Nalbinding hat

[Zingmo]

So I thought I would have a go at nalbinding or needle binding. It's a very ancient way of making things with wool that pre-dates knitting. I spotted some "felting wool" going cheap in Lidl which seemed perfect for making a Viking beanie.
A bit of YouTube research found Mika Viinamaki who really demystified the whole thing and Neulakintaat who really nails the technical details.

First I made a needle from a bit of old bamboo flooring and then I just started exactly the way Mika shows in his video. Nalbinding produces tubes or spirals, so for a hat, it's a case of working from the top down or from the band up.


I ended up going upwards first then adding extra depth downwards.

The method involves passing the working end of the yarn through each stitch, so you keep adding on extra yarn as you go by felting the frayed ends together. It only works with real wool.

There are many different types of stitch; I just copied Mika and later found out that this is called Broden stitch.

The result is a superbly wonky bulbous thing that makes my children want to disown me. But it is incredibly thick and warm.


Z

 

[Toddy]

You have a lot of patience
Very well done
I can do it, but I just cannot be footered with it, tbh

I reckon it was a technique devised to use up all the thrums from weaving. Those short lengths are exactly what's left when a warp is cut off ( or untied from the weights) of a loom.
Very practical skill, and it makes good socks, hats, etc.,

Thank you for the photographs and the names for links.

atb,
M

 

[Macaroon]

I'll have a go at that one sunny afternoon under a tree somewhere; strikes me as a good way of wasting time without wasting a moment of it Thanks for this....................

 

[Zingmo]

You may well have to set aside a few afternoons; it's not exactly quick!

Interesting idea about the thrums Toddy, that's quite likely. I had thought that it might have come about by using short lengths of yarn as they were spun, rather than spinning a long length in one go (but then I know nothing about spinning).

Z

 

[Toddy]

I've warped up and woven on a warp weighted loom. Even using the warp as afar down as I possibly could I ended up with 200 thrums just over two feet long. It's an awful waste of hard worked for yarn. At least nalbinding doesn't waste those, but actually makes use of them.

M

 

[Zingmo]

Yes. It would make sense. These are the sort of insights I love. You can only find them out by having a go.

I've warped up and woven on a warp weighted loom.

Try repeating that after a few whiskies! Lol

Z

 

[Dreadhead]

fantastic, great to see something different

 

[Harvestman]

Neat hat. I like it. Good work.

 

[woodsorrel]

Thanks Zingmo, I really enjoyed reading about nalbinding and the hat looks great.

- Woodsorrel