Gyroscopic Investing

As melvey said, Life > Watching your portfolio.

I've been dying to have a picnic with the wife, but we don't have a proper picnic blanket. I used to use these very affordable blue blankets called "neat sheets", but they're either full of spackle or hair now.

Reading through the reviews at Amazon, the colorful ones that I really like are $20-30, but there are complaints about the smell. Apparently, they're made of polyurethane.

I started searching for blankets made of natural fibers and eventually stumbled upon one made of linen. For a hundred bucks. It's extremely large but can supposedly can be folded to the size of a newspaper. There are no reviews for it, b/c no one else is stupid enough to consider plunking down that much for a blanket.

However, I went to the maker's official site and there it is on sale for $85. Part of me is saying, "You'll use it all the time. Use it 43 times and that's two dollars a picnic." Another voice says, "Don't be ridiculous. It's 6.75' x 4.6' (2.1m x 1.4m). You're never going to clean it properly, and if you do you're not going to dry it properly, and you will have wasted your money."

Any thoughts? Should we just take our towels out of the show and get on with the picnicking?
I must say, I love a good picnic, and it's been years.

$85 for a blanket!!!!!! 

I guess I'm cheap.  I raise hair sheep, so I can't really use their fiber, but I'd buy a wool breed, shear them and weave my own damn blankets before I'd spend $85.

A local thrift store might have some really nice old blankets you could snag on the cheap. When I was growing up we would have picnics and watch fireworks on a huge plaid wool blanket that must been about 5 mm thick.

I loved that thing.

Thanks guys. I did see a wool blanket online sold as a "first aid" blanket, but not that large.
As much as I love wool, the city I live in is infamous for moths, and it would not survive. I could keep sending it to the dry cleaners since the harsh chemicals would keep them at bay, but then I might as well go for the polyurethane.

That's a shame. Wool is a chronically underrated fiber.

No way would I spend $85 on a blanket that wasn't used by George Washington (or maybe Calvin Coolidge). Just keep an eye on Ebay. Things pop up on there all the time. Also check out Craigslist.

I would pay $30-$40 for a nice wool blanket.

Not sure why you'd want a nice, high quality wool blanket to put down on the ground where there's cut grass, dog poop, etc.  I have a really nice one on my couch that my kitten thinks is there purely for him to chew on, but for outdoor use like car blankets, picnics, and camping I use those standard-issue Mexican woven blankets. You could also use an old or cheap bedspread.  Does Philadelphia have street fairs?  That's the best place to find these sorts of things.

However, the more interesting question is:  are you CRAZY???  It's hotter than the eighth circle of hell out there.  Say what you will about air conditioning, I can't imagine life without it.  Climate change is real, and summers with persistent/nonstop heat waves are here to stay.

The replies are getting increasingly witty. 
I'll probably go with MangoMan's solution, or perhaps LL Bean.

WiseOne: just for the record, the expensive blanket in question is made of linen, not the normal material for a beach blanket, I know.

Also, our thrift store was destroyed during a criminally negligent demolition of the adjacent building. You all may have seen it live on CNN last month.

Personally I'd go with a painter's tarp that has a rubberized backing. They are cheap and can be washed easily.

dualstow wrote: Also, our thrift store was destroyed during a criminally negligent demolition of the adjacent building. You all may have seen it live on CNN last month.

Painfully hilarious.  Philadelphia has a knack for that sort of thing...remember the time when the mayor dropped a bomb on West Philly?

Oh, and linen is even worse than wool:  it's typically not washable.  Another suggestion for you:  a cheap cotton throw from Amazon.  I'd stay away from second hand for bedding type items though.  It wouldn't be much of a bargain to get bed bugs or cockroach eggs along with your item.

Turns out the blanket idea is too much stress.
Sit at the picnic tables...

annieB wrote: Turns out the blanket idea is too much stress.
Sit at the picnic tables...

lol. No tables at this place, though.

WiseOne: MOVE was before my time -- I'm from upstate NY -- but I do remember reading about it. Crazy.
Roaches: I once took a classic Macintosh from the street on garbage day and brought it home. Still works. I also remember setting it down in the basement and watching a giant roach speed out of it. Many months and lots of borax powder later, I pronounced the home bug-free. I no longer grab free books from the sidewalk as a result.

If it's linen you crave, go to the nearest fabric store (lots of good ones on Fabric Row in Philadelphia, http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/top-li ... ladelphia/) and ask to see their bolts of linen.  (Call first to make sure they carry linen.  It's a fine fabric and some stores don't carry it.) Ask for one with a tight weave and a medium to heavy weight.  Be sure it is 100% linen or 100% flax (linen-cotton blends are okay, too), and that it is washable.

Look at the ones that are 56 to 64 inches (4' 8" to 5' 4") in width.  If they're not designer fabrics, they will cost $6 to $17 per yard (3').  Have them cut one piece that is two yards (72," same as 6') long.  The cut should be straight across.  If they can cut it with "pinking shears" (scissors with a zig-zag pattern on the blades), you might even get away with not having to hem it, but tell them what you plan to use it for and they'll be careful to cut it straight.  Sometimes someone at the fabric store can hem the ends for you for a few bucks if that's what you want.  They can even show you how to "fringe" the edges, so it looks like the expensive blankets in the photos.

Voila!  You have a brand new $200 value, 100% linen picnic blanket for the low low price of $12 to $34.

Linen wrinkles easily, and will look wrinkled when it's washed.  Ironing it takes a lot of time, but some people like the wrinkled look.  If you prefer it ironed and don't want to do it yourself, you can always take the washed blanket to your cleaners and have them steam it or iron it only.  No need for chemicals.

Ha, thank you, Smurff. Very comprehensive.

I forgot to scold WiseOne before for spilling the beans on my long undisclosed location. Consider yourself scolded. 

I wonder if it would be possible to create a "Permanent Picnic Blanket" by using a material composed of 25% wool, 25% cotton, 25% polyester, and 25% nylon.

MediumTex wrote: I wonder if it would be possible to create a "Permanent Picnic Blanket" by using a material composed of 25% wool, 25% cotton, 25% polyester, and 25% nylon.

Only if it matches our fur-lined chaps.

Not very much.