Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Almitra Tattva woven wrap - Phirozi, from the Cashmere Collection


I don't like wool. I don't like wool. I don't like wool. Oh crap, this is wool. Almitra Tattva  pulled a swifty with some cashmere while I wasn't looking, and the result is Phirozi.

This is all kinds of peacock teal and purple and gold and wandering vines and... beautiful. Like a really stunning pashmina but 4.6m long and good to support up to 15kgs of child. It's not scratchy, but slightly fuzzy feeling (Hey, I don't "do" wool) and light. It arrived prewashed and I feel like subsequent washings have caused the fibres to fluff apart a little more and give it more bounce - but it's not at all insulating or heated to wear. 


This has a petrol gleam that EVERYONE notices. It's kind of glorious. Yes, that is FWCC with passes bunched with my 15 kg 3yo.  Perfect. No dig, easy to make a seat, plenty of width (79 cms, right up there with Diva Milano)
It's that kind of cush (on a very light scale) and bounce. I have been reading reviews raving abut wool for years and now I think I might understand.

In a freshwater finish this pleats effortlessly. It has a very certain give and 'bounce' which separates it from cotton, and (of course) I was pleasantly surprised at it's breathability. 

In a double hammock I found it quite challenging to spread the second pass; this was a combination of the 8kg demo doll with legs rather shorter than I'm used to and the grip to the wrong side; it requires a bit of elbow-towel action to get the pass nicely in place but once there, consider it velcroed in for good. 

While you're feeling a bit gobsmacked by how glorious this wrap looks, I'll just mention the price: bargain basement $100 plus shipping. Go now. Stalk their Facebook page for the next release, and go drool over their new collection of cotton and cotton/linen while you're at it. Beauty (and excellent wrapping qualities) on a budget indeed. 


Almitra Tattva Bohemian Ruby: all-cotton woven wrap review

The 
Almitra Tattva -  sound a little bit exotic?  Made in India, these are like a breath of air - gorgeously lightweight, drapey, and thin. Bohemian Ruby is a rich lavender and black contrast featuring a traditional Indian paisley in panels - looks great in a chest pass!


This wrap came visiting during a warm fortnight and it was absolutely lush to have such a breathable and thin wrap that still offered support and a little cush. I found very little lift in the pattern (Almitra Tattva wraps come prewashed) and subsequent washing hasn't given more texture, just confirmed this as a very silky-feeling all-cotton. 

This was great with Audrey (15kgs) but requires careful wrapping. 
(We do go on rather long walks, and this totally lived up to the journey. I just want to emphasis that it's a skill-builder rather than a "she'll be right" kind of wrap.
It made a wonderful reinforced ruck that finished knotless smoothly and didn't budge. With a smaller demo doll (about 8kgs) it was absolutely divine, buttery soft and mouldable to the extreme.
 I really like thinner wraps for smaller babies - you can get a very second-skin fit and adjust tension very finely, which is ideal when supporting new little bodies. 
Kangaroo is my most loathed carry; I always flip the shoulders wrong or screw up the seat. Guess what: a thinner wrap totally fixed that for me, and I feel like I actually nailed this for once... Again, a thinner wrap made it that little bit easier for me to really adjust strand by strand and be able to fine tune what I was doing instead of relying on a cushy wrap to cover a sloppy attempt ;)


Verdict from a meet I hosted: Wow that's thin, wow that's lovely, I just want to snuggle with it, that's really ORGANIC, oooh what a nice small knot (oh yes, I forgot that!).
Serious bonus: These are a ridiculously affordable wrap - $100 for a size 6 and $12 flat shipping worldwide means you won't be disappointed! I highly recommend you take a browse at their online store - this is certainly not their only beauty!