Stewed Rhubarb Handmade Starlight

Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight...

WOWZA. Starlight definitely goes down as one of the most striking and beautiful handwoven wraps I've ever seen, never mind owned. The beautiful and sexy (yes, sexy) way that Erika chose to place each thread is just unbelievable and indescribable. The colours are bright, yet moody, and at the same time unexpected yet perfectly chosen. I chose a magenta cottolin for my weft and it really made the deep purples and greys pop, while letting the oranges and bluey greens have their spot to shine as well.

The first thing I noticed about this wrap was the difference between it and my Chai by the same weaver. It is noticeably more textured and thicker. Chai is 100% cotton, so the difference is obviously the cottolin, but it is also heavier in hand while maintaining the airy weave. It would compare most to the Uppy Wear Grow I had- similar thread size, similar support and grip, although Starlight is still a bit less soft and smooth because of the cottolin addition.

 This wrap has wonderful grip- one of it's best qualities once you pop your eyes back in and actually wrap with it. Compared to Chai, which I find a little silkier and slippier, Starlight holds really nicely but doesn't have that wrapping with velcro feel that some grippier wraps have, where you feel like it's impossible to slide passes into place or adjust halfway through.

Other words to describe it would be- average stretch, great bounce without being saggy, a nice amount of softness and cush on the shoulders, but I did find that the texture in the weave irritated me somewhat. This wrap is very wide, around 32-33 inches. It's the widest wrap I've ever used, and I would say it's probably too wide for me. I don't have very broad shoulders so I found myself having to really bunch up the wrap to get it to stay and be comfortable. Making a seat and helping get nice wide seat to neck passes is a breeze with an ultra wide wrap though, so there's a plus!

This wrap is a 3.4, which is one of my favorite lengths. I can do all of my favorite base size carries in their shorty version. DH with rings, or shepards, HJBC, a double rebozo, a ruck tied tibetan or with ring finish. There are really SO many things you can do with a short wrap, as long as it's the right short wrap.

I would suggest anyone who likes medium wraps, with a nice grip would enjoy this. You need to be ready to handle the width though, as it is something that could make or break the love affair. I think this would be great in a longer length, and actually even considered converting it into a RS even though I don't use ring slings- I just love the wrap that much. I loved it so much I even got obsessed with the single lone electric blue thread that Erika snuck in. Who has two thumbs and is a total wrap weirdo? This gal.

Oh- I almost ended this without mentioning the awesome tail detail, which just added to the amazingness. 

Seriously though, SRH is awesome. Her eye for colour is the best. She's hilarious, and scoring a wrap from her is better than winning the lottery (I've never won the lottery, hah)

Are you an SRH fan? Have a suggestion for a wrap I should try? Comment below!! 

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