Step 1: Gathering Materials

So at the end of last week, I went to Beehive Wool Shop to purchase my materials for my first proper nalbinding attempt! Because I won't be spinning my own wool and have not yet experimented with creating my own needles, I had to search through modern tools and yarns to try to find the closest parallels to Viking-Age materials as I could. For this project, I'm aiming for the most historically accurate reenactment of nalbinding as possible so I can compare samples to modern day knitting, although I may use cheap modern acrylic yarns for initial practice just so I can get used to the technique.

So far in my research, I haven't learned a lot about wool production, but I know not to use multiplied yarns, so instead I searched for singles yarn. I found a one-ply yarn (recommended to me by the clerk at Beehive) produced by the company Patons. In the next couple days I will do more research and contact Linda, a nalbinding expert on the island, for advice as to the types of yarns that would be the most historically accurate. I'm also wondering if I can use goat hair yarn (mohair is the yarn derived from the hair of angora goats) because it's one of my favourite materials to knit with and it would be exciting to use!

For needles, I bought a package of Clover jumbo tapestry needles and Tailorform yarn needles. The tapestry needles, which I saw were used in one video demonstration of the Oslo stitch, I don't think will work well; Beehive only had bent point needles in stock and every nalbinding needle I've seen from archaeological contexts has had a straight point. The larger of the yarn needles, although being straight, is a bit too short I think. Nalbinding needles, from what I've seen, tend to be rather long. These needles are also made of metal, and from what I know, most needles were made from bone, but I don't think I could get my hands on bone needles unless I make them myself. I will do further research on needles as well in the next coming days, but I will commence my initial nalbinding attempts with the materials I have been able to find.

Having some basic materials in my possession, I'm getting quite excited to try nalbinding! I'll start posting photos of my completed swatches hopefully by the end of the week!