Deborah Lee Readyoff isn’t content with just one throw.
Readyoff and her family have an entire collection. On this evening, she is showing off just a sampling of those found throughout the home she shares with her parents.
The family, she says with a gentle laugh, has a “history of pulling on blankets.” Throws – those smaller-scale options designed for warmth and decorative purposes – are the blanket of choice.
As heating prices continue to rise this winter, it’s expected throws will become the accessory of choice. Not only will more people be nesting, but they’ll be doing it with an eye on the thermostat.
Readyoff, of Mahopac, N.Y., rummages beyond the faintly patterned sage one, past the satin-trimmed orange one and finally plucks out the plaid throw. “For 25 years, I remember it,” she says. “This is it.” Being tucked in by her mother while watching television or nursing a cold are just a few of the memories Readyoff has wrapped up in this family favorite.
Another favorite, filled with words about friendship, is a gift from friends after the Readyoffs shoveled their driveway.
Readyoff, 25, also remembers one that got away, a blue throw that saw her through Gordon College, outside Boston, only to be lost right after graduation.
“They’re nice to have when you’re up studying late or when you’re on the quad watching sports,” she says.
Throws accompany many fall activities, from football games to watching a video on a chilly evening.
While they can be used year-round – lighter-weight options are available for warmer months – this season is truly their own. Janine Schettino, the manager of a Pier 1 Imports store, is ready for an influx of customers. “It’s getting cooler out now,” she says. “Our customers are thinking about gifts.”
At a general price range of $45 to $65, the throws at Pier 1 are designed for giving.
They come in chenilles and corduroys. Some sport animal prints, others Southwestern or Indian-inspired designs. Just in is a luxurious choice, a chenille with faux-fur trim ($85).”We do try and hit all the different materials one might want,” Schettino says. “We try to get something in for every taste and every decorating style.”
Sometimes, though, a throw doesn’t have to be part of any trend.
Readyoff takes yet another off the pile of throws in her living room. This one is lifted off a bit more delicately.
It is an elegant white throw, carrying a pastel monogram above a small heart. It also carries many memories, as it was passed on to her from her grandmother.
“That’s my inheritance,” she says. “I have memories of this from my grandmother. This and chocolate-chip cookies for breakfast is what I remember about my grandmother.”
