Lödöse museum is situated on the west coast of Sweden, a few miles north of Gothenburg. During the twelfth century Lödöse was the site of one of the first medieval towns in Sweden. Archaeologists have uncovered more than half a million objects during the past century, making Lödöse one of the richest sites in Sweden when it comes to medieval finds. Most of the finds are common items from everyday life, but after nearly a millennium in the muddy soil, they are not so common anymore. They now tell the story of the people who lived before us. Runic messages with warnings, promises of friendship and love, give life to the past. Names carved into tools tell us who once used and cherished the items a long time ago (Fig. 11.1).

Lödöse Museum also holds a vast collection of organic materials from medieval Sweden, dating from AD 1000 to 1350. In this collection there are approximately 1,700 registered textile finds, ranging from coarse packing textile to the finest cloth and silk lining. One of those finds is a nalbound mitten from the thirteenth century (Fig. 11.2). The mitten was found in 1972 alongside a house wall in the centre of Lödöse, approximately two metres underground. It is made in two different stitches, one of which is not certainly identified, and the other identified as the Asle stitch. The mitten is very well preserved, with only minor damage.

This nalbound mitten was the centre of attention and the starting point for a course called ‘From wool to mitten’, carried out at Lödöse museum during 2017. The course was open to the public and arranged by Lödöse museum in collaboration with ‘Vinterverkstan’, a small Swedish handicraft supply company. Liselotte Ohrling holds a Master's degree in archaeology and works as a museum teacher at Lödöse museum. She teaches skills such as medieval dancing, spinning and nalbinding. ‘Vinterverkstan’ is run by Anna Josefsson. Through ‘Vinterverkstan’, she supplies craft materials and training courses in nalbinding, spinning and other crafts.