#needlebinding

[daylight456]

life update

soooo, i've been doing crochet for quite some time, as some of you might know, and dabbled in knitting a bit as well. a while ago i found out about nalbinding/needlebinding, kind of the precessor to knitting and crochet. and with my current interest in medieval/antique/old (ways of doing modern) things peaking once again, i decided to head to the city and look for some nalbindig needles/ broader sewing needles. not even the local sewing & fabric store had what i was looking for though... this evening i told this to my parents, my mother immediately interested in the craft and how it works, and together asked my dad if he could make me a nalbinding needle.

long story short: my dad build/crafted (dunno how to say it in english) a really pretty needle out of some scrap oak wood for practically free!

picture under the cut!

(sry for the crappy quality, took the pic with my laptop camera)

[sigkit]

Continuing with the theme of African nalbinding, this week's Nalbound Object of the Week is another Congalese Prestige Cape dating to pre-1853. Made from raffia palm fiber, the stitch has often been mistaken for sprang as the stitch doesn't just intralace with previous stitches, it interlinks with them before crossing to form a new loop. The British Museum has included some lovely detailed photos in their online catalog, so I was able to zoom in and highlight the path of the loops. And yes, that is a knot you see connecting the new length.

https://nalbound.com/2026/02/10/now-bakongo-nkutu-prestige-cape-af18530713-1/

[mischief-tea]

So over Christmas my incredible father in law let me poke around in his workshop and when I was oohing over this scrap of kokobolo wood and chatting about making my own nålbinding needles he picked it up and whipped out this BEAUTIFUL needle in like under 20 minutes flat 😭❤️❤️ so I am spending the weekend learning finally!! Scrap practice sample using some 2-ply handspun eri silk because it is SO soft and a good weight

[thaylepo]

The glovening continues!

This is using Paton's Classic Worsted Wool, a really soft springy 3ply that's a bit fuzzy but so soft and smooth that it's excellent for nålbinding. I've even managed to reuse metres I've unpicked (which makes them really frizzy since the yarn rubs against its entire length for every stitch and then again when it's unpicked).

Using the Tarim stitch in a 2/2 knit/perle with this yarn makes a nice, stretchy, comfortable glove. Thicker and stiffer than if it was knitted, but definitely also more durable. We'll see how the thickness works all the way up the hand to make fingerless gloves, but I think it will be quite comfortable.

This is still in the prototype phase, but if this works out it will be the pattern for a gift for my nephew. I was already trying to figure out how to nålbind fingerless gloves, but now the fire has been lit lolol

(My niece is getting nålbind mittens in lambswool possibly with a lining and a fingerbraided cord, cuz she's four. But my nephew has Style and requested fingerless gloves, and by god I will make him a pair that will look amazing and last him years. And if they don't, I'll make him another until they do 😤)

[bunad]

Woolen needlebound mittens, embroidered with wool threads. Made some time in the first half of the 19th century. From Valle in Setesdal.

Photo: Nasjonalmuseet

[leiyahime]

I've got a pair of Socks!!!🎵

how it started:

How it ended:

The violet part wasn't enough for the second tip but they are waaarm nd my first ever pair of socks so I'm happy!

[kesbeacon]

I have made a tiny and borderline useless nalbound pouch. It's so small because I only had a certain amount of that yarn, and I won yarn chicken to finish the drawstring holes row with literally 1 inch to spare. The cards that I eventually want to turn into tablet weaving cards are in it now.

[strawberrycinema]

Finally finished this nålebinding set. Made for a friend in trade for an interchangeable knitting needle set.