thumb|Nålebound socks from Egypt, [[Victoria and Albert Museum ()]]thumb|Needle-bound mittens, Germany (contemporary)
Nålebinding (Swedish, Danish and Norwegian: literally 'binding with a needle' or 'needle-binding', also naalbinding, nålbinding, nålbindning, or naalebinding) is a fabric creation technique predating both knitting and crochet. Also known in English as "knotless netting", "knotless knitting", or "single-needle knitting", the technique is distinct from crochet in that it involves passing the full length of the working thread through each loop, unlike crochet where the work is formed only of loops, never involving the free end. It also differs from knitting in that lengths must be pieced together during the process of nålebinding, rather than a continuous strand of yarn that can easily be pulled out. Archaeological specimens of fabric made by nålebinding can be difficult to distinguish from knitted fabric.
Nålebinding is still practiced by women of the Nanti tribe, an indigenous people of the Camisea region of Peru. They use it to make bracelets. Nålebinding also remains popular in the Scandinavian countries, as well as in the Balkans.
History
thumb|Slekskräppa bag made from goat hair and lined with leather, [[Nordic Museum]]
thumb|Swedish nålebinding mittens, [[Nordic Museum (late 19th century)]]
The oldest known textile fragment of nålebinding, dating from , was found in Nahal Hemar Cave, in the Judean Desert. Another made of lime bast fibre, from the Ertebølle period c. 4200 BCE was found in Tybrind Vig, a Mesolithic fishing village in Denmark.
The oldest known samples of single-needle knitted clothing include the color-patterned sandal socks of the Coptic Christians of Egypt (4th century CE), and hats and shawls from the Paracas and Nazca cultures in Peru, dated between 300 BCE and 300 CE.
Historically needles were made out of wood, antler, or bone. Contemporary selections also include plastic.
Nålebinding predates knitting and crochet. Historical samples have often been misidentified as knitting due to how similar they can appear in the finished products if made using the Coptic stitch. Often a textile historian will need to closely follow the path of the yarn itself to identify the item as either knitting or nålebinding. This is possible by knowing the textile structures created by the two crafts and identifying those within the fabric or by looking for a frequent use of joining of strands.
Nålebinding was used during the Viking age of 793–1066 CE in Scandinavia before knitting and crochet were known. This was an effective method for them to create sturdy, serviceable garments.
Nålebinding requires working with several short pieces of yarn (each usually hardly more than 2 meters long), which are connected together by humidifying each extremity in order to bind them together through felting, thus creating the appearance of one continuous thread.
The term "nålebinding" was introduced in the 1970s.
Technique
thumb|Straight and curved nålebinding needles made of ipe hardwood
The method creates an elastic fabric using short lengths of yarn and a single-eyed needle that is often broad and flat. The stitches are commonly, but not invariably, gauged by wrapping them around the thumb. In its simplest form, the needle is passed through a seed loop to form a new loop, taking care to avoid tightening either into a firm knot. The needle is then passed through the new loop, repeating the process until a chain of desired length has been formed. Subsequent stitches are formed in the same manner but are also joined laterally to the corresponding stitch in the chain. The extended process is similarly repeated with reference to the preceding row rather than the initial chain. Fabric is commonly worked in a single direction – "in the round" – forming spirals and tubes for socks and mittens. The work may also be turned at the end of a row for fabric "worked flat".
Crafters nowadays often use a specialised notation called the Hansen code to create patterns and communicate about the nålebinding technique. This code has been developed in 1990 by Egon Hansen, an expert on textile reconstruction who worked at the Moesgård Museum in Denmark.
The Hansen code is a coding system used to indicate the path of the needle as it is worked through the preexisting fabric, with its passage under a loop shown as U and over a loop as O. A slash shows where the yarn changes direction and returns through loops it has already passed. If a loop is skipped an O or a U is put in brackets. If there is more than one change of direction a colon is used. The connection to the previous row is described using the letter F (if the yarn passes through the loop from the front) or B (if the yarn passes through the loop from the back), as well as a number to show how many loops are worked in this way. Stitches that can be described in this manner vary significantly in appearance, texture, and elasticity. As an example, the Coppergate sock described above was made in York stitch, or UU/OO O F2. As an example to show the use of brackets and colons, the Ålse stitch is U(U)O/UO:UO O.