Netting in Magazines - The Illustrated Magazine

The Ladies' Page sections of The Illustrated Magazine, published in 1864, included the following netting patterns and stitches:

1. A Netted Tidy (page 55)
2. Double Netting in Two Colors (page 56)
3. Grecian Netting (page 56)
4. Simple Sleeping Net (page 57)
5. Invisible Net (page 57)

I knew that Grecian Netting was a popular netting stitch.  After looking at the instructions for Simple Sleeping Net and Invisible Net, I could tell that they were hairnets.  I did not realize that tidy was a noun.  I discovered that a tidy is "a piece of fancywork used to protect the back, arms, or headrest of a chair or sofa from wear or soil" (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tidy).  It is a synonym for an antimacassar ( http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tidy).

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It took me a few years to get there, but today I spent the day demonstrating netting at the fourth annual Fiber Festival of New England.  It was wonderful talking and visiting with those who came by.  Most people did not know what I was doing, but there was a handful of people who either knew how to net or knew someone who nets.  I loved hearing them ask me, "What are you netting?" instead of "Are you tatting?"

What was I netting?  One of my doilies - Exuberance.  I finished the last couple of rows.  It took over 100 yards of size 30 crochet thread to make it.

Once I finished it, I immediately started another one, Swan.  After all, I was there to demonstrate netting.  I was able to complete about 5-6 inches of the new pattern.