Firespiral Albus Twilight Starmap

"A hand drawn map of the stars"...yes please!

I'm into all things astrology and have always had a love for star signs and all things celestial, so this wrap just called my name. It came to me as a visitor, and I would love to one day have my own.

Albus is a blend of merino wool (25%) and combed cotton (75%). It is an extremely soft and touchable wool blend. Wool in wraps just always seems to prove me wrong- I am always expecting something sweater like and scratchy, and up to date, the wool wraps I've tried have all been quite comfortable and unexpectedly silky.

Albus is listed at 240 g/m2, but it feels a bit thicker to me. It has an airy weave, but this wrap begs to be worn on a crisp day. The deep indigo colour, the warmth of the wrap in hand, and the squishy feeling it gives off all lend itself to a jeans and sweater babywearing kind of day.

There is a slight stretch to the weave, but nothing compared to some other wraps I've tried. I tried this in a size 2, and wrapping with a shorty is a good way for me to test the supportiveness of a wrap. My preferred carry in a size 2 is HJBC and Albus did a great job of wrapping neatly and providing great support for my 22lb 1 year old. I didn't have any trouble getting the passes to glide up and over his big cloth diaper butt, which can sometimes be an issue, especially with a shorty.  The tapers compare to those of an Oscha or maybe closer to a Pavo, so there was no trouble tying in the tippy tails and still managing to have a small, neat little knot.

The design on this wrap is just amazing. It isn't kitchy at all in the way the stars are aligned. It almost looks like a Pollock style smattering of stars down the middle of the wrap, just floating in the weave, with a star chart grid coming from both rails. Surprisingly, I prefer the wrong side out (the white wool side) but either side looks amazing when wrapped. Of course, none of my action shots show the white side- that's the nature of my current "take photos for the blog" practice- little to no preparation. ;)

 I would love to try this wrap in a longer size to get a better idea of different carries it might do well in, but my general opinion is that it would be great in any size. It's supportive, yet soft- so it would be great for a new wrapper with a small or newborn baby. I can just imagine wrapping a new baby in this and having them snuggled up on a cool day- ahh! But, since wool is very breathable, you could also take out an older child on a warmer day and be perfectly comfortable. I think the only thing missing from this wrap might be a bit more stretch- if that could just be added on I think this is a wrap that would stick around this churner's house for quite a while.

Tell me your thoughts on Albus, the indigo and white starmap. Were you as impressed with the snuggly and soft qualities as I was?

Firespiral Albus Twilight Starmap
25% merino wool, 74% combed cotton
Indigo/white
Size 2

Oscha Strato Rosaline

I recently borrowed a friend's size 2 Oscha Strato Rosaline. This lovely wrap is described on the Oscha website as "deep blue mohair with wool, and deep purple cotton warp...mmmmmm! This fabric is remarkable as the mohair/wool yarn is so silky and fine...not at all mo-hairy! Just mohair soft. 25% mohair, 25% wool, 50% cotton."

 You can tell right away that this wrap contains a blend of wool, as it has that signature wooly roughness to it. It's not a bad thing, as it definitely does add to the texture and grip of the wrap. I wouldn't necessarily call it silky as Oscha does, but it certainly has a luxurious feeling to it.
I really like the way Strato wraps. There is a surprising amount of stretch, if you tug on the diagonal you'll see just how much give this wrap has- it's actually quite amazing. As with most Oscha wraps the colour is dead on. I'm not sure where the "blue" comes into play from their description, as I see only shades of purple when I look at this wrap, but they are my favorite shades. So rich, deep, and a perfect contrast.

Because this is a size 2, it's more limiting in terms of the carries I was able to try. I can't seem to rock a shepard's carry in a 2, but I managed to get both my guys into some very comfy rucks and a HJBC with a CCCB with the little one. There are no diggy rails with this wrap, just comfort and cushiness. It's more supportive because of the blend- and comfortable support is key with a shorty. Although Oscha's tapers are not very long, it seems to finish off with a great tight knot which is a great quality for me, as I'm usually tying in the tails in a shorty. 

I also tried this wrap using sling rings, which is a new technique for me. It made a wonderful no-sew ring sling, and it also really showcased the beauty of the wrap. Have I mentioned Rosaline also rocks a rebozo? Well, she does! 

I'd recommend this wrap to pretty much everyone. In fact, I think I even convinced a stranger on the internet to buy one I saw for sale, that's how much I've enjoyed this one. I will probably hide it when my friend comes over to reclaim it. I think Oscha hit the mark with this one. I can see this wrap shining as a shorty or a longer wrap. I'm interested to see how she fairs in the humid summer here in Montreal. The true test of a wrap...

I probably wouldn't recommend this wrap to someone specifically looking for a thicker, beastly type of wrap or someone looking for a soft and smooth wrap. Rosaline is neither of those things. She shines perfectly as the beauty that she is.

What do you think of Strato Rosaline? Love this wrap as much as I do? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Oscha Strato Rosaline

Deep Purple

25% mohair, 25% wool, 50% cotton

Size 2