NALBINDING

Naalbinding

Nalbinding

Nalbinding is an ancient textile technique that pre-dates knitting. Nalbinding knots are sewn using a large wooden or bone needle by forming interconnecting loops around your thumb.

My interest in the textile techniques of nalbinding came from my Saami father. My grandmother was a Saami from the Sor-Varanger province of Norway. My father was born in Petsamo and was raised in a small Saami community. He and my mother moved to Canada after the war and settled in British Columbia. My father worked as a commercial fisherman along the west coast of Canada. Before his long fishing trips, my mother would knit him several pairs of woolen hand warmers to keep his hands warm as he worked. My father would quietly comment to me, that he wished that my mother knew how to make the mittens like his mother did. He didn’t really understand how she made them, but he tried to explain that she would wrap the yarn around her thumb and sew it with a large needle. ‘Peukalo kude’ as he described it in Finnish. He said they were much warmer, thicker and more durable. Of course, he never told my mother this as he wouldn’t want to offend her.

Nalbinding (just like knitting or crochet) can be used to make mittens, hats, slippers, socks, jumpers, bags and other textile items.

Some free nalbinding patterns can be found at my AllFiberarts website.

 

Nalbinding Hats

Nalbinding Hats

Nalbinding Hats

Paivatar Webshop – Nalbinding Hats

Nalbinding Yarns

Any of the Natural Plant dyed yarns that I sell are also suitable for nalbinding. Just use an appropriate sized Nalbinding needle.

  • DK weight
  • Sock weight
  • Crewel laceweight
  • Cotton
  • Linen
  • I will also be hand spinning yarns that are suitable for Nalbinding. I spin many of these yarns as a Woollen spun, Singles ply yarn because historically, that is what was used. The yarn was spun using primitive hand made tools – a Drop Spindle, and Stitched with a hand-carved needle.

    Paivatar Webshop – Handspun Yarns

    Nalbinding Needles

    Nalbinding Needles
    I am now able to offer nalbinding needles made of wood or of bone.
    The bone needles are approx 9 cm in length. The bone needles have a small eye so are best suited for fine yarns.
    The wooden needles are approx 10 cm in length and have a larger eye. These nalbindning needles are better for use with thicker weight yarns such as Aran or Chunky wools.

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    Categories: NALBINDING