The Ladies’ Complete Guide to Crochet, Fancy Knitting and Needlework by Ann Sophia Stephens

Although she lists several uses for the "delightful art of netting" in her introduction to The Ladies’ Complete Guide to Crochet, Fancy Knitting and Needlework, published in 1854, Ann Sophia Stephens leaves the instructions and patterns for "sleeves, cuffs, rigolettes, and over-shoes" to others.  Besides the introduction, which briefly discusses the uses of netting, the book contains only two patterns for netting.  Both of those patterns involve square-mesh netting.  She does note on page 94, "All the designs given for D'oyleys and AntiMacassars in square crochet may be equally well worked in square netting, the pattern being darned in afterwards."

1. Introduction (page 12)
2. Square Netting (page 94)
3. Netted Scarf (page 114)

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One of the net bag patterns I had sitting on my computer was for a single-handle, spiral, top-down gift bag.   I decided to make it not once, but twice, since I needed two gift bags for a baby shower for twins.  I decided to make the blue one with a moebius handle.  The pink one has a regular handle.

The pattern claimed to have a hexagon base.  It's true that when I started decreasing for the base there were six decreases that occurred in several rows, but I'm not sure I could truly call it a hexagon base.  

This is because, when making it, once I reached the point where I had only six loops left in the round, instead of netting them all together with one knot, like I did for the pentagon bags, I decreased the loops down to three and then joined them with one knot.

If you look closely at the base, you can see where the six decreases are.

The base does not look like a triangle because the bag was made using spiral rather than circular netting.



What would you suggest I call the base of this bag?