Stewed Rhubarb Handmade Chai

Ahhh, my very first handwoven! In a stroke of luck, secret planning and plotting, and birthday surprises, this Stewed Rhubarb handwoven is MINE!

 Stewed Rhubarb is a Canadian weaver by the name of Erika Higgins and her wraps are just amazing. She uses a lot of natural tones in her wraps, and her eye for design and colour is right on. I had been hesitant to try a handwoven because first off, they are usually extremely pricey in the secondhand market, and there is something about them that I thought would be hard to manage. For whatever reason, I pictured all handwovens as cardboard stiff, very thick and scratchy. I have no idea where I got this idea, so when I opened the package- SURPRISE! A thin, airy, soft and floppy wrap fell out. I'm pretty sure I squealed.

This wrap is soooo easy to wrap with. In hand, it's light and thin. I would compare it to a Girasol, because that's the most similar I can think of, but something about that description doesn't seem to do this wrap justice. It is a wrap that feels very different when wrapped. It is much more supportive and cushy than you would think. It's very easy to slide the passes over, as there isn't much texture to work with. I love the gradient of this wrap, it's not striped or a rainbow, but it moves from a warm brown, to a turquoise to a light pink. My wrap is made with the light pink weft, so it allows the lighter colours to shine. It also makes it easy to wrap with, since you will have 2 different coloured rails to work with.
 It ties off into a decent sized knot, but nothing that would compare to some thicker wraps. I found the knot held well and was easy to tighten and adjust. Although I'm still working on my rebozo skills (why is that the hardest carry ever?!) I found it worked quite well with this wrap.

I think Chai shines in the size I got, which is a long 3 (3.4m) You can do single pass carries and feel supported, but it's also perfect for multi-pass carries because it's not bulky. I'd love to have it in a base size as well, because why not?!?

I wouldn't recommend this wrap to someone wanting a thick, heavy handwoven. It's definitely going to be perfect for summer. Light and airy, with fresh colours. A wonderful first handwoven, and a great warm weather shorty.

Have you ever tried a Stewed Rhubarb? What did you think?? I'm fairly certain Chai will not be going anywhere, ever!

Chai with light pink weft
3.4 m
100% cotton

Pavo Etini Trinity

I'll call this one "The Shortest Love Affair That Never Happened"

I think the first time I ever heard about Pavo was on the swap. The word Etini kept showing up in every second post and I had no clue what people were talking about. Is this a brand? Is this a sub-brand of something else? What the heck is an Etini?!

When I found out my friend actually owned one, I went over to her place to check it out. She, at the time, had a Poinsettia and I was not impressed. First off, a red wrap. That's a big X in my books. I also found it looked quite grandmotherly, and it was very heavy with too much detail to the weave. I soon forgot about that wrap, and she sold it and that was that.

Fast forward a few months later and Trinity is released on St Patrick's Day. The same friend scored one, and recently it made it's way to my house for the sake of blog research.

I chose a sunny park day to try it out.

 First off, I think this is definitely the thickest, most difficult wrap I have ever used. Wow. I was expecting a thicktini, but I was SO not expecting this! This is a completely different Pavo. To be honest, I'm STILL not sure what to think. There are so many people who rave about these wraps that I thought for sure I would fall in love, but alas, there was no love for me and Trinity. (Except the colour, which was to die for! Absolutely stunning. So bright, a wonderful green. I'm not a fan of Etini Holly, but Trinity is my jam for sure.)

I found it took a lot of effort to tighten enough so that it was comfortable. My husband actually said, "wow, he looks so happy back there, it's nice and loose and he has all sorts of space." Um, thanks, but that's not exactly going to be good for my back.

This was also a size 4, and I found it wrapped closer to a 3 because of the weight. You'll see in this delicious shot (money shot!) the beautiful ginormous knot it made. Hello, trinity! Still love that colour. But, the weave and the design. Please don't throw stuff at me, but it is SO not me. I find it very fancy and formal, and the weave, with all the skips and loops, is just too much. I am a jeans and t-shirt kinda gal and this requires a little more effort. Also- grandmother's drapes? This totally reminds me of a luxurious textile my Nana would have had in her house. Pretty, but let me have my youth.

I will be honest, and say I only had Trinity for 2 days before she was whisked away and sold by my friend. I would like to get my hands on a thintini to try it out, because I think I *may* be able to handle one. I'd love to get a coal and dye it a fun, bright colour. Stay tuned. It'll probably happen.

Oscha Roses Caprica

What is it they say about Oscha linen? I'm not sure, but if I had to guess I think it would be, "AWESOME!!" or something along those lines.

I have this lovely wrap in a size 6 and I just can't get enough. It was broken in when it arrived, but I gave it a nice bath and a steam iron to get it nice and fresh, and also to smooth out any creases. This wrap is a 50/50 cotton linen blend so it is definitely prone to creases. (Like your love 'em/hate 'em pair of linen pants that you can't actually sit in for fear they will be a wrinkled mess 2 minutes later.)

In hand I found this wrap to be soft, on the thinner side compared to the ones I have been using lately, but probably better described as medium, with a minimal stretch and a slightly dense weave. It is a VERY deep and bright red, which is one of my least favorite colours, so it took me a while to even pick this wrap up to try it out. Red roses....hmmmm. I just wasn't quite sure what to do with that. Do I dress it up? Or will I look like I'm trying to hard, like a babywearing mom off to the prom? Or should I dress it down, but then it won't exactly go with running shoes, will it? In the end, I took one for the "team", in this case the blog, and just wrapped with the damn thing.

Well. The wrapping qualities certainly make up for the fact that I am just not a red roses kind of gal. I found this wrapped very similarly to JKOC, in that it is sturdy and almost backpack-like. This wrap is very easy to use- the passes glide well, it's thinner and easier to tighten, and there isn't too much bounce, so once you're wrapped up nicely you're good to go. There's no worrying about needing to stop and readjust or bounce and tighten. I wore my 25lb one year old around the house, on neighborhood walks, in front and back carries, and never an achy shoulder or sore back. I even found that I didn't need to make a super tight knot, somehow the carry just held itself...? Magic? Somehow this wrap manages to be fairly slippery when wrapping and then grippy once wrapped. I swear, I had not been drinking before wrapping.

I actually prefer this wrap to Cora, even though they are so similar, because it's softer and has a more luxurious feel to it. It is somehow thin but cushy. I can't say I see this being a great summer wrap, maybe because of the length- it's a long 6 so there's a lot of fabric to deal with. I am pretty sure cotton/linen should be a good choice for hot weather, so I will definitely give it a try on a hotter day and see how it goes. (Whenever those days arrive...ahem)



I wouldn't recommend this wrap to someone who is looking for texture, there is none. I also wouldn't recommend for someone looking for a thick, looser weave. This is dense, yet thinner in hand. It does, however, wrap like a thicker wrap would so then again, maybe it would work for a lover of thick wraps who isn't looking for fluffiness.

One thing I will say- if you don't like deep red, either stay away from this wrap or just look at anything but the wrap while you use it. I would definitely go out of my way to find this exact wrap in a different colourway for sure. Why does that always happen to me and red wraps?!? 

Oscha Roses Caprica
Wine red cotton/silvery natural linen 50/50 blend
Size 6

Geeking out- Pavo Jade Giraffe VS Etini Trinity

Just happened to be sitting around with these two wraps the other day...

Jade Giraffe and Etini Trinity from a few feet away. Not so similar, right?

 Now, let's take a closer look....

Hello. Sisters. Cousins. Definitely related. I think Giraffe is a tri-blend of spearmint, and I'm guessing the other colour is the same or very similar to Trinity.


Geek Out. 

Who am * I * to be a wrap reviewer?!

If you've been hanging around here, reading my posts and checking things out, you may be wondering, who does she think she is?  Why does this random internet person think she can just write wrap reviews out of nowhere and we're all just supposed to agree with her? What if she has no clue what she's talking about? What if I've been wrapping for 3 times as long as her, what do I care what she thinks?

Well, I asked myself all of these questions when I started writing this blog. It was slightly scary actually, when I first sat down with this idea. I thought people might send me mean messages telling me that I hadn't been wrapping long enough to know anything about wraps or that I hadn't tried enough of the "classic" or "vintage" wraps to have enough to compare to. Then I realized that using and reviewing wraps is such a personal and subjective thing that it didn't really matter what anyone else thought. My experience with a wrap won't be identical to anyone else's and that's okay! The point here is not for me to tell anyone what wraps they should and shouldn't buy, but rather to describe in an honest and hopefully funny way, what I think of the woven wraps that I'm trying. It's almost like a private journal that I can use to remember this time, and all the wraps bought, sold, and traded but with a (small) audience. Most of the time I pretend you guys aren't even here reading this. I try not to get "too" caught up in the extras that go with babywearing on the internet. I don't really follow the history of each company, or any drama that might be associated with them. I feel like I'm usually the last one to find out about a new wrap company anyway!

So, I sit down and write. Mostly for my own enjoyment, to compare notes with friends, and to hopefully keep bringing babywearing and woven wraps more and more into mainstream parenting culture.

What do you think so far? I've gotten some great feedback, but I love comments and I'm dying to hear if anyone has different reviews of the wraps I've reviewed here. A good friend and I are always disagreeing about wrap qualities and I love discussing what makes a good wrap; cush, support, design, texture, glide, grip, etc. What else would you like to see in a wrap review? As always, leave your thoughts in the comments!

:)
Thanks!
Megan

Artipoppe Supernova Eos

Ah, the joys of having babywearing friends who generously lend me wraps to try out! I very happily borrowed this AP Supernova Eos to see what the AP craze was all about. I, unfortunately, (fortunately? I'm never sure) can't BUY all the wraps, hence the title of this blog, so I'm sort of stuck to churning within a certain price point when it comes to my own wraps. I am, however, open to trying wraps at any price. ;)

First impressions: Aesthetically, I really liked the subtle star pattern. Stars can be overdone sometimes (see: Kokadi stars) but this is a simple, sparse pattern. The colour of Eos is also more muted and sophisticated, which is works well with this design. It's like the wrap version of a J Crew cashmere sweater. I have no idea how to explain what I mean by that, but I'm sure someone reading this will understand. This wrap is a blend of 47% egyptian cotton and 54% wool. In hand it reminds me a little of Oscha's Braid Mallo- you can tell it's a wool wrap as it feels dense with a slight scratchy, wooly texture. This wrap has a medium stretch on the bias and I'd say, without knowing the weight, that it's about 270g/m2 but that's just a guess. I would describe it as medium weight, fairly tight weave and not nearly as soft as I wish it was.

I think it would be better if I never knew the price of a wrap before wrapping with it, because it's hard not to have high expectations for a higher priced wrap. I have to be honest, this doesn't wrap as well as I would have expected. There is literally no bounce in this wrap, which I don't normally mind, (check out my review of Oscha JKOC) but on top of that I find this wrap a bit saggy. If you look in the photo below you can see what I mean. I can wrap a pretty mean DH and this one just did not work. I had to undo and bounce the little guy back up and re-tie but even then, sag city. I think this wrap needs to be very carefully tightened. There's no getting away with a sloppy wrap job. That is sometimes a benefit with certain wraps, but with this one I find it a negative. The wrap has a dry feel, and although the passes move easily into place, it just feels a bit stiff. When you add that to the texture of the wool blend it isn't a clear winner for me.

I think this wrap would be great for a precise, experienced wrapper who is carrying a baby under 25lbs. Those who like a tight, sturdy, bounce free wrap- this would probably be a good choice.
I wouldn't recommend this wrap to a newer wrapper or someone going for a cuddly, cushy, forgiving wrap for their bigger baby.

I'm definitely looking forward to trying another Artipoppe because I'm sure this company must have a wrap I will love... Right?? What do you guys think? Have you tried an Artipoppe Supernova Eos? Any other AP wraps that I should try?

Artipoppe Supernova Eos
Ecru/Rosewood brown
47% Egyptian cotton/ 53% wool
Size 4

Pavo Gotham Marble

I have to start off by saying, the photos in this post completely suck. I haven't had the time in the last little while I do more than simply toss baby into a wrap and then go, so I'm often wearing outfits I don't want anyone to know I own, or I'm a complete mess so....sorry Marble! You deserved so much better than these photos!

Marble was an impulse buy, as I'm not usually drawn to natty wraps. But, I knew I wanted to own my very own Gotham so I scored this direct from Pavo's stocking. It seemed it wasn't a very highly anticipated wrap, but as the reviews started coming in I think those who missed out started to regret snoozing on this one.

First impressions- Marble is gorgeous. Pavo decided to start using mercerized cotton in their Gothams (and some or all(?) of their Form wraps) with Marble and the shimmer is just so great. It adds a real luxury feel to this wrap, although texture wise it is much more of a cozy, workhorse.

In hand it feels thinner than Steel, and I wasn't quite sure what everyone meant about it turning into a "smooshy marshmallow" after one wash and an iron, because to me it still felt quite scratchy. I tend to be a bit of a princess with softness though. I really like soft wraps. Texture is a big thing for me, I prefer my wraps to feel a bit creamy with a slight texture. Marble was not in the marshmallow category for me- until I wrapped with it. Then I "got it". It has a solid softness on the shoulders. There is no diggyness and the texture, which is apparent in hand, doesn't bother my shoulders like some other wraps would. I had a size 4 and my go to with a 4 is a ruck tied Tibetan. When I did a knotless tie, which you see in the photos here, there was a dry grip in the tails. They just held like duct tape. I loved it! A great amount of support, a slight bounce (which is exactly what I like), and that signature Pavo stretch (which is something I swore I would never say in any wrap review, but there it is.)

The only downside to this wrap: I wish it were a little softer in hand, and perhaps even a bit thicker like Steel. For those hoping for an airy, soft wrap, this likely won't work. It's not that Gotham isn't those things, and I'm sure with time it does get super soft like most wraps would, those just aren't the star qualities. This wrap works for long haul carries, it supports like many wraps just don't, and it has that awesome Gotham style. I debated for a long time about dyeing it, but ultimately this wrap moved on to a new home because I have yet another Gotham coming to live here, as well as a few other special lovelies.

Here's your chance Marble lovers, use the comments to rave about your favorite Gotham!

Pavo Gotham Marble
Ecru/Natural
100% Cotton
Size 4

Pavo Espalier Lilac

First off, a little bit of Espalier Lilac geekery. Below is a photo post wash, pre iron. Notice the cool texture that has popped out from the wash? Pretty awesome. I LOVE the tiny intricate box weave in Espalier. It looks like a little parquet floor. The texture obviously calms down a lot after a nice steam iron, but maintains the grainy sort of feel. I don't know if it would be for everyone, but I think this wrap has such a unique texture. It's thin and airy, but yet there's something that feels substantial about it.

As usual, I prefer the wrong side out of this wrap a lot. It features more of the purple colour, and it's such a bright, fresh lilac colour. So perfect for the warmer months! (When those get here, just let me know and I will venture outside). Here's a great photo to showcase the weave on that side.

I wasn't expecting the wrapping qualities at all. I'd assumed since it was described as airy and thin that I would have aching shoulders and tons of saggy wrapping. Instead, this wraps really solidly, with tons of support and feels much softer on my back and shoulders. It is probably one of my favorite wraps for FWCC or reinforced kangaroo. It just stays where you wrap it, there isn't a ton of bounce- just enough to be comfortable without feeling like baby is slowly drooping.

I found that when wrapping the passes would glide very easily. I'm not sure if this was because size 5 is my favorite length for a wrap and my arms don't struggle at all, but I think it probably had more to do with the profile of the wrap. You are not fighting with crazy thick texture, nor are you trying to pull a sticky, creamy feeling wrap over a baby stuck to your back.

This wrap really felt like something I would recommend to a new wrapper. Thin; for ease of wrapping. Stretch; because it just helps when you are learning how to adjust a wrap if it gives a little bit. Support; you need a good supportive wrap when you're starting off. I would also recommend this to someone who has been wrapping for a while, because they would enjoy these qualities as well- unless they were into thicker wraps. In hand, the light and airy feeling of espalier might scare someone who is used to much thicker wraps. I'm telling you, it's a mystery as to where this supportiveness comes from! But, it's definitely there.

I like to always come up with some negatives, just to keep it real, but I can't really think of any. I guess the weave might turn some people off, it does have a bit of a burlap sack feeling to it that will probably never really soften up, but that's the best I can do.

My favorite carries with this wrap were front carries, but I think it would shine in a lovely DH as well. I know others who have had shorties in this wrap and they've also loved it. So, all around great summery wrap.

Are you going to join me in raving about Espalier? I'm almost thinking I need to get that Camellia colour back...

Pavo Espalier Lilac
Ecru/lilac
100% cotton (with mercerized cotton)
Size 5

Tekhni Olympos Kingfisher

Olympos Kingfisher came to live here for a very short time on a trade whim. I had purchased 2 wraps in the same design but different colourway and sizes and couldn't keep both so I traded one for this guy. I was Tekhni curious, so when I was offered this wrap I figured, why not?!

I might be a bit biased in my review because I started off not really liking this wrap before I even got it, which rarely happens. When I try a wrap it's because there is something that draws me to it. I may also still be longing for the wrap I originally traded it for, so that may taint my review as well. (Just being completely honest here, folks.)

First impressions of this wrap was: thick, solid, sturdy, minimal stretch. I knew right away that this would not be the go-to summer shorty I had thought it might be. It had a drapery type feel to it, something about this wrap just makes me think of my grandmother. Okay, maybe not my grandmother, because she had epic style. Someone else's grandmother. The colour is just not me. I would say the photo below is the truest to colour, it's a dusty sky blue. Too bland for me, and it doesn't work with the pattern, in my opinion.

I tried this wrap out a few times, in some simple back carries. It does work well for a simple ruck. The wrap is supportive, and can easily support a 20+lb baby. I was using a size 3 and it measured true, at 3.2 meters, but it seemed to wrap quite short. I found it hard to tie off a ruck in front, whereas I seem able to do so in a size 2 if I wrap properly.

I also gave this wrap a try for a bus ride to pick up my older son at preschool. Now this is big. I rarely back carry for errands that are not within 10 minutes of my house. I am slightly paranoid that something will go wrong and then I'll be stuck trying to wrap somewhere I don't feel comfortable. But I took a chance with Olympos and we headed off on the bus. The wrap held up well, although I chose a Shepard's carry, which is proving to be my most hated shorty carry. My son was leaning so far off to one side and this wrap very quickly started to be very diggy on my shoulders. I had to readjust multiple times. Now- I can't be sure if this was a bad wrap job on my part, or if it was the wrap not being easy enough to tighten and adjust.

This wrap definitely has lots of grip. Texture isn't something I would mention, but the thickness of the fabric really gives it a velcro feel.

I can't say much more about it, because I very quickly traded it to another wrapper who was ISO this wrap. I hope she likes thicker, heavier, sticky wraps! If you are someone who gets excited about those qualities, then snatch this one up. Otherwise, take a pass and keep looking.

Have I gotten this ALL wrong? Did I miss something? What do YOU think?

Tekhni Olympos Kingfisher
100% cotton
Blue/white
Size 3