55% Merino wool / 45% organic cotton / 231 GSM
1 year and 27 pounds
Liinalapsi - Wearababy wrap shop was founded in 2008 and the owner Niina started making woven wraps under the name Vanamo in 2014. They are based in Finland and the wraps are all lovinglyw made right there. From the Wearababy website, Usva means mist or fog: a light cloud of mist that can sometimes be seen floating over a field early in the morning. I was surprised at how small the package was and how small the wrap folded up for being a wool blend. The bright and saturated purple color contrasts nicely with the white and makes the Solki pattern stand out. The pattern on first look has a very handwoven look and feel. I also noted immediately how soft this wrap is, especially for the high wool content, there is no hint of itchiness here.
Solki Usva is very thin in hand and the weave is airy when you hold it up to the light. The wrap has a very flat feel as you run your hand over, but almost a micro texture is also evident from the weave pattern. Smooth and soapy in hand as well the wrap is also extremely soft and no wool itchiness present. There is a very obvious right side and a wrong side, the wrong side white dominates and more of that micro texture is felt. The diagonal stretch here is medium high, but pulling in other directions the stretch is low.
Vanamo Solki Usva has a classic "old school" woven wrap look and will appeal to those who like a subtle all over pattern where the colors are what stands out and shines. The purple is a clear and bright medium purple and the bright white really compliments it and helps the purple and the pattern stand out, but still not feel dominating.
This wrap is super easy to wrap with. Very thin in hand with lots of drape. Glides beautifully, though some extra care is required to create seats in back carries that do not need further adjustments to maintain. With both double hammock and ruck I needed to be more precise creating my seat, not too loose or overly tight. Since the wrap is so thin and soapy, you just cannot be sloppy for some of the steps. I wore Solki Usva in FWCC, double hammock, and ruck. To have a wool wrap be so thin in hand and light and airy, there will be drawbacks to that and I would recommend this wrap more in a base size and for multilayer carries. In a ruck it can start to feel a bit diggy with heavier babies and toddlers, but that is not unexpected with how thin the wrap is. The thinness translates to more ease with experimentation for bunching or sandwiching passes, you won't have much bulkiness no matter what you do and can adjust a few different ways for comfort and support.
Because this Solki Usva is easy care and machine washable I recommend it wholeheartedly for newborn and up use, it has the softness for very young babies and will not be overwhelming either as it is so thin and moulds so well. Also measuring the width it's 26", which can work for all size babies, but is especially ideal for smaller babies. For me Solki Usva shines in FWCC and does very well in double hammock, the wool has a good bounce and because of the thinness and airy weave it will do well year round. I wore this on some of the hottest Summer days and it performed very well in the heat, excellent breathability and temperature regulation. If you are wool curious, love thin and soapy wraps this one is for you. If you love grip, want a thicker and more toddler worthy wrap, particularly a shorty for toddlers I would pass on this one. Vanamo has since woven a thicker weave Solki Usva which may be more suitable for toddlers. For a thin and super soft wool wrap though this version of Vanamo Solki Usva cannot be beat.
