Nalbinding,
what's that?

Nalbinding is a technique of using a single needle to weave a series of loops of thread together to create textiles. The name Nalbinding is Scandinavian, meaning needle binding, this term is used as the craft is associated with the Vikings, though not exclusively. Nalbinding predates both knitting and crochet and is thought to be where these two crafts derived from. It has an advantage over both crafts in that it does not unravel when threads are cut, making nalbind fabric durable, though this property can be very frustrating if you make a mistake!

Due to decomposition of fibres, we can never know the exact history of nalbinding as much of the needed evidence will have decayed completely. Our only evidence of very early textiles comes from patterns burnt into clay and these do not indicate nalbinding was used.

There has been evidence of nalbinding in textiles dating back 10,000 years in Nahal Hemar, Israel with other examples from South and Central America, across Europe and in Asia, indicating that the technique was developed independently in many civilisations.

Nalbinding is on the Heritage Crafts Association Red List as an endangered craft, meaning it the future viability of the craft is at risk.

If you're interested, the book 'Nalbinding - What in the world is that?' by Ulrike Classen-Buttner is full of excellent photographs, descriptions and instructions for learning stitches and is available from many tax-paying booksellers.