We are proud to host a large selection of Girasol wraps, ring slings, meh dais, and accessories in our store! Most of our Girasols are custom designs, and we greatly enjoy working with Amber at Kalleigh Designs to bring our ideas to life as new wefts, weaves, and warps to make beautiful carriers for you and your family!!
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For newer babywearers, a lot of the information about textiles, carries, and other things can be confusing, so we wanted to take a moment to explain the different Girasol weaves and our pricing structure for the Girasols we stock.
Handweaving
Most baby carriers made from woven textiles are created on jacquard looms. These are intricate, machine-run looms that allow for intricate designs. Risaroo carries many machine woven wraps including Risaroo Wovens, Lenny Lamb, Natibaby, and others. Handweaving is just want it sounds like - woven by hand. Handwoven wraps are often very expensive based on compensating for materials - many being exotic fibers - as well as weaver time. Girasol, however, is able to offer wraps at competitive prices by only offering 100% cotton wraps and engaging weavers - under fair trade conditions in Guatemala - to weave their textiles.
To understand woven textiles, first it helps to understand some terminology.
Weft - weft threads are the threads of a wrap running the entire length of a wrap
Warp - warp threads are the threads of a wrap running the width of a wrap
Weave - a weave is the design of wrap based on the lifting of certain weft threads in a pattern as the warp threads are passed back and forth through the weft threads; the design can effect some wrap properties
GSM - also known as g/m², this is grams per square meter or the surface weight of a wrap; this measure is often confused with the thickness of a wrap, however as noted the measurement is in two dimensions vs. three so is not a reliable indicator of thickness; a wrap with a high GSM can be either thicker OR denser (or both) than one with a lower GSM. Double weft wraps are definitively thicker than single threaded ones due to the doubling of weft threads. For the weaves themselves, the GSM is best able to assess the density (sometimes called airiness or breathability) of a wrap.
Standard Twill / Cross Twill Weave
This is the most basic weaving design offered by Girasol. Twill is pattern of diagonal parallel ribs. This weave is created by passing the weft thread over one or more warp threads then under two or more warp threads and so on, with a "step," or offset, between rows to create the characteristic diagonal pattern. Because of this structure, twill generally drapes well. Girasol standard / cross twill weaves are ~215.84 g/m². This is fairly lightweight and breathable. Carriers of this type are wonderful for newborns but can still be good with heavier children using carries that have multiple passes.
Diamond Weave
Diamond weave is a specialty twill weave that results in a pattern of diamonds on the cloth. Diamond weave is more intricate to weave and thus costs slightly more than standard twill weave. The weave pattern also creates a slightly thicker wrap at 228.26 g/m². This is still fairly lightweight and breathable. In addition to the increased thickness/surface weight, diamond weave also has slightly less diagonal stretch than standard twill. This combination of features means that diamond weave will be notably more supportive than standard twill without much change in thickness or breathability.
Herringbone Weave
Herringbone weave is another specialty twill weave that results in a zig-zag pattern on the cloth. Though called herringbone by Girasol, the design would more accurately be called "chevron" as there is no break at reversal. The break at the reversal would create the distinct pattern of a true herringbone (aka broken twill). Herringbone weave is more intricate to weave and thus costs slightly more than standard twill weave. Girasol's herringbone design creates a weave with a surface weight of 210.49 g/m². This is Girasol's most lightweight and breathable wrap and is best for warmer climates. The different weave structure also provides this additional breathability while also reducing diagonal stretch and thus not forfeiting supportiveness.
Honeycomb Weave
Honeycomb weave is a specialty twill weave. It is an alternate style of what is generally called diamond weave and also results in a diamond style pattern on the cloth. Honeycomb weave is more intricate to weave and thus costs slightly more than standard twill weave. The weave pattern also creates a slightly thicker wrap at ~228.26 g/m² - the same as diamond weave. This is still fairly lightweight and breathable. In addition to the increased thickness/surface weight, honeycomb weave also has slightly less diagonal stretch than standard twill. This combination of features means that honeycomb weave will be notably more supportive than standard twill without much change in thickness or breathability.
Double Weft
Double weft wraps are precisely what they sound like - instead of a single weft thread, the threading is doubled. This creates a much thicker and higher GSM wrap than regular weft Girasols. For standard twill, the GSM of a double weft is ~294.54 g/m². For diamond and honeycomb, the GSM of a double weft is ~305.94 g/m². For herringbone, the GSM of a double weft is ~277.00 g/m². These double weft wraps are all significantly more supportive than their single weft versions. This makes them ideal for bigger babies and toddlers. The extra thickness may make them less ideal for newborns.
2018 Risaroo Pricing (prices subject to change annually based on changes in Girasol's price list)
Item Standard / Cross Twill Diamond / Herringbone / Honeycomb Weaves Double Weaves
Size 2 (2.6m) $110 $115 +$10 to other prices
Size 3 (3.2m) $120 $125
Size 4 (3.6m) $130 $135
Size 5 (4.2m) $140 $145
Size 6 (4.6m) $150 $155
Size 7 (5.2m) $160 $165
Size 8 (6.0m) $170 $175
Size 9 (6.3m) $180 $185
Meh Dai $190 $195
Small bag $35 $40
Large bag $50 $55
Left to right:
Risaroo exclusive Girasol Professor Flitwick (blue dominant), Professor McGonagall (red dominant), Professor Sprout (gold dominant), and Professor Snape (green dominant) wraps all in standard twill. Wraps are folded neatly and stacked one top of each other with a wand on top
Risaroo exclusive Girasol Hope in the Dark (classic rainbow surrounded by black and grey) in diamond weave. Wrap is rolled and presented on a white background.
Risaroo exclusive Girasol Lovegood (variegated pastel weft with aqua, turquoise, yellow, orange, blue, and pinks) in herringbone weave. Wrap is folded askance with a pair of pink sunglasses with feathered effects on the sides sitting atop the wrap.
Risaroo exclusive Girasol Kokiri (varigated jewel tones in green, gold, grey, and purple) in double weft honeycomb weave. Three wraps in different warps (top down: black, purple, and light grey) are folded neatly and stacked on top of each other.