# My Forays into Nalbinding



## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

I decided to finally post about my nalbinding endeavors! Now, this is my third nalbinding project, but this is the only one I have managed to take pictures of or post about-- and this project, Iâm doing from scratch.

This spring, my mom washed an Icelandic lamb fleece for me, one from one of our brown and white spotted sheep. It is BEAUTIFUL:










See how it nearly has ringlets, and how the locks just shine?

Since nalbinding is kindof a Viking/ Ancient Scandinavian craft, I thought I should do this whole project the Viking way! So, I began to comb the fleece, rather than carding it, in small bunches, combing from root end to tip end, and discarding all the short fibers and bits with matted-in vegetable matter. Once the wool was combed, I pulled it gently off the comb, drafting it into a smooth, long bunch of wool, also known as âtopâ, ready for spinning, and began spinning with my drop spindle.










You can see here I am currently using a set of Louet double-row mini-combs, but I canât wait until the day I can try a pair of Indigo Hound Viking combs. Iâve heard people say the Viking combs are really sharp, but they seem like they would be very sturdy, and they look decidedly more traditional than the Louet combs. (Nice as they are.) I am also using my favorite trusty drop spindle, which is a very traditional spindle, made all of wood. (I liked this spindle so much, I had a woodworker make some for me for my store. http://spindleshuttleandneedle.com/hatrdrsp.html They really spin nice, with just enough weight in the whorl to keep spinning smoothly all the way to the floor.)

After quite a while of spinning, I filled my drop spindle to the point where I couldnât actually spin any more yarn onto it, so I decided to wind the yarn onto my niddy noddy and âkillâ the yarn.










Yes, I know, this niddy noddy is put together weird. Well, due to my love of all things early Scandinavian, when I got an Ashford niddy noddy early this spring, I put it together with the two arms parallel to each other, rather than perpendicular like a modern niddy noddy, to reflect this Viking Age find:










Then I skeined the yarn. . .










. . . and wound it into a ball.

Then I was ready to start nalbinding. I had decided a while before this that this project was going to be a pair of socks for my younger brother.

Halfway through my first pair of nalbinding socks last summer, I picked up a neat book in Sweden called âSoma, Nala, Bindaâ which has a wonderful diagram near the back on how to assemble a nalbinding sock. Here is that diagram, to better explain to you how I am doing this:










Actually, that probably doesnât explain much. :hrm:

The best way to make a nalbinding sock is to start with an oval for the toes and work your way up until just by the heel, at which point you stop, leave a yarn tail hanging, and nalbind a separate circle for the heel. Once you are done with that, you sew the two togetherâ half of the heel and half of the foot, and then proceed to nalbind around for the cuff of the sock. Once you have reached the desired height of the sock, you end off, and your sock is done!

Of course, there is a little more to it than that, but that is the basic method. Here is what I have so far on the socks I am making for my brother:



















Here is a close-up of the stiches. So far I have only just gotten to the point where I stop adding more stitches around the width, and start fitting the sock back to the foot. As I work more on these socks, I plan to post more pictures of my progress so you can follow along.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Well. Now THIS is a fantastic post!

Are your socks going to be footie style like in the pic?

I dont know how to do nalbinding, but it sure is beautiful.
How long of a piece of yarn can a person reasonably use on a needle?
That is one of my hangups to learning it. So much joining. 

Where did you find that Viking niddy noddy? It is amazing.

Thank you so much for sharing! Keep us up on how it goes.


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## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

Yes, my socks will be a footie style, but I probably won't have little slits like the ones in the book-- the last pair of socks I did didn't have the slit and are just fine. (And bulletproof, lol!) 
I have used up to a five foot piece of yarn, but I find it most comfortable to use about a three foot piece-- once you get going, joining is not TOO bad.

As for the Viking Niddy Noddy, The original is in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway. They have the best collection of Viking Age textile related items I know of-- looms, shuttles, scraps of cloth, tablet weaving, niddy noddies, and even ball winders! (Those sticks next to the niddy noddy in that picture are ball winders, and they were labeled as items of unknown use. I didn't realize what they were til months after I got home and bought a ball winder for myself.)

I will for sure be posting pictures as I go!


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

Thank you for that post!

Tell us more! And show us how the ball winder works.

Have a good day!


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Way cool! I have Indigo Hound 5 pitch combs. They do a great job and are easier for me to use than the hand carders.

I know Flicka means _little girl_ (as in My Friend Flicka). What does Svenska mean?


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## Mrs. Jo (Jun 5, 2007)

So how close is nailbinding to crochet? It looks somewhat similar.


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## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

I took pictures of my ballwinder today, but I just learned about plying from both yarn ends of a center pull ball the other day, and I kinda want to try that... So I think in a day or so I'll document that for you guys. 
Nalbinding is not very similar to crocheting at all. With nalbinding, you basically "sew" loops together in a continuos mesh. While this makes you have to continue joining lengths of yarn together, the awesome thing is that if you snag the item later, it won't unravel. Here is a good site on how to nalbind: http://viking-history.wetpaint.com/page/NÃ¥lbinding

As for the moniker Svenska Flicka, it's been my nickname for quite a while. It means "Swedish Girl".


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Thank you! This is a wonderful thread. I just moved from the American version of Scandinavia, Minne-so-ta (said with the Norwegian accent ) It will be nice to have some one who can read (?) Swedish and/or Norwegian, just in case we have patterns to be translated or questions 

I'm glad you joined our group.


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## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

Well, my Swedish reading is not perfect, but if anyone needs help, I'd be glad to take a look! I'm also hoping to go to Sweden next summer to take some textile classes. That just depends on my store taking off so I can save enough money!


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

great post! I have been wondering just exactly what nalbinding is. Can't wait to see the finished product.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

I have to agree, fantastic post. You have a way for teaching as well. I love the picks.
Thank you for sharing this.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

My only experience with Nalbinding is years ago when I was a member of the Minnesota Knitters Guild. Someone was working on some and it was a very hard dense fabric, not something that I would want to wear. But your work looks soft and pliable.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

SvenskaFlicka,

A facebook friend posted this link and I thought of you and this thread.
I like the split toes for sandals. :teehee:


http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O107787/pair-of-socks/


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Thanks for sharing your work and progress SvenskaFlicka - awesome stuff!!!

Can't wait to see the ballwinder working too


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## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

Sometime in the future: nalbinding toe socks. Those are awesome!


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Lovely!! How unique and intriging.

I'll bet those socks feel like HEAVEN!!


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