Indigo dyed yarn on the drying rack.
Last autumn, I dyed some Lopi icelandic wool singles skeins with indigo as a test before dying the wool for the kaftan fabric. I was excited by the way the yarn turned out; the color was rich and saturated. I knew instantly what I wanted to make from them – naalbind socks. Because I had a lot of other projects going on at the time, I reluctantly set the yarn aside for another time.
I started on the socks a few weeks ago. I’ve been sick for the past several days with terrible chest and head congestion, so I’ve been watching a lot of netflix and making quite a bit of progress.
The stitch I’m using is called the mammen stitch, which is, quite frankly, the only stitch I’ve ever learned. I’m using a lovely bone needle I bought at an re-enactor event from Feed The Ravens. I’d been having some pain in my hand from naalbinding with a bent bamboo needle, and they were kind enough to let me fiddle with their needles until I found the one the most comfortable in my hand.
Partially completed socks.
As you can see, I have the heel complete on one of the socks. Since I’m not working from any kind of pattern, I like to work the socks together in the hope that the turn on kind of similar looking.
The madder dyed Lopi wool will be a decorative row at the top of the sock when completed. Unfortunately, this picture really washes out the colors. Be assured, the color is fantastic.
This is my sixth naalbind project. Previously, I have made two pair of mittens, a hat, and two other pairs of socks. I have another pair of mittens and a hat in progress, as well. Naalbinding is really satisfying as a recreationist because the technique is distinctive and naalbind items aren’t mass-produced. It’s also really portable, unlike, say, my loom or my lampworking station.
I have GOT to learn how to do this, with someone walking me through the stitches. These are very similar to the “footies” found at York. I hate hate hate stockings–good thing my persona would have worn Ye Olde Footie!