Several years ago, a friend taught me to naalbind using what is commonly known as the mammen stitch. Naalbinding is an ancient needle looping technique that predates knitting for string manipulation. It was used in the Viking age, but also dates to ancient Egypt, I believe.
Since being taught, which incidently works best one-on-one, I’ve made a few projects; mittens, socks, a hat. I don’t use a pattern or chart when I naalbind. I just sort of fit it to whatever body part it happens to go to. Its a very relaxing and quite portable, so its one of my go-to travel projects.
I’m not much further along on the indigo socks picture below then I was last April. I have completed the second heel and am now working on the ankles for both pair. I was given really good advice once that was this: If you are working on two of something (mittens, socks), work on them simultaneously. You will get a pair that is more evenly matched and in the end, you have a completed pair.
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- This is my first completed project: a pair of naalbind mittens. It is completed in 100% Peruvian Highland Wool (3.5oz and 174yards per skein) by Berroc.
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- My second project was a pair of socks for myself in Lopi 100% wool singles.
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- I hand dyed with madder the Lopi 100% wool yarn for this pair of mittens.
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- This naalbind hat is the first hat I’ve made. I used madder hand dyed Lopi 100% wool yarn.
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- Socks with striped tops. This was an experiment to learn how to do stripes using two different rows, not by striping by color only.
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- Blue naalbind mittens made in the first half of 2012.
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- Still working on these socks. They are made with indigo hand-dyed Lopi 100% wool yarn and will be accented with madder-dyed yarn.
beautiful work, monkey-woman