Herbert Niebling developed his style from working lace patterns disseminated in magazines and leaflets he read as a young boy.

In contrast, Niebling's own later designs were not simply repetitive and geometric, but contained concentrated waves of increases and decreases to create fluid shapes portraying leaves and flowers.

His ability to construct a knitting pattern working directly from live flowers without having to sketch the image first was a key part of his continuing creative achievement.

Niebling himself knitted samples of his designs using special long steel double-pointed needles and extra fine cotton threads which are no longer available.

[3] Born in the German town of Averlak, in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, to George Franz Niebling (Kanalmeister and one of the engineers in the construction of the Kiel canal) and Bertha Baschin, he learned to knit as a young boy from reading lace patterns found in leaflets of that time.

[4] In his studio he also made shawls for Valais costumes, as well as Spanish mantillas and lace hats for the Sunday best of the peasant women in the Bretagne.

Herbert Niebling's designs have remained popular in the modern day, although amassing a complete catalogue of his work has been difficult as some of his patterns have been published without attribution.