I had the pleasure of hosting Paper Street Weaving “Borealis”, 4.4m of cotton/linen goodness.
This is a 100% cotton warp, with a 60/40 cotton/linen weft. The wrap was finished mid-March, so it was still relatively new when I hosted at the end of May. The wrap features a diamond weave, which you don’t see very often in hand woven’s. To be honest, the last diamond weave I used was a Girasol many, many moons ago. I was apprehensive when I opened the package- I expected the wrap to be very flat and dense, especially considering that it is a linen blend. The wrap is flat in hand in terms of texture, though the weave brought a lovely cush when pinched between the fingers. The more I pet the wrap, the more excited I was to wrap with it. I had to wait several hours since my kids were both a school when I received it.
I decided to wrap my younger daughter first in Borealis. She’s 9 months old and about 22lbs. I chose my go-to test carry for visiting wraps, Ruck tied Tibetan. I choose this carry because it highlights how a wrap lays on my shoulders in a single pass carry- in my opinion this is the make it/break it carry for someone with picky shoulders. It also shows if a wrap can hold up to a knotless finish. Borealis hugged Claire’s back and booty with minimal secondary tightening needed, actually I supermanned her up, pulled the ruck straps to pass under her bum, and finished off- there really wasn’t any tightening needed at all. We ended up going for a long walk around the neighborhood and it held in place perfectly. I wouldn’t say that I have “picky” shoulders, but I *am* picky about how wraps lay on my shoulder- if they start to slide or loosen I will absolutely stop and re-tighten, and I didn’t have to do that at all on our walk. The support was phenomenal, while still being soft in hand and extremely moldable.
I tossed my toddler up in a ruck when we got home. She’s almost 3 and nearing 30lbs. It was comfortable, but she’s not big on being wrapped lately. She lasted about 5 minutes before she demanded to come down. There was a nice level of bounce without being saggy though, and considering her size and the single pass carry it was acceptable in my book. I wouldn’t have hesitated to take her for a walk in Borealis.
I am a big fan of semi FWCC for snuggles, and this wraps slip knot tightened like a champ. Not too much texture to be difficult to tighten, and enough grip to keep it locked in. I actually expected this wrap to fail the slip knot text but I was pleasantly surprised.
The majority of our wrapping is done with a DH variation, and Borealis passed with flying colors here. The passes glide with ease and the chest pass was snug with the perfect amount of stretch. Upon first review in my local group I mentioned it “hugging like your mama” and I stand by that. It’s tight enough that you feel secure, yet has the gentle give that you need to be comfortable. I find many linen blends to be restrictive in a chest pass, or almost pinching if not tightened just right. This wrap was easy, quick, and secure- no fuss. I finished this particular DH with being TUB just to see if it could hold up. It didn’t budge in a half knot (who does a full knot anyways?) on our backyard adventure with the big kid.
All in all this wrap really surprised me. Visually “Borealis” is the perfect name. The streaks of color are muted and beautiful, and they seem to dance depending on what carry is done. The diamond weave bring a nice element to the depth of color without being overwhelming on such a subtle warp. The linen gives a gentle support and was beautifully broken in when it reached me to host, and I would most definitely pick it as a weft blend from this weaver for a custom. The quality and consistency of the weave didn’t disappoint, especially from such a new weaver. It is sturdy, comfortable, a good amount of “cush” without being bulky, and really a beautiful wrap. I’m happy I was able to host this lovely piece of art and I wish Deidre all the best with Paper Street Weaving.
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