Netting in Magazines - International Old Lacer's Bulletin

Several years ago I stumbled across some articles on netting that had been published between 1968 and 1982 by the IOLI.  This week I found those same articles located in two places, here and here.

According to their website, IOLI was founded in 1954 as Old Lacers.  Their name has been changed several times: 1959 to National Old Lacers, 1970 to International Old Lacers, Inc., and 2012 to International Organization of Lace, Inc.

Here are some of the articles about netting I found in this quarterly magazine.

1. September 1970
1. Section: Art of Netting; Article: Corner in Darned or Guipure Netting (page 11)
2. Section: Art of Netting; Article: Netted Neckerchief (page 11)
2. January 1971
1. Article: Filet (page 40)
3. January 1973
1. Section: Netting and Guipure; Article: Netting (page 39)
2. Section: Netting and Guipure; Article: South Beloit Women Preserve Lacemaking, Antique Lace Made (page 40)
4. May 1973
1. Article: Netting (photo of doily made by Mrs. Frank Nelson) (page 65 )
2. Section: Book Review; Author: Mary Lou Kueker; Article: Netting by Primrose Cumming (page 78)
3. Section: Book Review; Author: Mary Lou Kueker; Article: La rete a Rosoni (Rosette Netting) (page 78)
4. Section: Book Review; Author: Mary Lou Kueker; Article: A Treasury of Needlework Projects from Godey's Lady's Book by Arlene Z. Wiczyk (page 78)
5. November 1976
1. Article: Netting (page 26)
2. Article: Filet Lace (page 27)
6. November 1977
1. Author: Sheila Bottorff; Article: Tatting-Frivolite [includes illustrations for tying the netting knot] (page 44)
7. May 1977
1. Section: A Book of Modern Netting Designs; Author: Mrs. Bertha Cragun; Article: "Kissin' Cousin" fantail fish design (photo only) (page 98)
2. Section: Filet Square; Author: Kay Asahi; Article: Single or plain mesh (page 99 )
8. January 1978
1. Section: A Practical Use of Netting; Article: Netted Doily (page 70)
2. Section: A Practical Use of Netting; Article: Netting the New Wool Scarfs (page 70)
3. Section: A Practical Use of Netting; Article: Netted Edging (page 70)
9. July 1979
1. Section: Modano Lace; Author: Mrs. Bertha Cragun; Article: Modano Lace (page 139)
10. January 1980
1. Section: Modano Lace; Author: Mrs. Bertha Cragun; Article: Circle It [net doll skirt] (page 52)
2. Section: Modano Lace; Author: Mrs. Bertha Cragun; Article: Garden Party [netting on Pillow Cases] (page 52)
3. Section: Modano Lace; Author: Mrs. Bertha Cragun; Article: Lacy Shawl (page 53 )
4. Section: Modano Lace; Author: Mrs. Bertha Cragun; Article: Garden Hat (page 53)
5. Section: Modano Lace; Author: Mrs. Bertha Cragun; Article: Lace on Lace (page 53)
6. Section: Modano Lace; Author: Mrs. Bertha Cragun; Article: Modano Lace Star for a Birthday Calendar of Calligraphy (page 53)
11. May 1980
1. Section: Modano Lace; Author: Mrs. Bertha Cragun; Article: Modano Lace [forming a center without a foundation loop] (page 92)
2. Section: Modano Lace; Author: Mrs. Bertha Cragun; Article: Tool Keeper Tip (page 93)
12. November 1980
1. Section: Book Review; Article: The Technique of Filet Lace by Pauline Knight (page 26 )
13. May 1981
1. Section: Modano Lace; Author: Mrs. Bertha Cragun; Article: Pauline Knight [author of The Technique of Filet Lace] (page 69)

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Last Saturday I went to two baby showers.  Although they were not held at the same time, they were held in the same large building.  That made it easier to go from one to the other.  As a gift, I brought what everyone who knows me expected - a net bag.

Since I am trying to get my instructions correct for my net bags before I publish them, I have two different styles here.

The blue bag is a rectangular bag with a single tied handle.  

The pink bag is a circular bag made from the bottom up and has two handles.

Of course the bags contained some of my favorite baby bibs.  

Judging from the comments at the baby showers I attend, the bibs are a favorite with other mothers also.

The baby bibs are made of tea-towels and have ribbing around the neck edge.  

The Young Englishwoman by Isabella May Beeton

Three weeks ago I commented on another book by Isabella Beeton, which also contained netting patterns and instructions.  The Young Englishwoman was published in 1875, five years after Beeton's Book of Needlework.  Her earlier book covers the basics of netting and has a couple of patterns. This later book assumes that the reader knows how to net and does not include any basic information.  There are some netting patterns (no duplication between the two books), as well as designs for net embroidery, darning, or lacis.  She also includes one pattern that combines netting, knitting, and crochet in making a hood.

1. Clothes Bag - with illustration (page 107, item 100)
2. Design in Netting and Darning for Antimacassars, etc.  - with illustration (page 110, item 118)
3. Designs in Netting and Darning - with illustration (page 166, item 150)
4. Designs in Netting and Darning - with illustration (page 166, item 151)
5. Lady's Hood in Netting, Knitting and Crochet - with illustration (page 226, item 193)
6. Lambrequin Darning on Netting - with illustration (page 527, item 538)
7. Swinging Hammock - with illustration (page 646, item 651)

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Many years ago a son-in-law approached me with an interesting idea.  He wondered if I could make a doily that resembled an eye.  Using the stitches and colors he wanted, we designed it.  

Since I forgot to record how much thread I used, I decided to make it again.  This time I did it all in one color.  I discovered it takes 33 yards of size 20 crochet thread.  It measures 13.75 inches in diameter.

 I call it Hurricane.

    

The Lady's Album of Fancy Work

This week I've chosen to list the netting patterns found in The Lady's Album of Fancy Work.  This book has no author listed.  It was published in 1849.  Another digitized copy of this book with a publication date of 1850 is available through Project Gutenberg.  This book also includes a sketch for each of the netting patterns.

The netting patterns include:

1. Cover for Music Stool (page 10, item 9)
2. Net for the Hair (page 15, item 16)
3. Lady's Silk Mitten (page 24, item 28)
4. Opera Hood (page 25, item 31)
5. Cover for Fruit-Dish (page 30, item 37)

A few weeks ago I was asked about making a net laundry bag.  I've made a few over the years, but not recently.  I had used medium weight household string for the one I made for my oldest son when he went to college.  That was back in the days before I had a digital camera, so I did not have a photo of that pattern. I needed to make another one so I could get a photo of that pattern.  I tried to find some 1/16" cord.  At a local hardware store I located some Twisted Polypropylene Rope that was the right diameter. The only color they had was pink. The cord was even "specially treated to knot securely." I guess the sheet bend does not qualify as a knot since, after the netting sat for a few minutes, the sheet bends would start to slide apart. I finally took the suggestion of a friend and ironed the knots, after pulling them tight one more time. The heat from the iron melted the knots just enough to hold them in place.

net laundry bag with grommet at the bottom of the bag

The bag was made using circular netting.  The photo on the left shows the grommet at the bottom of the bag.

The photo on the right shows the top of the bag, which is fastened with a black cord lock.  I used  brown type I parachute cord to go through the final round of loops and attach to the cord lock.

Mee's Companion to the Worktable by Cornelia Mee

This week I decided to choose another book by Cornelia Mee from my list of online netting books.  Mee's Companion to the Worktable was published in 1845.   Here are the 8 net patterns that she included:

1. For a Netted Cardinal (page 8)
2. Netted Shawl (page 19)
3. Netted Shawl in Crossbars (page 20)
4. Netted Flower Stand (page 35)
5. Pretty and Simple Netted Opera Cap (page 56)
6. Pretty simple Netted Cap for wearing under a Bonnet (page 112)
7. Very Pretty Net Purse (page 126)
8.   Pretty Netted Purse, with Rows of Honeycomb between (page 127)

Again I've come across a word that has a new meaning for me.  The very first pattern listed is a netted cardinal.  Now I know that a bird is a cardinal, as is a high church official in the Roman Catholic Church.  I know it is a color, and that it has a mathematical meaning.  But I did not see how any of these could be involved in a piece of netting.   So I checked the dictionary.  One dictionary also defines it as "a woman's short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth and popularly worn in the 18th century," while another dictionary gives the definition as "a woman's hooded shoulder cape worn in the 17th and 18th centuries."  Now that definition makes sense when used in connection with netting.

This week I also starched some net bookmarks.  The patterns to these bookmarks will be included in my Circular Netting class.

Candle small circle is used.

Floweret small circle is used.

I have tried to have some quick and useful patterns included with the Circular Netting class.


You'll notice that this candle bookmark is a different color than the other one I made.

Tops small circle is used.

Plain small circle is used.

The small circles can be used for bookmarks, hot pads, and lacy insets for acrylic coasters.

Net Hats Using Diagonal Netting

Even before I had finished netting my first hat, I found myself planning the second one.  I wanted to do the entire hat in the Diagonal Netting Stitch but had difficulties figuring out how to do the first two stitches of the round.    So, I decided to net two plain stitches and then one Diagonal Netting Stitch.  I followed that sequence for the rest of the hat.

As you can see on a back view of the hat, the nine Diagonal Netting Stitches gently curve around the hat.

I still wanted to try just the Diagonal Netting Stitch.  After leaving the problem of starting the round with the Diagonal Netting Stitch at the back of my mind for a few days, I received the answer to solve the problem.  Here is the small hat that resulted.

I said small hat because even though I had the same number of  loops in this hat as I did in the one above, the red one would fit an adult and the blue one would fit a new-born.  There are two reasons this happened. First, I changed  from a 1/2" to a 3/8" mesh stick.  Second, I removed the plain stitches from the pattern and made all the stitches the Diagonal Netting Stitch.  This stitch pulls the netting closer together and results in a smaller piece of netting for the same number of stitches.  Either change by itself would have resulted in a smaller hat.  Doing both in the same hat resulted in a very small hat.

Since I want to see how this hat pattern looks in an adult size, I'll be working with either many more loops per round, or a bigger size mesh stick, both slightly more loops and a larger mesh stick as I try the pattern again this week.

Net Hat

When I saw the hat several women I know were crocheting, the look reminded me of  netting.   I couldn't help myself.  I had to pull out my trusty, ever-present tape measure and measure the crocheted mesh.

I had never thought of netting a hat until I saw this one, and then I could not stop thinking about it.  Finally I gave in. I wrote down a basic pattern and produced my first net hat.  I even net a small flower to attach to the side with a small bead.

I think I need to use a thicker thread for this hat pattern.  What do you think?

A net hat is different from a snood.  The hat sits on the head, covering only part of the hair.

A net snood can also sit on the head . . .

or attach to a barrette.

Either way,  the snood encloses the hair and pulls the hair together.

Of course, one hat was not enough.  I no sooner finished the first hat when another pattern began to occupy my mind.  I kept thinking of the Diagonal Netting Stitch, even when I had problems converting that stitch from diamond mesh netting to circular netting.  And even before the second one was finished, a third pattern (a variation on the second hat pattern) began presenting itself for consideration.   If I have enough time this week, I might finish one or both of the additional net hat patterns.