Tag: nålbinding

Lotus fiber basket

On By CarynIn Craft

On our five-day road trip I spent time in the car twining and nålbinding a small oval basket from the lotus fiber that I hackled before we left. Once I had an oval shape for the base by adding increases only to the curves, I stopped increasing to build the walls.

Photo description: nålbound oval made from lotus fiber and an Oslo stitch , small section of sponge tucked into my ring because damp fingers twine plant material better
Photo description: tiny lotus fiber fragments everywhere as I twine

Even though I hackled the fiber and removed many of the shorter fibers, the lotus had more and there bits everywhere. The fibers are hair-like and itchy. Luckily I keep a lint roller in the car because I had to use it before every stop.

Photo description: final row before tightening the stitches
Photo description: final row after tightening the last three stitches and adding a couple simple loops to taper it down

To finish the basket I wrapped the twine around the top rim twice to give the edge more strength.

Photo description: finished basket with the cherry wool nål I used for stitching

The basket had a bias twist and was a little wonky, but sturdier than I expected.

Photo description: the basket twisted without anything to hold it open

When we got home, I gave the basket a plain water soak and the twist relaxed, making quite a nice little container once it was dry.

Photo description: finished basket after blocking

This project took me roughly 18 hours, but it was very satisfying to twine for a while then stitch for a while. I was originally thinking to make this into a base for a project bag, but since it holds shape, I think I will keep it as a small basket.

Wool cat toy

On By CarynIn Craft

There are so many applications for the word “twining” in crafting. I was going to start this blog post talking about twining wool, but I think I have to specify that I was making twine from wool. Typically twine is made from plant bast fibers: cotton twine, jute twine, hemp twine, for example, and forms a dense strong string. I took a long staple wool, Teeswater, and twined it in a similar manner. Twining wool could also refer to construction techniques in weaving or knitting, but not in this case. Here I am making yarn, nålbinding a few stitches, then making more yarn (I’m going to call it yarn because it is softer than typical twine, yes, I’m splitting hairs (haha)).

The problem I encountered was a strong twist in the small pouch I was constructing. I experienced this with a different project, so decided to try twining the opposite direction, by switching hands, but the twist still happened. I think it is in my nålbinding stitch. I do not enjoy twining with my left hand as much, so I halted the project.

Photo description: start of a nålbinding project that has a Z twist bias making it spiral

Then I had the problem of what to do with the abandoned project. Undoing nålbinding is a difficult, sometimes impossible task, which is what makes it good for items that need to be sturdy. So what could I make from a small bit of wool? Well, a cat toy, of course. Thor the cat loves wool, and steals socks and doll clothes that are made from wool. So I sewed up the seam, stuffing it with un-spun wool as I went, and ended up with a little roll.

Photo description: stuffed tube made from wool

The new cat toy was a big hit with Thor the cat. He loved it and it was very difficult to get a photo of him as he carried it around the house, flipping it and chasing it at speed.

Photo description: large gray tabby going in for the grab of the wool roll

Twine as you go

On By CarynIn Craft, Uncategorized

I’ve been twining with plant bast fibers (the long ones from the stems of plants), and wondered if I could twine long wool. I selected some Teeswater from my stash that has a staple length around 5-8 inches, grabbed a sponge and a spray bottle of water, and started twining. There was a bumpy learning curve, especially since I decided to learn to twine left handed to get an opposite twist. I wanted an S twist direction because my current favorite nålbinding stitch has a bias Z twist, and I thought the opposite twist yarn would help. It didn’t really.

Photo description: twined Teeswater wool and the beginnings of a nålbound pouch sitting on my jeans in the car while waiting in the pickup line

As I write this post, I’m wondering if the twist in my work is the stitch, or the method of construction I’m attempting. I’m working in the round, which is typical for nålbinding, but I’m working around a long base chain, which is a little different. I’ll keep on and see if things even out, either as I go, or after I block the finished work.

The exciting part of this project is there are no joins in the yarn, rather, the yarn is created as I go.

Antler nål

On By CarynIn Craft

Awhile back I rough shaped several needles for nålbinding from deer antler I purchased from a neighbor. I need a smaller diameter nål for a new project, so did the final shaping and polishing with progressive grits of sandpaper on one.

Photo description: nål made from deer antler, approximately 7” long with curve and two holes for yarn

To make the nål I used a bandsaw to split the antler into narrow sections, then used a band sander to shape. The holes were drilled with a drill press. To get the elongated oval hole, I drilled two circular holes next to each other and then used the drill bit to mostly remove the remaining points. To finish, I shaped it using 120 grit sandpaper, then refined with 320 and finished with 400 grit sandpaper. I tested the smoothness of the holes and sides by running it through a wad of unspun wool.

I thought I counted

On By CarynIn Craft, Uncategorized

I finished nålbinding handles onto my loop-and-twist linen string bag.

Photo description: loop-and-twist bag made from twined flax and finished with nålbound handles

I thought I followed the pull strings that I installed originally, which split the top loops evenly. Hm. No. Not sure what happened, but the second handle had many more loops than the first.

Photo description: side view of the same bag showing the uneven split

The handles didn’t really work out like what was in my head either. The two handles work better as one handle, with access to contents from the sides. I actually think this would be lovely to hold my onions and garlic in the pantry. So while it didn’t fit my original vision, it still will have a use.

Note to my future self: a loose row of nålbinding as a top band, then two arced handles on the sides might work, like a tote bag.