Nålbinding – learning to knit like a Viking

In Danish the word means ‘needle-binding’.  And judging by some of the photos that you can find on Pinterest, there’s been quite a rediscovery of this technique by modern crafters. Nålbinding predates our modern knitting and crochet by more than a thousand years.  It’s a method which requires the yarn to be threaded through the …

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Creativity and Inspiration

Creativity For as long as textiles have been created - whether by braiding, felting or weaving - craft-workers have been combining the functional requirements of the cloth with creative ideas.  This may have been to enhance the textile's warmth or strength, to introduce different fibres, or to change the look of the textile with new dyes, pattern weaves, manipulation or sewing techniques, …

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The Huldremose Woman has more to tell us

There is an interesting story I’d like to share - which has emerged from the research of Margarita Gleba and Ulla Mannering.  Their articles are referenced below. It was sometime in the 2nd century BC, and a woman living in north-eastern Jutland, Denmark was about 40 years old - an advanced age in this period.  …

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Diamonds and Broken Diamonds

Diamond twill is an ancient weave which has been identified in textiles dating back thousands of years.  I think it is a beautiful, symmetrical and versatile pattern that combines well with borders in a point twill, or with variations of beautiful 'bird's eye' designs.  (It also works quite well with a stripey warp, as you can …

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A warp-weighted Tablet Weaving Loom

I’m enjoying teaching myself about tablet weaving, through some reading and a lot of trial and error.  Over the past few months I’ve spent quite a while experimenting with ways to make sure that I’ve got the right tension on the warp.  And after a few false starts, the very ancient idea of using loom weights occurred …

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