About This Project

“Viking knitting” or nålbinding was a technique used by Vikings to make small textiles such as gloves, hats, and coin purses. As the Vikings made their way through Scandinavia, so did nålbinding. My project will examine the nålbinding textiles that were recovered with the 17th-century Swedish warship, Vasa. We will catalogue, and compare them to other samples throughout Scandinavia. These textiles give a glimpse into the changing techniques from nålbinding to "modern" knitting.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Due to the fragile nature of organics in the archaeological context, few examples of historical nålbindning exist. The technique seems to have been studied based on comparing needles recovered at Nordic excavations. Textiles recovered from the Vasa provide a larger assemblage of nålbindning and therefore a better picture of the craft, rather than just the technology to produce the textiles. Many papers focus on identifying on whether a fragment is knit or nålbundna and what specific fibers and colors are used, rather than identifying the stitches and their purpose. My research will identify and catalog of nålbundna textiles, as well as analyze the implications of those textiles on Scandinavian culture in English.

What is the significance of this project?

This study is significant because there is little published on nålbindning. Additionally, the fragments in the Vasa assemblage have not had their stitches cataloged, as of yet. This identification and analysis will assist future researchers in better understanding textile production in the 17th century. However, its primary function will be to examine the Maritime culture of 17th century Sweden and how that is portrayed and passed down within the craft industry, specifically the small textile production technique of nålbindning. The primary function of this project is to compare and analyze how nålbinding has changed over time.

What are the goals of the project?

The primary goal of this project is to help document nålbindning textiles that were recovered with the Vasa. I will work with the Vasa team from April 8th, 2019 to May 3rd, 2019 and follow their methodology for documenting textiles. While I am in Sweden, I will visit local museums to see comparative materials as well as continue to learn nålbindning so that I can better identify stitches and techniques.