I took an excellent class on nålbinding recently at the Marine Mills Folk School with instructors Janet and Jenni, and I just completed my first project. I should back up – I did take short introductory class perhaps 10 years ago, and I didn’t really get it at the time. Nålbinding needs more than a quick introduction.

Nålbinding is a looping technique done with a single needle, an ancient technique found in archaeologic record around the world. From Anne Marie Decker’s website Nalbound, “The earliest known extant examples of nalbinding, if one is to include the simple looping variants, are from c. 6500 BC. They were found in Nehal Hemar, a cave in the Judean desert, Israel.” The next specimens are Stone Age fragments found in Denmark. Then, more specimens are found around the world, including the Andean region and Egypt.

It is now primarily a technique used in Scandinavian countries. I believe there are three different stitch naming methodologies. The one I’m most familiar with is naming the stitch after the location where the textile fragment is found. These mittens of Icelandic wool are made in probably the simplest stitch, the Oslo stitch, often the first stitch taught. In Hansen’s Notation, this same stitch is UO/UOO F1. I’ve also seen it called Finnish 1+1. Sanna-Mari Pihlajapiha has a directory of nålbinding stitches with examples. It can be done with loops on the thumb of the non-dominant hand, picking them up with single flat wide needle with a large hole held in the dominant hand. This is how I made these mittens. Or, it can be done laying on a flat surface with essentially a tapestry needle, picking up the correct loops, to make a finer fabric.

I have a very small start on a hat, and I hope to try a sweater. I’m going to sample a doll-sized sweater first, so I can try to understand the construction. There aren’t many instructions available for nålbinding; only a few books. The best resources can be videos online if you don’t have access to an in-person instructor.