I've played with a couple of Poe's wraps. One thing they all have in common is their strength. I didn't like Harlequin. I liked that I could put my then 40# all torso tall kid in a ruck comfortably, but she didn't exactly have a good seat (to be fair, she's almost 4 and few wraps can still give her a good seat, bb slen Turkish delight is one), and the wrap is too beastly (and I've broken in a few beasts, like ecru pfau, for one). 

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Splendor. It would be my first time playing with a wrap made with Tencel, and I was skeptical. I didn't know much about it. Poe has since posted about the fabric here. It's pretty neat stuff, natural, and sustainable. The wrap looked simple, pointed, and had a sort of classic elegance about it in the pictures I saw, so I thought testing it out might be a neat experience. And originally I was supposed to be testing it out close to Christmas, so I figured I couldn't lose.

It finally arrived, and sight alone it is as elegant in person as it is in photos. Herringbone is trendy and classic all in one, and up close I find this to be a gorgeous wrap. At a distance, the intricate  weave gets lost, and it looks almost like a solid color.

I was excited to see how this wrap would perform though. My 17# was asleep, so up went my big kid in a ruck. I usually put her in a double hammock, but I wanted something faster. It's hard on my back to stay hunched over even just a little while wrapping her. So I rucked her, tied Tibetan, , and she stayed up for about 15 minutes - a long time for her these days! It was easy to give her the best seat this wrap could - safe, but not very deep. If she really wanted to she could have popped it, but I think honestly that she'd knock us down first, if she tried to leg straighten at more than half my height. It was more supportive than most other wraps I've tried with her lately. Harlequin was more supportive, but Splendor wraps more delicately. I was still impressed to have her up there for 15 minutes without it getting diggy. Nothing in my own stash does that.  

Disclaimer: this is for entertainment purposes only. None of these claims should be taken as medical advice, and you should always seek the care of a medical professional if you're sick.

I love fall. I love the leaves crunching under my feet, the smell in the air, sweaters, extra baking, and that its the season to whip up my favorite syrups and folk remedies. I've made elderberry syrup for the past few years, and it serves us well. It's touted as one of mother nature's "flu shots." Elderberry syrup is one tool among our wellness arsenal, so I can't say for sure if it really works, but we haven't gotten the flu yet (knock on wood).

Elderberries are widely known to be a strong source of vitamin c, which they are. I wanted to learn more though, so I found some clinical trials for standardized elderberry syrup extract (aka, the elderberry syrup you can buy in brick and mortar stores and online). What I learned was pretty amazing.

This past weekend I had the privilege of modeling a new woven wrap for Vermont’s own Poe Wovens. I wasn’t planning to blog about it, after all, I only wore the wrap for one hour. But I loved it so much, that I simply have to share. I volunteered to share, and I’m not officially testing this wrap, so there are no incentives for this post. These are strictly my own opinions after wrapping with this wrap for the purposes of modeling it for Poe Woven’s photo needs.

I had seen the wrap in pictures beforehand, and to be honest, before seeing the wrap in person, I wasn’t excited about the colorway. I don’t own a neutral wrap, and the closest I’ve ever owned, I quickly dyed (I wish I left it alone). I’m also not a huge fan of 100% cotton wraps. Yes, I own a few, but I’m thinning them out. Wool has my heart. I have merino and alpaca wraps, and they are by far my favorite. I love them in the Virginia heat, and the Vermont cold. So, the way I saw it, I was going to do the best I could to give Poe some awesome pictures to work with, get to meet Poe’s owner in person for the first time, and of course check out her work.