Roe Deer Antler – Nalbinding Needle

Occasionally, with a bit of help from our dogs, Bertie and Nellie, we find cast deer-antlers in the wood. Deer antler is an amazingly workable and strong material, little wonder that it has been used as an essential tool-making resource for millennia.

I’ve just made this nalbinding needle – it took less than an hour – and will be used for a new project to nalbind some fibre cordage: willow, lime, and nettle. I’m very new to nalbinding and the process looks fairly complex at first glance but it’s a technique with a long and fascinating heritage, who could forget the remarkable discovery of the nalbinded (or is it nalbound) sock found at Coppergate in york?