Minako Gems Amber

Review of Minako Gems Amber

Pattern: Gem
Name: Amber
Blend: 64% egyptian cotton and 36% Bourette Silk

I have been so lucky to have Amber here visiting us for a week.
A lot of people brags about the cotton/bourette- blend of Minako, and I was very excited to try this one out!

This is the first Minako Gems Im trying, and I think the pattern is beautiful and delicate. I like gems, as a lot of womens, and this is no exception.

My first impression of this wrap was that it was incredible soft! Its soft and cushy, feels like a marshmallow in my hands. Still you can feel that the "right" side is grippy. It has nubs and clubs of beautiful orange, white and yellow.  All this on the top of a pale orange background. The "back" of this wrap is grey, and that way the diamonds are in grey. The back side has the opposite- grey background and orange/yellow/white diamonds. The "back" of the wrap is also much more smooth. There is almost no grip in this grey side of the wrap. That way the wrap will easily slide in double layers, but still be grippy to hold tight when wrapping and wearing your baby.

I have tried the wrap in both ruck, DH and FWCC. I think it was perfect for all of them. My favorite carrie is DH, and I use that often when going for longer walks. Ruck is great when Im in a hurry, or my little prince don´t have the time for the extra tightening and fixing that a DH requires.
This wrap is good also with my heavy toddler in a ruck, and that is a very good quality. I would say its definitely toddler-proof!

Amber feels medium thick in hand, and have almost no stretch. In both horisontal and vertical there is no stretch at all. Diagonally there is some amount of stretch. This makes the wrap feels a bit inelastic. The good thing is that when wrapping with Amber, as long as all the tightening is well done- there will be no sagging og heavy feeling on your shoulders. It requires a precisely wrap job, but it will reward you with making your toddler and baby feel weightless.

The silk in this wrap makes the wrap very strong, and the perfect toddler prison. Still its also as soft as a blanket, and could easily be squish friendly too. its very moldable, and folds like an extra layer of skin around both me and my toddler.
The plaids on my shoulders felt very good once tighten well, and the wrap gives some cush too.

So, this wrap is easy to wrap with, easy to tighten, and is perfect for all ages. It holds a small knot, and it stays in place both with one and two knots. Even having medium thickness, its not making me warm at all. The silk makes the wrap good for both warm and colder seasons.
The colors of this reminds me of autumn. Its such a warm and cosy color, just like the beautiful autumn leaves, or the light of the fireplace.

Thank you Minako HQ for letting me host this beautiful Gems Amber.

Minako Ursus Polar

Review of Minako Ursus Polar 

Pattern: Ursus
Name: Polar
Blend: 42% L.S. egyptian cotton, 36% Japanese Tsumugi silk (space dyed) 16% mulberry silk, 6%babycamel
Thickness: 290 g/m2 (prewash)
Wrappee: 20 months and 14,5 kg

So, lets all meet Minako Ursus Polar. 

Just a short while after Mischa left, Polar arrived here with us. I was very excited about this one, because I heard that it was more spongy on the shoulders than Mischa, and that would just be the perfect wrap for us.
The rumors was true, and my thoughts too.
When I thought I had met the perfect wrap in Mischa- I met Polar! 

Polar is a beauty of a wrap, with amazing colors. 
You may think that its silver and black with glitter, but that´s not the reality.
The wrap has some beautiful colors hidden inside the silver/grey, and that makes the wrap look glittering. 
In slingofest Minako has described the wrap as : Double twisted space dyed Japanese silk ( pastel blue colors) in combination with navy blue babycamel/silk on black yarn.
And the pastel in it self looks soo gorgeous! 

  

Polar is made of 42% L.S. egyptian cotton, 36% Japanese Tsumugi silk, 16% mulberry silk and 6%babycamel. 
It has the thickness of 290 g/m2. 
This time I would try look away from that number, because I think Polar is more of a thick wrap. My guess would be around 320-340 just by touching it. Still the wrap feels light in hand. Its not heavy, but feels airy and fluffy just by touching it.

The pastel colors are hard to capture in a picture. I have tried, and this is the best I got.
It has stripes of different pastel colors, and its so beautiful! 

So, how does it feel?
Polar felt a bit rough in hand. It had a surface I haven't experienced before. 
They say this will be different, and more smooth, when really broken in, but for me it was not rough in a bad way. 
Polar felt like having ALOT of grip when touching it, but it was not what I experienced when wrapping with it. 
The wrap is a velcro wrap (as we call it in Norway), but still there was no problem making double passes glide easily. And the grip also make the wrap stay in place when you wrap, tighten and making the knot. 

The wrap made my little one feel weightless in multiple layer-carries. It has some awesome amount of cush on the shoulders, and it has just a tiny bit stretch. 
The stretch is just enough to make the wrap moldable on both me and my boy. 
I feel like I'm once more repeating myself, but this wrap was very good to wrap with, carry in longer walks, carry heavier kids and also perfect for my sensitive shoulders and back!

For me Polar was the answer for the perfect toddler-wrap, and I was amazed about its qualities! 

So, my conclusion about this wrap:

- thicker wrap
- not heavy
- feels airy
- feels grippy in hand, but not when wrapping
- perfect wrap for toddlers
- medium amount of grip
- a bit bounce and stretch
- looks amazing
- no scratchy glitter
- good for single and multiple-layer carries
- does feel like a blanket, but not too warm.

- a bit too thick and grippy for the smallest squishes
- not for those who like wraps with no or just a bit of grip, or who search for thin wraps

Minako Ursus Mischa

Review of Minako Ursus Mischa

Pattern: Ursus
Name: Mischa
Blend: 42% L.S. egyptian gassed cotton , 36% Japanese Tsumugi Silk 22% cashmere 
Thickness: 280 g/m2 (prewash)
Wrappee: 19,5 months and 14,5 kg


Ursus Mischa is the first Minako I have ever tried, and it is always a pleasure to test something new. I have heard a lot of good things about the brand, and also the wrap, so I was very excited.

Also the blend is quite new to me. I have just tried once or twice both cashmere and Tsumugi silk, and Mischa have both.
The wrap was already well broken in when I received it, and it felt airy and fluffy. It felt medium thick in hand, and I could feel there was a bit stretch in it too.

Mischa arrived in our house just in time. Just the same evening my son decided that he did not want to go to sleep in any other way then in a FWCC, and that is just new for us. We have never really worn that much in FWCC before, because of his weight and my shoulders and back, but when thats all he wanted, the mother of course try her best to make it happen. So, I grabbed Mischa, and up he went....
And wow! 

Mischa was to the rescue. It felt good. I could carry him like this and make him stop crying, and comfort his needs. He fell asleep after a short while. We were both very comfortable wearing Mischa right from the start...

So... 
I posted this picture at some chatter groups, and people started asking me about the glitter.
"Does it scratch?"
" Is it uncomfortable to wear?"
" How does it feel like?"

And Yes... Mischa is glowing and glittering... 
But... Its not from glitter....

Mischa is made from black cotton and cashmere together with tsumugi silk in the color of charcoal... And look! Its not glitter. Its tsumugi silk speckles in different colors!!!

I love the look it gives to the wrap! So the answer is: NO! There is no glitter in this, and it feels very comfortable! 

So, where to start...

Mischa is a medium thick wrap, with its 280 g/m2. It does not feel thick in hand at all, and is very comfortable to wrap with. The wrap feels airy, and adding a lot of cush and bounce on my shoulders. I could wear my toddler for hours, without feeling any pain at all. 
With that being said, it is also quite easy to wrap with, and have just the right amount of grip. It was easy to make second passes, and the wrap was not sliding out of its place while tying it.

The wrap has an elegant look, at the same time with giving a bit of a rough look. Black can be a bit boring all alone, but this wrap is everything but boring. It looks pretty, and it has an interesting pattern, that I'm not getting tired of.

Its the first time Im having a mono wrap in my stash, and I love it. I now know that I need one.

I have used this wrap in DH, ruck and FWCC. Its my most used carries, and Mischa rocked them all. If there is anything I would have to say, it´s that after a short while it did not feel as comfortable wearing a simple ruck, but that is no news for me, as my toddler is almost 15 kg´s already. There is not a lot of wraps that are comfortable on my shoulders in single layers with this little kid.

This wrap is suitable for all. I felt it is very comfortable with my toddler in double layers, and I'm sure Mischa is also up for small squishes. Its very soft and moldable, and still gives great support.

Conclusion:

- Medium thick wrap, feeling thin in hand
- Have an airy feeling, both in hand and while wrapping
- Medium amount of stretch 
- Medium amount of grip
- Nice cush on shoulders
- Feels moldable when wrapping
- Easy to wrap with
- Suitable for all
- Beautiful! 

- Not for those who need a mute and thin wrap, or for those who need no grip or massive grip.