Category: Object Type

NOW: Vasa mitten 21116

This week’s Nalbound Object of the Week is the Vasa Mitten on display in the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden. The wool mitten was found in a barrel with a pair of leather outer mittens in the remains of the ship Vasa which sank in 1628 CE.1 It is not the only mitten found on shipwrecks around this timeframe, nor is it the only nalbinding that was found on the Vasa. Simply the nalbound item on display; the rest are kept in the museum inventory.2

Anne Marie Decker as she finds the Vasa mitten and its outer casing on display in the Vasa Museum.

Object: Vasa Mitten

Description: A left mitten liner made of grey wool; loosely spun.3 The thumb is no longer attached to the mitten though it is placed in position for display. The fabric shows heavy fulling, although it is unknown if that was original or simply developed from wear and/or find circumstances.

Dated to: 10 August 1628 CE4 (no more recent than)

Find location: Vasa shipwreck, starboard side of the lower battery deck between beams 2 and 3 about 5.3 to 6.77 meters from the bow,5 Stockholm archipelago, Sweden

Material: single ply S-spun wool6

Stitch(es) used: Pending results of examination.
Stitch count 40 stitches/10 cm and 12 rounds/10 cm.7

Inventory number: 21116

Current location: The Vasa Museum https://www.vasamuseet.se/en

Link to museum catalog or other data: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024785035/vante

Only one of several beautiful and detailed photographs available on the digitaltmuseum.se link. Scroll past the photos of the leather mittens to find them.
Photo: Vasa Museum CC BY 4.0

The 1983 edition of Berit Westman’s Nålbindning: 12 varianter contained the first image of the Vasa mitten that I had seen. It was lovely to see it in person again in May of 2023; when I also got the chance to examine the other nalbinding found on the ship.

Some sources in which more information can be found:

Looström, Anne and Birgitta Stapf. “Tre Tusen Textilfragment : Från Wasan Söndagen Den 10 Augusti 1628.” Dissertation. 1983. [Note: I have not read this yet. It was recommended.]

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  1. Other Information: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024785035/vante ↩︎
  2. See Identifier 09184 https://digitaltmuseum.se/021026380762/pung and 27908IX https://digitaltmuseum.se/021026380969/textil ↩︎
  3. About: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024785035/vante ↩︎
  4. Rising, Catrin ed. The Story of Vasa. The Swedish National Maritime Museums. Pg. 5. ISBN 978-91-984713-3-5. ↩︎
  5. Find Place: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024785035/vante ↩︎
  6. Techniques: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024785035/vante ↩︎
  7. Techniques: https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024785035/vante ↩︎

Nalbound Object of the Week (NOW) – Introduction

As I attempt to get back into writing after some significant health issues, I would like to introduce a new series of posts on the Nalbound Object of the Week.

I’ve found that there are lots of questions about what kinds of nalbound artifacts do we find in any location or time. What kinds of stitches, if known, etc. And while I am, slowly, working on a comprehensive catalog incorporating all published data as well as details from my own examinations, that will take significant amounts of time to enter just the information I have already collected. Thus, the NOW project; to energize my writing process, to get basic details out and available, and to draw attention to nalbinding from around the world.

Not all information will be available for every object, but I’d like to include:

Object name:

Description:

Dated to:

Find location (Continent, current country, original culture):

Material:

Stitch(es) used:

Inventory number:

Current location:

Link to museum catalog or other data:

Sources in which more information can be found:

Photographs (if permissions allow):

So how can you help? I plan to begin with artifacts that are currently on display, so that you can visit them if you wish (thank you Jennifer Blaikie for the suggestion). After that, I could use suggestions as to what most interests you. Do you have a particular area of timeframe that interests you? Are you looking for more examples of socks or hats or…? Is there a particular stitch or colorwork pattern you are intrigued by? My Patrons on Patreon will get first option as they are actively supporting my research, but all suggestions are welcome and will be accommodated as best I can.