Hudson’s Bay Point Blankets were traditionally made in plain red, white, green or blue background, with a single bar (called “heading”) of indigo on either end. Over the years of fur trading, the design of point blankets grew to accommodate the preferences of various Indigenous nations.

The HBC blanket was designed on a point system hence the name “point blanket”. The point system was used to distinguish the size of each blanket, the size being identified by the point markings. Point markings were also used as a price tag; each point represented the amount of beaver fur to be traded for each blanket. The point system ranged from 1-6, this being an indication of size and price. The blanket was a combination of wool from New Zealand and Britain. This was done to attain the best quality blankets. HBC blankets were originally manufactured in Witney, Oxfordshire and Yorkshire.

The blanket’s journey to North America began in 1779 when M.Germainn Maugenest put forward the idea to the Hudson Bay Company to use the blanket as a trading commodity; in December of that year, 500 blankets were produced. The blanket established an HBC foothold in the fur trading business with the trading of blankets. HBC blankets were then sent to Fort Albany in 1780. The purpose of the blankets being in North America was to use them in the fur trade as a commodity to trade with the First Nations people. Each blanket was traded on the basis of the point system every point would indicate one beaver pelt. This was the standard for trading at that time. Blankets also had first nations ceremonial influence as well. The blankets were used in potlatches as gifts to other first nations people.

For historical perspective read “Indian Trade Blankets in the Pacific Northwest: History and Symbolism of a Unique North American Tradition,” Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History (2002) by W.R Swagerty

So I’ve decided to make a couple of modifications to my version of this throw.
(Unsurprising to anyone who knows me)
1) I am not double knitting this one. Maybe a future version, but this one will be knit on one side and purl on the other
2) I am adding a small seed stitch border all the way around the blanket to keep it from curling because of change #1
3) I have decided that once blocked, I am going to back this throw with a Canada-related flannel. Canada, because, duh, and flannel because I feel the cold so much easier since the surgery.

Construction Observations To Note;
On sewing a lining to a handknitted item, from TECHknitting
liningtips

• I used the crochet cast-on because 360 stitches is too darn many to guess at with some derivative of the long tail cast-on!
• The crochet cast-on is simple enough but the ease and speed of it is directly relative to the crocheters tension. DO NOT STRANGLE THE HOOK AND YARN WITH A DEATH GRIP (Now you know the secret. You’re welcome.)
• Next time, the seed stitch border needs to be wider than five stitches.

February 14/2017 -- 2.5” done so far.
Feb 27/2017 -- 7”
May 15th =18” done so far
June 2/2017 -- 20.5” long and almost 1/2 way!
June 15th/2017 -- 8.5” to go before the proper halfway mark. This is the boring part…the ecru/beige.
June 22 -- 22.5” overall and the ecru section in the middle is almost 4” so far.
July 12/2017 -- This throw is never going to end…
(S.S project #1)

Sept 11/2017 -- The center section is 9” long so far. I may just die of boredom in this part…

Oct 22/2017 -- Center section is now 10” long. I am definitely bored with the huge swath of ecru in the middle.

Nov 4th -- Center section is now 12” long. Seriously considering making this section shorter than the pattern calls for.

April 3/2018 -- the center section is a mere 14.5” long. I think if I had known how boring this section was going to be, there would have been modifications made. As it is, all I can do is buckle down and schedule time into every day to plow through this section and get back to the stripes.

July 31/2018 --The center section is now 17.5” long. I doubt it will ever end

Oct 13/2018 -- 20” long in the centre now. Just a couple more to go and then I have to relocate all my stripe colours that I’ve lost track of since the move.

February 7/2019 -- On the last red stripe now, thank goodness. This has grown past much more than a throw. I think we’re into double blanket size now, if not Queen!