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?

The Ladies' Self Instructor

There is no author listed for The Ladies' Self Instructor in Millinery and Mantua Making, Embroidery and Applique, Canvas-work, Knitting, Netting and Crochet-work.  The linked, digitized copy was published in 1853.  Even though it is "illustrated with numerous engravings," none of those engravings are included with the netting information.

1. Explanation of Terms Used in Knitting (page 152)
2. Netted Mittens (page 162)
3. A Net Purse in Points (page 167)
4. Corkscrew Netting for a Purse (page 168)
5. Netted Curtain (page 175)
6. Netted Scarf (page 175)
7. Treble Diamond Netting (page 176)
8. Single Diamond Netting (page 177)
9. Tuft Netting (page 177)
10. Double Netting for a Mitten (page 180)
11. Patterns for D'oyleys, Basket, or Fish Napkins and Purses: No. 1 (page 182)
12. Patterns for D'oyleys, Basket, or Fish Napkins and Purses: No. 2 (page 182)
13. Patterns for D'oyleys, Basket, or Fish Napkins and Purses: No. 3 (page 183)
14. Netted Lambs'-wool Shawl or Handkerchief (page 183)
15. Netted Sofa Tidy (page 183)
16. To Work the Backs of Netted Mittens (page 184)
17. Netted Cuffs (page 186)
18. Netted Bag (page 189)
19. Striped Purse (page 189)
20. Bead Netting (page 190)
21. Bead Netting, with the Bead on the Knot (page 190)

Thanks to this book I have become acquainted with some new terms:  

• Mantua - "loose gown worn by women 17c.-18c.," 1678, from Fr. manteau "cloak, mantle," from O.Fr. mantel (see mantle); form infl. in Eng. by Mantua, name of a city in Italy. Mantua-maker (1694) became the general early 19c. term for "dressmaker."Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper 

• Tidy - (used as a noun) an antimacassar

• Antimacassar - "a cloth covering the back and arms of chairs, etc, to prevent soiling or as decoration"; "coined 1852, from anti- + macassar oil, imported hair tonic from Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The cloth was laid to protect chair and sofa fabric from people leaning their oily heads back against it. Macassar is from native Mangkasara, name of a district on the island." Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper 

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A mobius or moebius strip is a continuous, one-sided surface formed by twisting one end of a rectangular strip through 180° about the longitudinal axis of the strip and attaching this end to the other.  To see how to make one click here or here.

Several years ago I became acquainted with moebius knitting through the delightful Cat Bordhi.  She would knit a moebius strip, thereby creating a scarf.  Sometimes she would add a hat or bag to the moebius strip.  I wondered how I could use the unique and magical techniques she had developed for knitting and apply them to netting.   Then one day I figured out how to net a moebius bag.

Since I am going through my patterns and checking out the instructions, I decided to take the pattern for the spiral net bag I made a few weeks ago, give the handle a twist when joining it, and create a moebius bag.  

The fun thing with a moebius bag is that even though it looks like the bag has an inside and an outside, it is really a one-sided surface.   There is only one surface!   All I did was stretch one portion of the moebius strip a little and put a few extra stitches in it.

The only difference between the patterns for the regular bag and the moebius bag is the twist in the handle. 

Where did the last month go?

This past month has been fun and very busy. I was able to attend a two-day workshop with Cat Bordhi and picked up some great knitting tips. I was also able to knit a pair of socks for my husband. I made the Dove sock found in her book New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One. Most importantly, they fit him.



The knitting workshop reminded me of Cat's Magical Knitting books with moebius bags that I had worked with a few years ago. I still wanted to see if I could net a moebius bag. And then it happened. I was traveling along Interstate 90 heading toward Worcester, MA. Suddenly, into my mind sprang the way to create a net bag with a moebius handle.



The most frustrating part of the whole situation was that I was driving and could not write down any reminders as to how to create the moebius handle.

The second most frustrating part was that I could not try out my idea until I had completed my trip to Worcester and returned home.

The funnest part was when the bag was finished. I placed my hand on the handle and without lifting my hand went up around the handle, down into the bag, up the "other side" of the handle, around the "outside" of the bag and back to the where I started, thereby proving that the entire bag had only one surface and one edge.








It seems that having done it once I could think of several different ways to create such bags.



I was invited to a bridal shower and moebius net bags would not leave my mind. So I gave in and made another one.

This moebius bag was created from the top down with a hole in the side.


The same bag is pictured with the shower gifts in it on the left and with onions in it on the right.
















The hole is present so the bag can be filled with something like onions and people can reach in from the side instead of the top or bottom of the bag to get the contents of the bag.











I also finished netting 5 doilies for my youngest son's teachers (as a thank-you for working with him this past year) . . .

Waltz

Lacy (large)

Virtue

Mystic

Midnight Sky

. . . and 4 doilies (one not yet starched) for wedding presents.

Prism

Celebration

Clusters (small)