Nalbinding is an ancient craft, predating knitting and crochet by many thousands of years. Interestingly, this craft has independently developed all over the world, though Viking/Scandinavian nalbinding tends to be the most well-known culture to engage in this practice.

Unlike knit or crochet, which are looped crafts, nalbinding is more akin to net-making, in that it uses a single needle and creates textiles from patterned knots. It is a slower process to make various items, but it also produces a more stable and durable textile. This is not fast fashion: it's heirloom-quality fashion! For example, if you get a hole in your nalbound item, it can be quickly repaired with a graft because the textile will not unravel. Yes, I absolutely repair items people have damaged! The downside of this feature is that mistakes cannot simply be frogged out, like with knit and crochet, because each knot must be undone individually. Most nalbinding is done in the round or with round start, as that's the craft's real wheelhouse.

My own nalbinding journey began somewhere around 2018, based on my strong desire to own a cloak for every kind of weather we get here in the Houston metroplex without knitting or crocheting. I have never really understood why people don't use cloaks anymore, as I view them as the superior outerwear choice! Since I do live in the Houston metroplex, this means I have the opportunity to make protective outerwear for the MANY types of summer we get here!

The struggle to learn this craft was real, because it has an incredibly steep learning curve, but I persevered, and over the years have developed expertise in the craft. I specialize in flat pieces, which nalbinding is not at all suited for, and have personally developed and shared new techniques on flat work within the global nalbinding community to further the diversity of what nalbinding can be used to produce!

My favorite items to produce are scarves and handwarmers, but I also make hats, socks, stuffed animals/plushies, blankets, pot holders, dish rags, mittens, shawls, sweaters, bookmarks, bracelets, and basically anything that can be produced with a needle and some yarn or thread. Due to my passion for nalbinding, I also learned how to process raw fiber and to spin my own yarn specific for some of the projects I want to make!

I take inspiration from nature, television, film, random ideas from family and friends, as well as weird things that happen in my wild-and-crazy imagination. While it is true that most of my business revolves around bespoke garments, many of which you may view on my Instagram account @alfalfaflandersdesigns, I also sometimes make items specifically as ready-to-sell pieces, as the mood and inspiration strike! I also am currently engaged with a long-term, multi-object, abstract project that I call the Attribution Series. Because I often work while watching TV or film, this series honors the role that various actors and actresses have played in my design process, through the construction of everyday items designed to represent how I feel about or otherwise view the given performer's impact on my own work. This is a highly abstract series, and each piece is named after the artist it represents to me.

I am delighted to bring my nalbound work to Etsy's platform so I can reach a wider audience to share the love of nalbinding and nalbound items! Please feel free to reach out to me anytime to learn more about this craft or for help designing the perfect item for your needs!