Firespiral Acorn Burnish Gossamer
The Basics
Firespiral Acorn Burnish Gossamer
Firespiral Slings' Acorn Burnish Gossamer is 100% cotton. It's woven using Firespiral's Alchemy weave, which is slightly looser and makes for lovely soft & mouldable wraps. Acorn is about 275 GSM, which makes it a bit heavier than a medium weight wrap.
The Brand
Firespiral Acorn Burnish Gossamer
Firespiral is a British company, founded by two babywearing mothers, who design their own jacquard woven wraps in-house. They are inspired by "the universal patterns in nature that stray into both science and myth; the magical way in which we are connected to the world and its rhythms". Firespiral use small, local producers and suppliers wherever possible, and have a strong focus on ecological and ethical production.
I saw my first Firespiral wrap (a Gossamer no less!) at my local sling library and loved the feel, texture and design. Many Firespiral Alchemy weave wraps have lived here since, all different but sharing common characteristics.
Firespiral wraps come with an attractive cotton bag and pin badge as well as a guide for safe use.
The Looks
Firespiral Torra Burnish Winter Hill (left) & Acorn Burnish Gossamer
Firespiral's new Burnish warp is a gorgeous charcoal grey with warm earthy undertones. It's subtle, wearable and practical for all seasons.
Firespiral fans will be aware of the debate over the classic Twilight warp, and whether it's purple or blue. The answer was, well, both. The weft colour, as well as different lights, altered the Twilight significantly making it wonderfully versatile. The Burnish warp is another chameleon and the 'is it brown or grey?' debate has already begun.
I'm lucky enough to be testing two wraps on the Burnish warp; Torra Burnish Winter Hill and Acorn Burnish Gossamer. I can honestly say that, despite them arriving in the same package, I didn't immediately spot that they were the same warp. The pale silver-blue Torra weft makes the Burnish look charcoal grey, whilst the warmer burnt yellow tones of Acorn bring out the warm earthy tones of Burnish, making it look much browner.
The Acorn weft is a beautiful ombré fading from a yellow gold, through a pale silvery grey to a burnt bronze. On the dark side, it gives the impression of warm sunlight catching silvery cobwebs. The lighter side makes me think of silhouetted cobwebs in hazy golden sunlight.
I simply can't decide which side I like best. With Firespiral's mirrored hems and middle markers, there's no 'wrong' side and it's like getting two wraps in one! I suspect I'd wear the lighter side out more in the summer, and the darker in winter, but both are absolutely lovely.
The Gossamer pattern seems to divide Firespiral fans. It was one of the first patterns to catch my eye and I still think it's incredibly beautiful. I did have a bit of a wobble at one stage when I feared I may be revisiting my 'Goth' phase but, unless Firespiral release a black one made out of PVC, I think I'm safe on that front!! In all seriousness, there are no spiders on the design and Gossamer is a beautiful, delicate, Fae-like pattern... Unless you're carrying a Spider-Man fan, in which case, yes totally, this is the Spidey wrap (just like my Aqua wrap is the 'Frozen' one)!
The Wrapping Qualities
Firespiral Acorn Burnish Gossamer wrapping a newborn
A successful transfer Firespiral Acorn Burnish Gossamer (all the sleepy dust!)
Like all Firespiral Alchemy Weave cotton, Acorn is blankety soft and floppy right out of the bag. In hand, it feels light, airy, mouldable and supremely squish worthy. I used it to wrap my newborn in his first weeks of life and can vouch for its sleepy dust content!
Acorn was also supportive for carrying my 37lb (ish) toddler. I've talked before about how we can all get a bit blinkered when it comes to blends and disregard good old 100% cotton. In my experience, weave, weight & a decent wrap-job are often more significant factors than blend when it comes to the supportive, toddler-worthiness of a wrap.
Acorn has a little bit of cushiness and was comfortable while carrying my toddler for a couple of hours (in miserable drizzle). I was testing a size 5 and it was absolutely toddler-worthy in a reinforced ruck with a candy cane chest belt and other multi-layer carries. I prefer a bit more thickness for single layer carries however, so I recommend buying a longer size if you plan on lugging around a heavy load over long distances!
The Gossamer design adds more grip than many Firespiral patterns, which helps your passes stay put. The neat knot also didn't budge. It is however very easy to wrap with, with the passes gliding into place easily.
Being 100% cotton, it's great for all weathers and machine washable.
Summary
Firespiral Acorn Burnish Gossamer
You simply can't go wrong with a Firespiral Alchemy weave cotton wrap and Acorn's an absolute beauty. Smoochy soft and blankety from the outset, mouldable and supportive with a bit of cush, whilst being easy care and fairly priced. It's both newborn and toddler worthy. If you're a cloth nappy user, think of Acorn as a 'birth to potty' wrap (although it'll of course carry on working beautifully long after potty training's done!).
I'm told that Acorn Burnish Gossamer will be released to buy on the Firespiral Slings website 10th May. I recommend following Firespiral on Facebook for all their news and details of upcoming releases.
If you can't wait until that May release, keep an eye out for a very exciting giveaway on The Wrapping Years soon!
Firespiral Acorn Burnish Gossamer
