Sunday

Medieval Norse Fossil Mammoth Ivory Nalbinding Needle

Dave has carved this 5 inch nalbinding needle from fossil mammoth ivory. This particular piece of fossil ivory had a unique curve that Dave accentuated to make a perfect knitting tool. At the suggestion of some of our wonderful customers who are active participants in the SCA, Dave has tried to create an authentic looking replica of a Medieval tool.  We have photographed both sides of this needle to show the uniqueness of the ancient mammoth ivory.   Additional photos can be found at the Etsy listing for this fiber art tool.

**What is Nalbinding?**

The excerpt below is from Wikipedia and gives an explanation of this ancient art form:

"NÃ¥lebinding (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," [1]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.