Lacy fiber gems are great if you are going to knit a blanket for a young girl. This yarn is very durable and soft. In addition it is woven with thin glitter fibers so that it has the appearance of small gems in it. This sparkly yarn works great as a blanket for all aspiring princesses and is even enjoyed by the tom-boys. This yarn is primarily used on the open worked blankets, although it can also be used for scarves and tight-knit blankets. The tighter the knitting, the less like gems the fibers appear and more like glitter or sparkles.

Aloo yarn is a new yarn that is being used to knit a blanket. This yarn is not derived from an animal, but rather from a plant high in the Himalaya Mountains. This yarn is very durable and is frequently used to create bags, although it can be used to create a very closed knit blanket. This yarn would need to be dyed in order to be used as it only comes in the traditional off white coloration. Dying this yarn is not difficult but as with all dying there is the potential for the yarn to vary in coloration and deepness of the color due to the dying process.

Buffalo un-dyed yarn is another new fabric of yarn that is becoming very popular for blankets. This yarn is great when you are going to knit a blanket for a boy. Due to the popularity of the Toy Story, many kids are beginning to play at being a cowboy again. All cowboys need blankets and the Buffalo blanket has just enough of the rustic qualities that the boys enjoy while still being warm and easy to work with. This yarn is ethically harvested as the buffalos shed their winter coats and then cleaned and spun into great, soft and warm yarn.

If you are looking for a great yarn to knit a blanket with for your environmentally conscious friend or niece, consider the bamboo and pearls yarn. This yarn is created out of the fibers of the very fast growing bamboo grass and cultured pearls. This yarn is very soft and since it has cultured pearl powder in it, it has a slight sheen to it. This helps to add class and beauty to an already beautiful blanket. Be aware that since the sheen is from cultured pearl powder, if the blanket is washed, it may lose some of its sheen. The more times the blanket is washed, the more pearl powder that is lost. This is not a good yarn for a young person or one that is messy. Use this yarn for blankets for adults as wedding presents or birthday gifts.

Everyone has heard the wonders of corn, and now you can knit a blanket with it. This environmentally friendly blanket yarn is created out of the corn fibers and then spun into a soft and durable yarn. This yarn can then be dyed into any conceivable color. This yarn is great for machine washing because it does not shrink like cotton yarn and other yarn types. Since this is a durable yarn and a very soft yarn, it is one that is favored by environmentally conscious people for baby blankets. Every one always told you that there was silk in the corn, now you can say that there is yarn in it too.

Of course, the real reason anyone buys sheets like this is the design. The thread count won’t matter a whole lot if you don’t find a design cool enough to satisfy the sleeper. An important trick to employ when shopping for sheets is to pull out a section of the fabric from the packaging big enough to give you a good idea of what the pattern will look like on a bed. Most people are afraid of doing this, just because these products tend to be so perfectly packaged. I promise though, they can be re-packaged in the store, and store owners would much rather have you find that a pattern doesn’t quite meet your expectations in the store than after you have taken them home and slept on them for a couple of weeks.

These aren’t terribly difficult sheets to find, so we won’t spend a ton of time examining retailers. A quick check on Amazon can yield results relatively easily:
Star Wars 5 Piece Bedding Set
Star Wars Galactic Heroes Collection

Of course, buying online doesn’t really give you quite the same opportunity to feel the quality and see what the design and colors look like in real life. If you want to check out a really nice star wars bedding set in a store, I’d recommend Pottery Barn, which always has nice stuff. Amazon has a picture of their set, too, and you can check it out here:
Pottery Barn Kids Star Wars(TM) Quilted Bedding

Now, what isn’t really addressed in this article, is where to get a set of star wars bedding in a size bigger than twin. We don’t all sleep by ourselves in narrow, kids beds. And I recognize that there is demand out there for sheets like these in a larger size. Unfortunately, I’m not very familiar with where one might find them. Of course, you could always go with a set of zebra bedding. So, anyone with knowledge that they’d like to share is more than welcome to throw a link or two in the comments below.

Getting back to star wars bedding for kids, as you might imagine, prices vary quite a bit. The range is generally anywhere from around the $50 mark, to well over $100. If you buy from a place like Pottery Barn, expect to pay a bit more, though you’ll be getting nicer sheets. And just like anything else you buy for your children, you’ll have to gauge how much you want to spend by how long things tend to last in hands of your particular kid. Sheets are a great example. Is your son or daughter potty trained? I’m no expert, but the answer to this question should probably have a pretty significant impact on how much money you intend on spending.

Lastly, to parents, it’s important to be aware of the most recent trends to try and buy the coolest set of bedding you can for your money. Unless your son or daughter has mentioned otherwise, the latest is generally the best. And in the case of star wars, the latest trend has been anything associated with “The Clone Wars.” You can find star wars clone wars bedding if you look around a little bit, and my advice to you would be to do so. A great way to save money has, and will always be, to buy something that will last longer physically, but that will also satisfy the user longest. The cooler sheets you can buy, the better, so make sure to do your homework. As luck would have it, Amazon happens to have a set of clone wars bedding available on their site for $80 as well. Check it out:
Star Wars – The Clone Wars Bedding Set – Twin Size Bed in a Bag

If you’d like to learn more about the Select Comfort Sleep Number mattress for adjustable bed, check out these links to available products on Amazon. They not only have good information, but they offer up reviews from (almost entirely) satisfied shoppers.
Sleep Number c2 Queen Mattress by Select Comfort
Sleep Number c2 King Mattress by Select Comfort

Now, another option if you’re shopping for a replacement mattress for adjustable bed in your home is to consider an air mattress. Before you laugh, you should know that these have become incredibly popular in recent years for a couple of very compelling reasons. To begin with, they are very attractively priced. With quality mattresses selling for an absolute minimum of $500-$600, shoppers have begun exploring options. Aerobed, which I’m sure is a name you are familiar with at this point, really latched on to this hole in the market and began producing a great product around ten years ago. And while this adjustable air bed mattress won’t give you all of the frills and glamor of a Sleep Number mattress, it will give you the ability to regulate how soft or firm you’d like your sleeping surface.

Now, we’ve talked about two very opposite ends of the spectrum by covering the spectacular mattresses from Select Comfort, and the air mattress adjustable bed from Aerobed and other similar companies. The only other real category when it comes to the adjustable bed mattress is one that has been around for quite a while, but has never really grabbed hold of the bed market. It has been a mainstay on infomercials and the like, mostly because it is a product that has never really been accepted as one that can improve the quality of your sleep, and this writer is quick to agree with that assessment. Of course, we’re talking here about the adjustable height mattresses. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about… the kind that allow you to raise your head, or feet, or knees, etc. You may have slept in one if you’ve spent the night in a hospital at some point.

Now, I happen to think that the hospital version of this mattress is better than you’ll find in just about any store. People like to buy these so that they can read in bed, or watch TV late at night as they’re falling asleep. These beds try to perform multiple functions, and often fail at their primary one: providing a great surface to promote a good night’s sleep. With all of the moving parts that are involved in making these beds into living room-type furniture items, it is no wonder that they can’t meet their most important goal. My advice would be to recognize these mattresses for the gimmicky, problem-ridden products that they are and take a pass. Want to read a book or watch TV, go out and sit on the couch, or even consider a futon bed. You simply won’t help yourself sleep well on one of these contraptions, and at the price they get for them, you won’t do your pocketbook any favors either. For this kind of money, you’d be much better off opting for one of the Sleep Number beds that we outlined at the beginning of this article.

The next selling point, and this is a point of contention, is that they are very appealing stylistically. They may not be making headway in any of the top designer magazines or whatnot, but they offer a very simple design, and they don’t require a ton of labor for manufacturers to produce them; hence, they are a reasonably stylish option that can be had on a budget. Now, when we get into the futon bunk beds and so forth, it might be a different story, but for the most part their simplicity not only appeals to people on that fact that it is simple, but also the simplicity allows it to be dressed up with blankets, pillows, etc. for a more personal touch.

What isn’t so simple, unfortunately, is buying a futon sofa bed. There are a number of things to keep in mind. Chief among your concerns, like any other piece of furniture, should be comfort. But take your normal concern over comfort and multiply it by ten. Futons can be notoriously uncomfortable. They can be hard as a rock. They can sag to one side. Some have big lumps in the middle where the stuffing has bunched up. You name it, it can be a potential problem in a futon. And, again, just to be clear, we are not talking about a futon bunk bed that you might be considering for your kid’s room. Those will encounter all of the standard problems and then some, and you’ll need to be extra careful with a purchase like that.

Getting back to how you should go about buying a futon bed. The most important thing you can do is go sit on the thing in a store. Sit on it in various positions. Unfold the thing and sit on the edges of what was the backrest. Then lay down on it. Make sure to be thorough in your inspection. Look for any inconsistencies in the stuffing, and things that you know will bug you later. Trust me, they have tons of them. The salesperson will not be offended if you say, “you know, I like this style, but the mattress doesn’t seem quite right, do you have any more in back that I can swap out for this one?” Before you finish your sentence, he will have sent one of his co-workers to fetch a replacement. They are looking to make a sale, and they have a lot of wiggle room when it comes to stuff like this. So, be picky, and know that if you have a feeling something will bother you six months down the road, it’s much better to say something before you buy it in the first place.

Now, I also understand that not everyone has time to visit a futon store, or perhaps doesn’t have a store in their area that sells them. I have owned several in the past couple of years, and have friends that have owned others. I took the liberty of picking a few from Amazon to list here that I know are great. Again, just suggestions, and you’re welcome to take them or leave them, just remember to do your research. Check out these items listed below:

Baxton Studio Fabiana Tan Futon-Style Convertible Sofa with an Asian Flair

Taupe Adjustable Storage Sofa Bed

Once you’ve got your quality issues ironed out, the next thing to do is pull a big enough piece of the fabric out of the packaging that you can actually get a good idea of what the pattern will look like on your bed. Obviously Zebra print is a little more hit-or-miss than other patterns, but don’t be afraid to pull a decent chunk out of the packaging. Certainly don’t go pulling every sheet in the store out, but use your common sense. Once you’ve confirmed that the thread count is up to snuff, and the picture on the packaging looks like something you might like, take some out and just confirm that the stripes on the actual product match what you’ve got in mind.

Bed in a bag is a relatively new concept, and fear not, you can find zebra bed in a bag as well. This seems like it has been a great solution for a lot of people looking for the quick one stop shop kind of approach. I can’t say a whole lot about it other than it is available in this pattern. I, personally, have never owned a bed in a bag set, though I have plenty of friends with trustworthy opinions that say their stuff is great. I can say, however, that it is available on Amazon, so definitely take a look. Here’s a link to one set I found that looks pretty good: 11Pcs Queen Zebra Bed in a Bag Set.

As you might imagine, there is just about every imaginable variation on the zebra bedding theme. Whether you’re looking for pink zebra bedding, or zebra baby bedding, you can rest assured that it’s out there. Don’t believe me? Check out this Hot Pink, Black & White Funky Zebra Bedding Or this Funky Zebra Crib Sheet

And that leads me to my last, and perhaps most important point. You should certainly feel free to shop at will. Buy zebra bedding, buy star wars bedding, buy whatever you want. But it’s very easy to go overboard with a pattern like zebra, and it’s probably something that you should avoid if at all possible. After all, we’ve all been to a friend’s home (no need to name names) that has just a bit too much interest in a certain design element or the like. It can lead to a very cramped and awkward feeling in a house, and quite frankly, some embarrassment amongst your friends. Though don’t worry, they’ll never tell you.

So, in the end, as with all things, it’s all about personal preference. Take as much or as little risk as you like, but remember to have fun. It is, of course, your house, and no one has to live there except for you. Do remember to take some care when shopping, as mentioned about double checking the thread count and pattern (if possible), and prepare for your new foray into the African savanna. Good luck, and check back here for more helpful tips.