# HG changeset patch # User Steve Losh # Date 1788055367 14400 # Node ID 09febcf298b5d92d3e9d03faa11b912490340383 # Parent afd5ed4f91a8ef1ab40468c0a43723a412e55883 More diff -r afd5ed4f91a8 -r 09febcf298b5 content/blog/2026/08/learning-nalbinding.markdown --- a/content/blog/2026/08/learning-nalbinding.markdown Sat Aug 29 20:59:45 2026 -0400 +++ b/content/blog/2026/08/learning-nalbinding.markdown Sat Aug 29 22:02:47 2026 -0400 @@ -4,10 +4,11 @@ :draft t) Off and on over the past year or so I've been learning [nalbinding][nalbinding] -(also called "needlebinding" (and a lot of other things)). Nalbinding is a very -old fiber art which predates knitting by thousands of years. In modern times -it's not nearly as popular as knitting or crochet, so it can be difficult to -find good resources to learn from. +(also called "needlebinding" and a lot of other things), a fiber art which +predates knitting by thousands of years. It's been a very rewarding, relaxing, +and cozy hobby (especially in the winter months), but it's not nearly as popular +as knitting or crochet so it can be difficult to find good resources to learn +from. In this post I'm going to describe how I learned, some of the things I've made, and generally just write down all the things I wish I could have told myself @@ -495,37 +496,126 @@ ### A Nicer Needle -Where to buy on etsy +If you decide you like nalbinding and want to do it more, you'll probably want +to get a more suitable needle for yourself. You can find people selling +nalbinding needles on Etsy. I've bought a few needles from [LykosLeather on +Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/shop/LykosLeather?search_query=nalbinding) and have +been happy with them for the price. For the price of one skein of yarn you can +easily get one or two bone, horn, or wood needles of different lengths and +experiment to see what you prefer. -making improvements +It's worth noting that when you buy a nalbinding needle from a shop on Etsy for +a pretty cheap price (in the $10 range) it will come in a state that's maybe +a little rougher than you expect. It might not be perfectly symmetrical, there +may be some rough edges (especially inside the eye), and so on. I think this is +pretty reasonable for a $10 purchase, and it gives you an opportunity to +customize your needle a bit yourself. Creating and modifying my own tools is +one the joys of crafting for me (which explains why I love programming so much), +so I had a fun couple of evenings turning some basic needles into needles that +are *mine* and are just how I like them. Just remember to wear a mask when +you're sanding, especially if your needle is bone or horn — you probably don't +want to be breathing in bone dust. -video about needle structure +One helpful resource for this was [this video from Valhalla +Ironworks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvmsRZC5bLc) about making +a nalbinding needle from scratch, specifically the parts where he explains why +there's a notch in the back of the needle (to provide extra relief for the +folded yarn). Both of my favorite needles have this relief notch in the back, +which I added using sandpaper wrapper around a small metal rod. It's a small +thing, but it really does help the yarn glide more smoothly through the loops +(especially thicker yarn) and it makes them feel like *mine*. ### Other Helpful Things -Spray bottle +While a needle and yarn is all you really *need* for nalbinding, there are a few +other little inexpensive things you can pick up that will provide some +easy quality-of-life improvements. Here are a few that I've found useful. + +I picked up a small spray bottle for the water I use for felting. This is quick +and easy to use (2-3 quick sprays on the ends is enough to felt them nicely) and +it's easy to carry around without worrying that it'll leak. + +[![Spray bottle](/static/images/blog/2026/08/TODO.jpg)](/static/images/blog/2026/08/full/TODO.jpg) -Hair brush cleaner +When felting the ends together to join them, all the tutorials will say to "play +with the ends a bit" or "tease the ends apart" to fray them, so the fibers of +both strands can intermingle better. I find this difficult for some yarns, +probably because I keep my fingernails very short. My partner got me a little +metal comb that's designed to be a hair brush cleaner, but works great for +combing apart the ends of yarn. It does pull out some of the strands in the +process, but that's actually a *good* thing: you want the ends to be a little +thinner than the actual yarn because you overlap them to felt them, so if +they're full thickness the felt point will be a thicker bump in the finished +work. The comb works great, and it's tiny and really easy to carry around. -d12 for stitch counting +[![Hairbrush cleaner, repurposed as felting comb](/static/images/blog/2026/08/TODO.jpg)](/static/images/blog/2026/08/full/TODO.jpg) -stitch markers +When shaping things with nalbinding you'll need to increase or decrease after +a certain number of stitches (e.g. "do 6 normal stitches and then decrease"). +Eventually you'll be able to do stitches fast enough that you can just count +them out without getting lost, but when I was first learning I often struggled +with individual stitches enough that I would lose count of how many I had done +since the last increase. I solved this by adding a 12-sided die (called a "d12" +by D&D players) to my nalbinding kit, so I could put it on the table and rotate +the number every stitch, moving it back to 1 after the increase. You can get +a d12 at any local tabletop game store (though if you're reading this blog I bet +the odds are pretty high that there's already one in your house somewhere). +A d20 would work just as well, I've just never needed to count that high when +nalbinding yet. -yarn cutter/scissors +[![d12](/static/images/blog/2026/08/TODO.jpg)](/static/images/blog/2026/08/full/TODO.jpg) + +As I mentioned earlier you can use standard safety pins for stitch markers, but +you can also buy slightly more compact ones in a yarn shop. I keep a little +pill case that has a few of them and my d12 in my kit. + +[![d12 and stitch markers](/static/images/blog/2026/08/TODO.jpg)](/static/images/blog/2026/08/full/TODO.jpg) -crochet hook to pull ends through +Most nalbinding tutorials will tell you to tear or break lengths of yarn off the +ball instead of cutting it cleanly, to help it felt better, but if you have the +little comb I mentioned earlier you don't really need to do that, and some yarn +is kind of hard to tear. I got this little yarn cutter thing from the yarn +store which works great and is very small and safe to carry (the blades are very +well shielded by the metal fob). Alternatively you could get a pair of +embroidery shears, which are often in the shape of a pretty bird, but are +a little bulkier (and more likely to raise questions if you try to carry them on +a plane). + +[![Yarn cutter and embroidery shears](/static/images/blog/2026/08/TODO.jpg)](/static/images/blog/2026/08/full/TODO.jpg) -bag to hold tools in +When you finish a project you'll want to weave the final end of the yarn back +into the nalbinding so it doesn't hang off. I picked up a cheap little crochet +hook for a couple of bucks which I've found helpful for pulling the yarn back +through the loops. + +[![Crochet hook for weaving in the end yarn](/static/images/blog/2026/08/TODO.jpg)](/static/images/blog/2026/08/full/TODO.jpg) + +And finally, once you've gotten a bunch of these little things you'll want some +kind of bag to hold them all in. I use a pencil bag, but anything that makes you +happy will work! + +[![Pencil bag repurposed as my nalbinding kit](/static/images/blog/2026/08/TODO.jpg)](/static/images/blog/2026/08/full/TODO.jpg) ### Stitches -I like Dalarna - -### Yarns +Once you've done a few projects you'll probably be itching to try one of these +other stitches you've heard about. Give it a shot and experiment! I personally +love the Dalarna stitch because of how asymmetrical the sides are: all the +texture is shunted off to one side, leaving the other side very flat. I really +like it for scarves, because when you fold the scarf in half to wear it with the +ridges on the inside they interlock and hold the scarf together really well. -Visit the yarn store +If you haven't already, when you start searching for nalbinding resources on the +internet you'll almost certainly run into +[Neulakintaat](https://www.en.neulakintaat.fi/), which is probably the most +extensive nalbinding resource around. Once you're comfortable with the basics +of nalbinding and doing Oslo stitch fluently, check our her videos to see how to +do many, *many* more kinds of stitch. I found those videos difficult to +understand as a complete beginner, but now that I've learned more I find myself +referencing them if I need to remember how to do a particular stitch. -### Multiple Colors in Parallel +### Multiple Colors + multiple colors just by joining new ones @@ -537,10 +627,33 @@ ## Communities -Reddit +Before I go, I wanted to point you at some of the communities I've found online +for Nalbinding. These days nalbinding is a small, weird hobby, but one of the +dreams of the early internet was to allow people with small, weird hobbies to +find each other. Despite the best efforts of the advertising industry and +venture capitalists, that dream still hasn't been completely stamped out, and +there are a couple of places to find other nalbinders online. -Ravelry +Unfortunately the most popular place to talk about nalbinding online these days +is a Facebook group. I dislike most social media these days, but Facebook is +*particularly* distasteful to me, so I'm not going to link to it. I'm sure you +can find the nalbinding group on there if you search. -Facebook +As an alternative, Reddit's [r/nalbinding](https://www.reddit.com/r/Nalbinding/) +is relatively active (and Reddit isn't *quite* as awful as Facebook (yet)). If +you have a specific question, there's a decent chance you'll get an answer if +you post it in `r/nalbinding`. +[Ravelry](https://www.ravelry.com/) is a website for fiber art. Unfortunately +they've never added support for a `nalbinding` tag, so nalbinders have to mistag +their work as knitting or crochet, but there *is* a [Nalbinders on +Ravelry](https://www.ravelry.com/groups/nalbinders-on-ravelry) group on the site +that still has occasional activity. I like scrolling through the projects in +that group for inspiration. +I've mentioned a few YouTube channels already, but searching for "nalbinding" or +"needlebinding" on YouTube will give you many more. + +And finally, not everything has to be contained on a social media platform. +Search the web for nalbinding and you'll still find personal websites sharing +their niche interests, keeping the dream of the early internet alive.