Knitting Needle / Large Sewing Needle from Bone for Nålebinding

Knitting Needle / Large Sewing Needle from Bone for Knotless Netting (Nålebinding)

This sturdy knitting / sewing needle from animal bone is primarily designed for Nålebinding, a technique also known as knotless netting or single needle knitting. This particular needle differs from modern knitting needles in that it features a threading eye. It is also different from present-day sewing needles, as it is substantially larger and has a blunt tip to prevent from accidentally splitting the wool yarn.

This Nålebinding needle is ideal for making your own pieces of historical clothing such as hats or mittens. The oldest nålebound finds are dated back to the Stone Age. Nålebinding is hence significantly older than knitting or crochet and thus believed to be the forerunner of modern needlework. As further fragments of the kind date up to the early medieval period, it is for instance possible to reconstruct textiles from the Antiquity or the Viking Age.

Unlike knitting, Nålebinding only requires a single needle. The advantage of this technique lies in the fact that nålebound fabric will not ladder or unravel due to the way the loops are interlaced - almost knotted - with each other. Also, Nålebinding is composed of a series of non-continuous lengths of thread, which is a great way to use up scraps of leftover yarn. What's more, the final result is a quite sturdy, dense fabric.

This bone needle may also be used as a large sewing needle, however solely for hand-knitted works with wide mesh or elasticated yarn, as the rounded tip will otherwise hardly pierce through the material and the needle will leave holes in the fabric due to its size.

Details:
- Material: animal bone
- Length: approx. 8.5 cm
- Suitable for many eras: Stone Age, Antiquity, Early Middle Ages