Reviews in brief – Lawilde Elliott Verdigris and Artipoppe Original Leopard
It’s been ages since I wrote some reviews in brief but I’m lucky to have a lot of visitors pass through my hands and it’s a shame to not make some “tasting notes” of them.
Lawilde Verdigris Elliott
It’s been a long time since I got my hands on a Lawilde. I had shied away from them on the basis of my experience with Elliott Kingfisher, a beautifully woolly wrap I got when I was less experienced with carries. I found the width a challenge to work with and really disliked the bounce from the wool. I have learned over time that I gravitate to wraps with more structure and less give. Which is a helpful revelation to have when it comes to my wrap finances as I make fewer “mistakes” in my purchases and trades.
A close up of the wrapVerdigris is the dream of a lovely wrap friend who had been quietly campaigning for a coppery/teal wrap for a long time. Charlotte, of Lawilde, finally chose the Verdigris group for the Elliott semi custom. By this time I was only keeping half an eye on activity as we had failed once as a group to get picked so I was grateful that my friend kicked me up the bum when it came to ordering. We decided to share a wrap which is the first time I have done such a thing and I recommend it. Basically you agree to the wrap going back and forth and either one of you can buy the other out or you both sell it on. It’s a great way to try a wrap with less cost. She has since bought me out but I’d do this all over again.
Anyway, Verdigris came to me first and my goodness it’s a stunner. The Elliott pattern is based on two separate intertwining sections that appear like a traditional knitted jumper. The flow of the pattern also reminds me of bird wings which is an aspect of nature that I gravitate to. The mood board drew on the colours of verdigris – the changing characteristic of copper when it is exposed to air The wrap is a blend of 14% bourette silk, 14% linen, 7% mulberry silk and 21% merino in shades of teals and coppers. The 43% black cotton warp emphasises the depth of the weave and colours. It is a wrap of two looks with one side showing the teals off fantastically and the reverse making a real play of the speckled red/orange bourette.
A tasty candy cane chest beltThis combination of yarns gives the most balanced wrapping experience I have ever used in what is a gossamer weight piece of fabric at a mere 215g m/sq. It’s gauzier than Sling Studio’s Gorse and as I held Verdigris up to the light I marveled. For despite the light weight, the combination of two different silks for strength – each bringing a contrast of nubby grip from the bourette and glide from the mulberry – added with the touch of linen for support (and shimmer) and the merino for some shoulder cush creates a wrap that is Goldilocks right.
It’s a dream to wrap with as the size 5 (base -1) worked nicely for double layer carries. I could pull off a double hammock tied in front and didn’t struggle with the second pass. It didn’t glide but I didn’t wrestle with the wrap. Once in place the wrap held wonderfully, no sagging or bagging, just tight and neat. For lazy days I knotless rucked it with a variety of pretty finishes which a base -1 is so good for. I continued to marvel that a single layer of this gauzy cloth could hold my 75% percentile 2 year old with such ease. I dared to FWCC my nearly 5 year old and it was GOOD. How can something so thin, gentle and seemingly fragile be so strong and comfy?
Front wrap cross carry with my eldestMaybe I’m a slightly better wrapper a year on from Kingfisher, maybe this wrap is just magical, I’m not sure but this wrap opened my eyes to Charlotte’s work and I’m so grateful to my wrapping friend for getting me involved in this custom.
Artipoppe Original Leopard
When Artipoppe previewed the leopard design I was very 50/50 about it. It’s a design that can be either cutting edge and beautiful or a bit….Bet Lynch. So I missed the first few releases and later wished I hadn’t. A few weeks ago a mystery package appeared at my door and it contained two travellers from a lovely mama and one was the Original Leopard.
MeowOL is an all cotton wrap, a mix of Egyptian and mercerised, which gives the complex weave a sense of depth. The triple weft weave is a new one for Artipoppe that seems to have gotten Anna very excited and now I can understand why. It allows for a lovely graduation of colours which in OL are traditional leopard colours. It weighs approx 300g m/sq though I suspect more and is billed as needing breaking in which is why it’s been out for a little meander around visitors. I have seen quite a few change hands early on so clearly it’s a beast for many.
Smallest was so chilled out in OL she turned her attention to running toys down my headIn hand the leopard is indeed thick but has a good drape. I’m not afraid of beasts and was really excited to try it. This is a wrap that absolutely shines as a shorty and the visitor is a size 3 (base -2.5-3 for me). I can just get a traditional ruck out of it but love it in a knotless ruck. Despite its weight it’s easy to work with and I don’t find it bulky or slippy. I can achieve beautifully high back carries that are supportive, feel great on my shoulders and allows Smallest a bit of a bounce – something she enjoys doing at the moment. The weave has a slight stretch and recoil that is delicious to wear. I have to say I haven’t knotted it much and indeed if you do you’re not going to have tiny knots – it did hold a half knot in a ruck tied at the shoulder so that demonstrates its decent grip.
Strong and cushy enough for older wrappeesI have always associated mercerised cotton with slipping so have avoided it but I’ve fallen in love with the leopard; the weave, design, wrapping qualities and support are fantastic. Highly recommended and if you get one, have patience, it’s a beast worth taming.
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