and the results are, well, outstanding!

The Patterns

Four insulated bottles, Stanley x Pendleton

Let’s take a deep dive into the patterns, including two patterns that generate donations to worthy causes related to the Great Outdoors.

National Park Stripe

National Park Stripe Stanley x Pendleton bottles

Pendleton Park Stripes celebrate America’s Treasures, with a portion of sales supporting the work of the National Park Foundation, the charitable partner to the National Park Service. Pendleton’s National Parks Collection helps to fund restoration and preservation projects, including the Grand Canyon Train Depot (still underway), the Many Glacier Hotel’s helical stairway (now completed) and the newest project, the Desert View Heritage Center.

See the entire collection: Pendleton for the National Parks

Wildland Heroes

Wildland Heroes Stanley x Pendleton bottles

Each year, crews of firefighters fight wildfires throughout America, protecting private and public lands. Sales of Wildland Heroes products generate a donation to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, which helps the families of firefighters who are killed in the line of duty, and assists injured firefighters and their families. 

See products that support this cause here: Wildland Heroes

These two patterns join two more:

Rob Roy

rob Roy Stanley x Pendleton bottles

Is it a tartan, or is it a plaid? In this case, it’s both. Also known as ‘Old MacGregor’, The ‘Rob Roy’ tartan is not officially registered with the Society of Tartans, but is associated with Scottish folk hero Rob Roy MacGregor. It’s also known as Lumberjack Plaid, Buffalo Plaid, and Buffalo Check. Whatever you call it, this red and black check evokes the Great Outdoors like no other pattern.

Rob Roy blanket (and throw and more) here: The Rob Roy pattern

Yakima Camp stripes

Yakima camp stripe Stanley x Pendleton bottles

Pendleton Camp stripes evoke the outdoors in colors that reflect Western landscapes: forests, lakes, river gorges, coastal crags, and the rich colors of the high desert. Pendleton’s camp blankets were based on the ombre-striped bedrolls used by cattle hands and shepherds. During the day, they were tightly rolled and tied to saddles or packs. At night, their warm wool made for cozy sleeping under the stars.

See all the stripes here: Yakima Camp Stripes

Learn More

See the entire collection here: Stanley x Pendleton

Learn more about our partnership with the NPF here: Pendleton and the NPF

Read more about our latest project here: Desert View Heritage Center

Learn more here: Wildland Firefighter Foundation

All about Stanley: Stanley1913

Enjoy your time outdoors with Stanley and Pendleton, and thank you for taking us along.

Fire lookout

Iconic Pendleton Patterns: Stripes

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Pendleton Stripes

In our last post, we talked about Shelter Bay, a pattern that combines our camp stripes with the motif from one of our most popular blankets, San Miguel (read the post here: Shelter Bay). Part of that pattern’s beauty lies in its camp striped borders.

blonde man and brunette woman seated in front of a window, wrapped in a pendleton Camp Stripe blanket. Woman is holding a cup of coffee.

photo by Cassy Berry

Pendleton’s camp stripe blankets are popular, and not just for their utilitarian history. Camp stripes bring the spirit of the outdoors to whatever they grace, thanks to colors that reflect Western landscapes: forests, lakes, river gorges, coastal crags, and the rich colors of the high desert. These stripes find their way to home goods and apparel, especially outdoor shirts and warm outerwear.  See them here: Camp Stripes

But what about our other stripes?

Serape Stripes

With their bands of contrasting colors, serape stripes are designed to dazzle.

Pendleton serape stripe blankets hanging on pegs, next to a stack of folded Pendleton serape stripe blankets

 

photo by Pendleton Woolen Mills

Traditional serapes (called sarapes south of the border) are colorful, sturdy blanket shawls that were part of life in the Mexican home. A serape could serve as a tablecloth, bedding, impromptu hammock, or improvised tent. It could be worn as a shawl, or converted to a poncho. Clothing, bedding, shelter: the serape was versatile!

When southern California’s surfers made trips to Baja, Mexico, to ride the waves, they brought home serape blankets and Baja jackets. The serape stripe became part of the “Endless Summer” of American surf culture. Pendleton’s serape stripes are found on shirts, jackets, hoodies, and bold wool blankets that are perfect for the beach, the porch, or the park.

Man standing on beach wearing striped overshirt.

photo by Danielle Visco

In the Southwestern United States, Pendleton serapes are also known as “Goopesala,” or “Good Blankets.” They are often used in the Give-Away Ceremony, performed at honor dances, weddings and many other occasions. Hosts give gifts to their guests, with no expectation of return. “What is given away returns to the giver, in another form of good.”

Archival photo from early 1900s of a Navajo family (father, mother, three young children) riding in a wagon with a Pendleton serape stripe blanket

photo: Pendleton Archives

In this photo from the Pendleton archives, a Pueblo family rides in one of the original wagons like those used by the Babbitt brothers, five shopkeepers who came west in 1886 to make their mark. They founded the CO Bar cattle ranch, in addition to opening a mercantile in Flagstaff, Arizona. In time, their success with commerce equaled their success with cattle. Over the next 100 years, the Babbitts owned and operated over twenty trading posts, doing business with the Navajo, Hopi and Apache peoples. Babbitt’s is still active and thriving—and working with Pendleton.

See our serapes here: Serape Stripe Blankets

Park Stripes

Some are bold, some are busy, but every National Park stripe blanket celebrates America’s Treasures, with a portion of sales supporting the work of the National Park Foundation.

Kyle_Houck_NP_CraterLake_Home (2)

photo by Kyle Houck

Here are a few fun facts about Pendleton National Park blankets:

  • The oldest design, Glacier Park, originally had “points” to give it the feel of an old-time “candy stripe” blanket traded by fur trappers, but the fur trade had ceased long before Pendleton began weaving blankets.
  • Any Pendleton National Park blanket with points was made before 1938. These marks referred to blanket size, and as the blankets grew in length and width, the points became inaccurate.
  • Pendleton has made blankets for 17 different parks. Two blankets, Crater Park and Shasta, are mysteries. They are listed but not pictured in archival sales materials, and there are no surviving examples.
  • Pendleton introduced plaid National Park throws after World War II. There were four different Grand Canyon plaid throws in those days, plus a newer one introduced in 2009.
  • Part of a National Park blanket’s appeal is its striped simplicity, but some older blankets featured mountains, pine trees, flowers—even a stylized Thunderbird.

Photo taken in Glacier National Park of a man and woman in front of a glacier, wrapped in a Pendleton Glacier National Park blanket

Photo by Kristen Irey

Park stripes are not just for blankets anymore. Their bold colors and happy associations make them a natural to wear and use each and every day. Park stripes prove their versatility in farmhouses, industrial spaces, ranch homes, tiny houses, lake cabins, tents, yurts and trailers! Wherever you live, park stripes are right at home.

See them here: Park Blankets

Which stripe is your favorite?

PWM_USA_label

Introducing the Olympic National Park Blanket!

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Editor’s note:

For National Park Week, we are reposting some of our favorite national park posts! We hope you get out there and enjoy your parks this week, but if you can’t, we will take you to the wilderness as best as we can. 

Pendleton is proud to unveil our latest national park blanket, celebrating Washington state’s Olympic National Park.

A bed made up with the Olympic national Park blanket by Pendleton sits in a mountain meadow.

The colors of this blanket pay homage to the Olympic National Park in our neighboring Washington State. This unique region is famous for its varied ecosystems—from rugged coastlines and dense old-growth forests to glacier-capped alpine peaks and lush rainforests.

THe Olympic National Park blanket, by Pendleton, next to a closeup of the blanket's lable, which features a drawing of a Roosevelt elk silhouetted by Ruby Beach, with wildflowers in the foreground.

This very special design uses a ground of heather grey with two bands of stripes in muted, natural tones. Fans of our national park blankets can attest to the fact that we don’t usually use heathered yarns in this group, making this blanket uniquely beautiful, just like the park for which it’s named.

A photo of Cedar Creek emptying into the Pacific Ocean in Olympic National Park.

…Diversity is the hallmark of Olympic National Park. Encompassing nearly a million acres, the park protects a vast wilderness, thousands of years of human history, and several distinctly different ecosystems, including glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rain forests, and over 70 miles of wild coastline. https://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm

Rainforests

Visitors to the Pacific Northwest are often surprised to learn about our rainforests. The entire area was once home to a huge rainforest that stretched from Oregon’s southern coast to southeastern Alaska. Why? Because of our bountiful, wonderful (and sometimes depressing) level of rainfall.

The Olympic National Forest receives 12 to 14 feet of rain per year, with temperatures that rarely dip below freezing or rise above 80 degrees. These temperate, damp conditions allow rain forests to thrive, nourishing an array of vegetation: mosses, ferns, Douglas fir, red alders, Western hemlocks and Sitka spruce. As in all rain forests, downed trees become “nurse logs,” fertile places where seeds grow, animals nest and insects burrow.

A photo of the Hoh rainforest in Olympic National Park, with soft green grass overhung by moss-laden tree branches.

Olympic National Park is home to four rain forests; Hoh, Quinault, Queets and Bogchiel. Quinault Rain Forest is home to the world’s largest Sitka spruce. This tree is more than 1,000 years old, 191-feet-high with a 96-foot spread. Aside from the Redwoods of California, Quinalt holds the largest trees in America—and, a gorgeous lake! Read more about a wooden boat  trip to Lake Quinalt by our friend Greg Hatten here: Lake Quinalt.

Mountains

The Olympic Mountains are part of the Pacific Coast Ranges. They’re not especially high – Mount Olympus is the highest at 7,962 ft (2,427 m)–but its eastern slopes rise out of Puget Sound from sea level, making for a towering ascent. The range’s western slopes are the wettest place in the 48 states thanks to—you guessed it—rain! That 12 to 14 feet of rain we mentioned earlier.

Hurricane Ridge, a scenic spot in Olympic National Park.

Hurricane Ridge, at a mile above sea level, offers an unmatched view of the Olympic Mountains. You can observe right there, or take off on hiking trails. You can even take an off-road ready rig up two narrow dirt roads–Obstruction Point or Deer Park—to take in some incredible views of snow-capped mountains.

Beaches

As part of its varied landscape, Olympic NP contains a 73-mile long stretch of wilderness coast. The rocky headlands, beaches, tidepools and sea stacks are wild and undeveloped. Ruby Beach—named for ruby-like crystals that are found in deposits of the beach’s sand–has been attracting artists and photographers for decades, thanks to its unique sea stacks.

Interesting "sea stack" rock formations on Ruby Beach, in Olympic National Park.

By Adbar – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27301905

Wildlife

We love our animals out here, and Olympic NP is full of them. Old growth preserves provide unique and safe habitat for several endangered species, including the northern spotted owl. Birdwatching in the park is popular, with over 250 species of birds. The mountain meadows draw blue grouse, woodpeckers, gray jays, and more. At the coast, keep your eyes peeled for bald eagles.

On land, several species are found only in the Olympic forests: The Olympic marmot, Olympic snow mole and Olympic torrent salamander. Cougars, bobcats and bears are just a few of the carnivores that roam and hunt these forests. For a full list, see here: https://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/nature/mammal-species-list.htmAnd don’t forget the ocean. Offshore, the waters that wash the beaches of Olympic NP are home to whales, dolphins, sea lions, seals, and sea otters.

A bobcat in Olympic National Park.

But that’s not all!

Other things to remember about visiting the area:

  • The Olympic peninsula was once one of the PNW’s best-kept secrets until a certain book series ignited interest in the area. If that’s your jam, Forks is VERY close to the park, as are La Push and Port Angeles.
  • If you would like to set foot on the westernmost  point of the contiguous 48 states, you can do it at Cape Alava, Washington (48.16974° N, 124.73004° W) during low tide, by walking out to the west side of Tskawahyah Island. Cape Alava is accessible via a 3-mile boardwalk hike from a ranger station in the park.
  • Dogs are not allowed in most of our national parks. But Olympic has dog-friendly trails where you can hike with your pooch, as long as you follow a few rules. Read more here: pets in Olympic National Park

So snuggle up in the made-in-the-USA warmth of the Olympic National Park blanketand start planning your visit. The Pacific Northwest wonderland awaits.

The Olympic National Park blanket by Pendleton. The main part of the blanket is heathered grey with stripes of goldenrod, teal, white and rust at each end.

 

Pendleton logo label that shows a drawing of a bald eagle, and the words: "Pendleton since 1863 Highest Quality Made in the USA." This blanket is sewn onto all Pendleton's traditional wool blankets, which are still 00% made in the USA.