Review: Kokoro Howl
Howl is one of those wraps that I sheerly loved the aesthetic of. Almost love at first sight.
I'm a bit of a blingy mama, so I do like a hint of sparkle.
But it was the chatter that piqued my attention! Whenever I heard Howl mentioned, it was from one camp or the other. Love or hate, lots of comments on the sparkle thread being scratchy and unbearable etc and it being a tremendous, beastly wrap!
When my lovely & generous friend posted online that she was about to send hers travelling, I got butterflies!
I pondered over which camp I'd be in, would the wrap feel like course steel wool grating over my skin? Would I fall head over heels in love?
The package arrived at my door. As usual I, the smudgy eyed mama panda, donning pjs and a baby on one hip, opened the door and jumped outside to sign for the package!
I'm pretty sure my mailman has gotten used to my awaking mombie look.
I signed for the package and went inside.
Next minute, a knock at my door. "The uh, parcel didn't scan properly" So he scanned it again.
"Hmm.. One minute!" He said, and disappeared down my driveway.
After a minute or so of him not returning, it dawned on me... he was gone.. he had seen the declared insurance value of the package (over $1000) and fled. Oh no, how was I going to explain this one! I had signed for it. Next minute he reappeared and vanquished the thought clouds of my over-active imagination.. Sorry for ever doubting you postie!
I went inside and couldn't wait. I quickly showered and did a little dance while getting ready. Suffices to say I was a palpable mixture of ecstatic & excited!
As I opened the package the beautiful grey and ecru wrap hit me, the sparkles glimmered and glistened in the light. I held back a gasp. Silver & gold! Now some are anti mixing metals, I'm all for it!
(I think Avigail also approves). I understand why some call it a beast, it's a rather heavy weight, dense weave, but not ridiculously so.
The composition is 30% Organic Cotton, 30 % Sea Island Cotton, 13% Mulberry Silk and Angora blend, 27% Sparkly Rayon, Nylon, Ester blend. Normally I'm very anti-non-natural fibres, but I fell head over heels for this one. I was so excited I even rocked Howl in the Kokoro backpack whilst bub was in the pram. Did someone say Dorkus-Malorkus?
My wrappee is 10month old Avigail, weighing in at 8-9kg. In howl she was completely weightless. My two favourite carries in howl were FWCC and Ruck in variations. I also tried DH and a CCCB, which looked aesthetically pleasing, but double passes are definitely not a necessity with the amount of cush this bad boy has.
On my final send-off for Howl I thought I'd attempt a ruck tied Tibetan. The thought crossed me that it'd be too thick to manage, but I succeeded and it was glorious! Like wearing a dreamy cushion.
Howl is squishy, comfy, spongy, soft yet slightly textured & almost sparsely furry. Passes are not inhibited by the texture and glide into place, be it with a little more effort.
In my opinion howl is suited to intermediate and up wrappers. The thickness and extra attention when tightening could be a little overwhelming for a newbie, but is nothing a little time and practice couldn't solve.
Now to the nitty, gritty (pardon the pun). The sparkles! Do they scratch? Are they irritating? Did I find them uncomfy? No, on all three counts. I can feel them, but not enough to prevent me from reaching for Howl. I assumed he might be a pretty wrap that I'd have to wear long sleeves with, but ultimately he was fine on bare skin. Little ones on the other hand, have much more sensitive skin & I would be inclined to say, howl is best suited to a fully clothed bub. With that in mind, Howl is well suited to the cooler months or cooler climates, when bub would generally be in longer sleeves/ clothing anyway. I was able to wear him for a nice stroll on a mild Melbourne Spring day without feeling I was overheating, but the man-made materials can lend to a warmer feeling.
As I walked around the Hawks Football Oval, formerly Waverley Football Ground carrying my daughter in a Ruck tied Tibetan, the trees rustled, a mild breeze caressed us & we felt safe. Howl was the perfect addition to that. Although he is only a traveller that has graced us, he feels like home, he reminds me of the mildly scratchy warm blankets my grandparents used to have. Howl to me is safety & security. We strolled around the track with the amber sun setting off in the distance, I felt a little head and arms resting on the back of my neck and shoulders, a little yawn escaped and I know the sleepy dust has kicked in. I'm glad that I can pass on a similar feeling of security & comfort to my child. Thank you for the lend Brooke, Howl is truly something special.
I don't always match my outfit and makeup to my wrap but... who am I kidding? I mostly do..
