Off We Go!!

So today is the day!! We leave for a 2 week trip to Estonia, that means we will be on a 2 week break from the blog. When we come back there will be trip posts, a review and maybe even a tutorial, who knows!?

I will leave you with this exciting new mail I got, just in time to take on our trip.

Pavo Penumbra Shadow

Review: Artipoppe Argus Revo

Revo, oh beautiful Revo.
This pretty much sums up my feelings towards this wrap, I really can’t get enough of it. Revo, is the colourway in this Artipoppe Argus. Artipoppe is a very new company on the market, their first release was in April. Their aim is the niche collecting market, so the runs of the wraps are very small, though still being machine woven. Artipoppe is based in the Netherlands and truly uses the highest quality materials, Revo is 100% Egyptian Cotton, but others include cashmere, linen and yes if you can believe it baby camel hair. Truly a luxury wrap brand.
 

"Wrong Side" out

I can only speak to the amazingness of Revo, since I have never seen any other Artipoppe’s in real life. But Revo is oh so sweet. It hands down is the softest wrap I have ever felt. It was smooth out of the bag, but after just one wash it was fluffy and felt like a well broken in wrap. To the touch you can feel the pattern, but it is not a grippy wrap.

loving it with a teething toddler 

Perfect knots

I have a size 2, running a long 3 meters, which is my absolute perfect length. I can do all my favourite carries in this size, Double Hammock Rebozo, Coolest Hip Carry, and Double Hammock Torso Carry, and if I am really on my tightening game I can Double Hammock Tied at Shoulder. I find this wrap so great to use, it glides smoothly into place, which is how I can get the extra length for the longer carries. And once on it is so comfortable, it has just the right amount of bounce for that lovely cush on the shoulders. Plus once tied the knots are so perfectly beautiful because of the thinness. Just a pleasure to use, I would be definitely seek out another Artipoppe, but they are pretty hard to come by.

Looks pretty fab in my wrap basket

Festivities!!

So I have the most kind husband ever, it is my birthday tomorrow and he decided to give me my present early so I could use it. He got me this:

A new bike (well new to me) with a lovely basket in the back. The basket had a few plants for our garden and a lovely dress too!!

When we go for bike rides, my husband has Miles on his bike, so there was the most lovely thought behind this basket. He got this so I could carry my wraps in it, I could not be any more lucky!

So here it is in action with a wrap.

And the wrap in action. What a lovely day.

Sparsity

Today we didn't have much wrapping time, we were playing so much and working really gets in the way of it. But the one "up" we had today was amazing, so many cuddles! There is something truly special about wrapping a toddler.

please not my son flipping you the bird :)

You have moments where they are messing up your hair, or jumping in the wrap. That is once you have finally burned off all their energy, so they will agree to be wrapped. 

Then those hectic moments are mirrored by this, complete love and snuggles. I don't prefer one over the other, but I do miss these special calm moments on days like today. Days that are practically void of any of these snuggles, whether wild or tame.

Feature Company: Didymos

Didymos Indio Karibik

Didymos is one of the oldest and most established of the wrap manufactures, it was founded in 1972. They have had the time to perfect their product, and create a vast standard line, plus numerous limited editions. Lately, it seems like some of the history of this amazing brand is slipping through our fingers. So the purpose of this post is to entice you to look more, as there have been some old, very hard to find Indios just sitting on the swap at CRAZY good prices.

 

Didymos Aqua Pfau

There are a few reasons for the decline in the Didy craze. One of them is people moving away from Thebabywearer.com, yes facebook is extremely easy to use and quick, but it is not an accurate archive or amazing resource, so I am going to provide you with a few links to awesome threads and other websites. Another reason is the influx of new “hot” companies, Didymos has held the test of time, their flock will eventually come back I am sure of it.

Didymos Orient

But as for product, Didy carries a few “standard” lines, Stripes, Double Face, Indio and Jacquard. And within those categories there are limited addition wraps. From my personal experience with Didymos, I have never been disappointed, yes they have their odd flop, but consistently they show a comfortable, beautiful, moldable product that I am always proud to wear.

Didymos Black and White Old Standard

http://www.didymos.de/en/Babywearing/DIDYMOS-Baby-Wrap-Sling/
http://www.birdiesroom.com/c-403-didymos-wraps.aspx
http://wovenwrapsdatabase.com/
http://slingsthings.blogspot.ca/
http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?518325-FAVORITE-classic-wraps-and-links-to-chatter-threads&highlight=indios
http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?138689-Woven-Wraps-Color-Chart&highlight=indios
http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?468637-*UPDATED-6-3-13*-Didymos-LEs-by-Date-(w-Chatter-Thread)&highlight=indios

http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?339230-To-all-vintage-Didy-Geeks!-26-years-old-booklet 

Didymos Nature Linen Indio

Warped and Wonderful: Review

So I had the privilege of hosting a Warped and Wonderful tester for a week a few weeks ago. I was super excited about this one, because there is so much talk over these beautiful handwovens! Warped and Wonderful wraps are the handiwork of the lovely Vila Cox, in Boise Idaho. She has so many great resources to get to know more about her and her work, here are some:

http://www.warpedandwonderful.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Warped-Wonderful-Handwoven-Treasures/241360532566599?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WWLove/?fref=ts

http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?507592-Warped-and-Wonderful&highlight=Warped+Wonderful

http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?498091-Warped-and-Wonderful-wraps-review&highlight=Warped+Wonderful

There truly is so much information out there about these wraps, but nothing really compares to trying it yourself.

This is a size 7 in the "Fern" pattern, in Peacock. I have to admit I was a little overwhelmed by the size, my base size is a 4 so I had tails to my ankles in DH with a half knot chest belt. Plus this conveniently came during an early May heat wave, so it was a wee bit steamy. 

In hand this wrap feels quite a bit heftier than any other wrap I have felt, yet still had an airy sense to it. The weaving is immaculate, such a treat to look at, and as an added bonus the threads have a shimmer to them which is quite lovely!  

When it came down to wrapping with it, it was a bit of a workout, part because of the length and also because of the thickness and grip. The wrap has a good amount of grip to it, so it stays in place quite well. Once wrapped, Fern was rock solid, even a sloppy wrap job was comfortable. There is a great stretch to Fern, so the wrap moves with you as you walk, but not in an "hurt the shoulders" kind of way. It truly was a lovely wrap, and I really enjoyed the time I had with it.

Finally on it's last day here, our weather cooled down and I didn't feel crazy hot in this wrap. So we had a LONG wrap nap and my shoulders were thanking me that I used Fern. I was definitely sad to see this go, but if I was to seek out a Warped and Wonderful of my own I think it would have to be a shorty, preferably a size 2. It has all the best qualities of an amazing shorty, it has cush that goes on for days, visual impact and long lasting hold, to me that spells a perfect 10 in a DH Rebozo (my favourite carry).