West of the fourth handwoven review

Listen up. We need to have a little chat about West of the Fourth Weaving  

 

This shall henceforth be referred to as 4.6 meters of heaven. Blue sky rainbow dropped out of the sky at an opportune moment and has been a ray of light in a dark time. 

Here are the technicalities: for the last four years, Nancy has been developing a flax blend yarn which is comparable to unicorn fluff. I know this sounds crazy, but it's basically linen for lovers of wool. 

How does this even work? If you're shrugging and going DUDE, flax is just linen, WHATEVS... You're kind of right. However, remember how we always talk about "breaking in"? This is ultimately broken in. The flax fibre is partially broken down in an enzymatic digestion process, making a much finer flax than traditional linen. THEN, this is blended with lyocell (you know tencel? That stuff. The stuff that feels like silk with the same breathable and tensile feel as wool) and spun into a superfine and very strong yarn. (25% flax, 25% lyocell, 50% cotton)

The result? Grippy, but crazily soft and amazingly cushy. This wrap slips through your hands like silk and supports like wool. It ties with a tiny knot and feels like a second skin.

 I actually can't find enough good things to say about it. I have long been a fan of Nancy's work for it's evenness, artistry (single colors are never "just" single, but variegated and complex) and stunning quality. For a long while she has set the bar in handwoven baby wraps, and now with West of the Fourth her attention to detail and expertise are again in the spotlight.

Obviously I'm not wrapping a baby or even a toddler. These are lanky 3yo limbs and to be up much longer than half an hour multi-layer carries are de jour. 

We're talking the bomb no-diggity. Thin enough to wrap simply and without fighting, squishy enough to rest lightly on my shoulders, solid that there was no sagging, retightening, and simply beautiful to look at. After a few washes (we eat in wraps, and wrap in parking lots and do all kinds of awful things...) this has not changed. A tiny stiffness fresh off the line, no pilling, no change in texture or density. Reliable and safe and lovely. 

Follow west of the fourth. I promise you will not be disappointed, and you may well be lucky❤️