Experience a handmade life with Bill Coperthwaite as this course surveys a centuries-old, simple approach to making warm, functional clothing from natural materials - Nålbinding. Everything from the tools required to the yarn used, the Finnish traditions of Nålbinding will be explored to make your "knitting" tools and a warm tube-hood of Danish design. Nålbinding is a centuries old yarn technique used across a wide number of northern cultures, including Scandinavia, Transylvania, Siberia and the Tarem Basin that predates the traditions of knitting by over 2,000 years. The technique is somewhere between knitting and darning is done with a simple, one-eyed needle of horn, bone or wood. No sewing machines, no metal tools. A simple approach to creating some warm clothing. The Danish hood project is a great introduction to the craft of Nålbinding and will allow you to explore how to make hats, mittens and other functional clothing by hand.

After a presentation of the history and spread of this ancient technique, we will discuss the possible uses for Nålbinding. Next we will shape a wonderfully simple but useful wooden needle to use for our projects. Each person will learn to make a warm tube-hood to start. If time permits, hats and mittens will also be explored.

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