Sunday
Scrimshaw Elk Antler Nalbinding Knitting Needle
Dave has handcrafted this nalbinding knitting needle from elk antler and scrimshawed a Nordic design on it. It is slightly curved and 2 3/8 inch long. Many of the ancient nalbinding needles discovered from archeological sites were made from antler. This needle is ideal for authentic tool use in SCA events or Ren-Faire.
What is Nalbinding! According to Wikipedia , Nålebinding (Danish: literally "binding with a needle" or "needle-binding", also naalbinding or naalebinding) is a fabric creation technique predating both knitting and crochet. Also known in English as "knotless netting," "knotless knitting," or "single needle knitting," the technique is distinct from crochet in that it involves passing the full length of the working thread through each loop, unlike crochet where the work is formed only of loops, never involving the free end. Archaeological specimens of fabric made by nålebinding can be difficult to distinguish from knitted fabric.
Dave uses shed antlers which naturally fall off the animal each year after the breeding season. They grow back during spring and summer and are fully developed again by the fall breeding season. After that, they are shed and the process repeated again for the next years growth.
This nalbinding needle is currently up for auction on Ebay. Please visit the auction to view more photos of this nalbinding needle.
