Knitting, Crochet, and Netting by Mlle. Riego De La Branchardiere

It's been a while since the book I selected had the word netting in the title.  Knitting, Crochet, and Netting by Mlle. Riego De La Branchardiere does that.  There is another digital copy of her book located here.  Both copies were published in 1846.

Here are the patterns that she included for netting.

1. Anti-Macassar (page 89)
2. D'Oyley (page 90)
3. Bread Basket D'Oyley (page 90)
4. Netted Purse (page 90)
5. Purse for a Lady (page 91)
6. Bead Purse  (page 91)
7. Wedding Purse with Motto (page 92)
8. Plain Purse with Motto (page 93)

I have some Great News!  The Circular Netting class at Rita's Netting Nook is ready for students!

Look at the projects included. See which videos, patterns, and handouts are available.  Find what supplies you will need.

To register for the class, either go to Rita's Netting Nook and scroll down to the bottom of the page, or go to the registration page.

Like the other classes, this one is $35.00, you can start immediately, and you can take as long as you like to finish the class.

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  One dictionary also defines it as "a woman's short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth and popularly worn in the 18th century," while another dictionary gives the definition as "a woman's hooded shoulder cape worn in the 17th and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.

Manual of Knitting by Mrs. Mee and Miss Austin

I find it strange that a book devoted to knitting would contain a single netting pattern but Manual of Knitting by Mrs. Mee and Miss Austin does just that.  I wonder which woman designed the netting pattern.  This book was published around 1860.

This book contains a pattern (page 10, item 7) for making a Netted Jupon.

Since I had no idea what a jupon is and there is no picture of the finished product, I decided to use a dictionary.

Most of the definitions were similar: "a short close-fitting sleeveless padded garment, used in the late 14th and early 15th centuries with armour"

I liked this one because it included how to pronounce the word.

But somehow I could not see this definition matching something made with netting.  Then I found a dictionary which included a second definition: "A petticoat."  That made more sense.


This week I also took the time to double check netting instructions for making small circles.  The directions will be included in my circular netting class.

I wanted to have something that was small enough that it could be made quickly.  This way the students could practice several times, instead on only once or twice, the techniques that start a piece of circular netting.  I also wanted to include a variety of stitches so the different techniques for starting rounds could be practiced.

These patterns can be used in making hot pads, bookmarks, or inserts into acrylic coasters.  It just depends on the size of the thread and mesh sticks used.

The Knitter's Casket: a new series of receipts in Knitting and Netting

Today I looked down my list of digital books that contained netting patterns and picked one at random.  I chose The Knitter's Casket: a new series of receipts in Knitting and Netting by Mrs Hope.  It was published around 1848.

She included the following netting patterns.

1. Dice-pattern Purse (page 70)
2. Dice-pattern Purse with beads (page 72)
3. Mat (page 73)
4. Purses with Beads No. 1, Pine and Star (page 75)
5. Purses with Beads No. 2, Pointed Pattern (page 78)
6. Purses with Beads No. 3, Simple Bar Pattern (page 79)

I noticed online that she has another book, The Book of the Baby's Wardrobe in Knitting and Netting.  Unfortunately this book does not appear to be available in digital format yet.   

One of these days I'm going to try some of these patterns.

But instead of doing that this week, I have been making a net bag for another baby shower.

This bag is the medium size of the circular bags included in my circular netting class.

I have also been working on the transcripts of the circular netting videos.  I think I am done with everything except one video and its transcript.  But to make that video, I'll have to do some more netting, after I finish the doily I'm making for a nephew and his new wife.

The Knitters' Friend by Mrs. Gaugain

When I saw the title of Mrs. Gaugain's book, The Knitters' Friend,in a list of books that were available online, I almost passed it by.  After all, it was a knitting book and I was looking for netting patterns.

Then I happened to glance at the sub-title: being a selection of receipts for the most useful and saleable articles in knitting, netting and crochet work.  I decided to look at it.  When I clicked on the link, the cover read, "The People's Book" and I wondered if I was in the correct location.  I decided to scroll down a bit, and the title page let me know that I was looking at the correct book.

This is the last of Mrs. Jane Gaugain's books that I have been able to find online.  It was published in 1846.

Here are the netting patterns found in this book.

1. Pretty Netted Flower Mat (page 15)
2. Netted Mat for a Hyacinth Glass, or Round D'Oyley (page 17)
3. Maltese Long Net Mitten (page 157)
4. Very Pretty Grecian Net Long Purse for a Lady (page 168)
5. Maltese Spotting, six stitches apart (stitch on page 170)

This week I also had a chance to record my son using the mesh poi I made.  I wanted him to demonstrate how to use them.

I've been working on the Circular Netting class.  I was able to finish a couple of transcripts and I only have one video left to make.  I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The Accompaniment To Second Volume of Mrs Gaugain's Work on Knitting, Netting, and Crochet

This week we will look at another of Mrs Gaugain's books in our listing of  public domain books containing netting patterns.   The Accompaniment To Second Volume of Mrs Gaugain's Work on Knitting, Netting, and Crochet was published in 1845.  It has several knitting and crochet patterns but only two netting patterns.

1. Pretty Netted Flower Mat (page 15)
2. Netted Mat for a Hyacinth Glass, or Round D'Oyley (page 17)

Since I had no idea what a Hyacinth Glass was, I decided to see what information I could find.  I located a link or two explaining what it is. These sites make using a Hyacinth Glass to grow Hyacinths indoors sound so easy.  I wonder if my "black thumb" could get some of these to grow.  If I try it, I will have to make the Netted Mat for a Hyacinth Glass to go under it.



Between now and the end of November there are three women I know who are expecting.   Over the past few years I have made three tea-towel baby bibs with ribbing around the neck edge and placed them in a small net gift bag to give to each mother-to-be.  The bag can be re-used later to hold whatever the mother wants.








Yesterday I attended a potluck dinner for one of the women.  Since her baby is supposed to be a boy, I made the bag and one of the bibs blue.












Making this bag did not hinder my progress on the Circular Netting class.  I video taped myself starting the bag and making the handles.  The videos will become part of three different videos for the class.  If you look at the syllabus this week, you will notice that there are only three videos left to create.

I wish I could say that next week I will finish making the videos for the class, but one of my sons is getting married on Saturday, and I have a few other things I need to get finished for that.

The Lady's Assistant in Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Work

In hunting for netting books online, I found several by Mrs. Gaugain.  The Lady's Assistant in Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Work, second volume, is a sequel to the one I mentioned last week.  It was originally published in 1842.  Apparently in 1842 she published both books.

Besides knitting and crochet patterns, it contains the following netting patterns:

• Long Net Purse, called Double Netting (item 121, page 252)
• Small Net Neckkerchief (item 122, page 253)
• Very Beautiful Long Net Purse, with Gold Beads (item 136, page 290)
• Another Very Beautiful Long Net Purse (item 137, page 292)
• Diced Net Purse, in Twist and Beads (item 142, page 295)
• Net Cuffs, in Berlin Wool and Silk (item 194, page 307)
• Very Light and Elegant Square Net Dress Shawl (item 166, page 365)
• Simple and Pretty Black Net Scarf (item 170, page 371)

This book also contains:

• Directions for guiding the proper sizes of Silks and Meshes used for Purses in Net Work (page 415)
• Remarks on Netting (page 416) 
• [comments on the direction (lengthwise or widthwise) to make curtains for the best result when they are hung and how to block finished netting]
• Make a Stitch in Netting
• To Take-in or Diminish
• Bead Stitch [how to add beads to netting]
• Netting with Shade Silk

In the process of creating the videos for my Circular Netting Class, I needed to make more hot pads.  This one was a revision of a pattern I had already made for this class.

Flower - Hot Pad

This was a new one.  I realized that I had not made any simple hot pads that demonstrated how to decrease.  So this one fills that need. 

Tops - Hot Pad

I finished the taping done for several of the videos.  Now I just need to pull the pieces together to make coherent videos that teach the skills needed in circular netting.  At least progress is finally being made on the videos.

Old Netting Patterns and Books Now Online

I've looked for books containing netting patterns ever since my mother gave me a copy of Nelson Netting Patterns, Beautiful New Advanced Doilies (supplement #3) for Christmas in the 1960s.   I was sorely disappointed when I found no books and very few patterns dealing with netting in the library of the college I attended.

I was elated when I discovered old netting books on-line in a digitized format.  I downloaded all I could find but never had took the time to look through the files very thoroughly.  It was one of those projects I was always going to do.  A few months ago, I don't remember why, I started looking through one such file.  The book was published in 1847.  I discovered, to my amazement, that there were drawings of nine netting stitches.  Stitches I knew!  Some of these stitches like Plain Net, Grecian Net, Leaf Netting, Dotted Net, and Honeycomb Net I had learned from my grandmother.  Others like Round Net, Open Plain Net, Single Diamond Net, Diamond of Five Stitches, and French Ground Net I had learned from more modern books.

As I continued browsing through the file, I saw patterns for items I had wanted to make but had not had the time to design. Looking through other files I had downloaded to my computer, I realized that I needed to create a listing of which patterns were found in which books.

I decided to enter them in this blog so others could also find the netting patterns they wanted.  Besides a list of netting patterns found in each book, I will include the title, author, publication date, and link where I found the book.

Here's the first book.  It had to be first.  It was the one that captured my attention and made me decide to make this list.

The Lady's Assistant for Executing Useful and Fancy Designs in Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Work by Mrs Gaugain, 1847.  It was also published in 1840, 1842, and 1845.  The patterns for netting were the same, regardless of when the book was published.

Netting patterns and stitches found in this book:

Long Net Purse for a Lady
Long Net Purse for a Lady (different pattern)
Round Netting for a Gentleman's Long Purse
Honeycomb Netting for Veil
Honeycomb Netting for a Veil, Purse, &c
Grecian Net for a Veil
Very Pretty Long Grecian Net Purse for a Lady
Single Diamond Netting
Diamond of Five Stitches for a Long Purse
Leaf Netting
Raised Net
Dotted Net
French Ground Net
Scollop for Borders of Veils, Collars, &c
Scollop
Another Scollop for Border
A Netted Garter
Netted Mitten of Purse Silk
A Pretty Fringe for the above Mitten
Cravat of White and Blue Wool
Net Scarf
Flat Net Scarf
A Long Net Purse of Two Colours, united in Points
Very Handsome Long Net Purse

In case you think I have forgotten about my Circular Netting class, I have not.  I finally made the first two videos and checked to see if all the pattern instructions were ready.  They were.  If you want to see what videos and patterns will be included in the class, you can look at the class syllabus.

Change the netting, just a little bit

I can do the same instructions over and over, but that doesn't mean that I will.  Sometimes it is more fun to start off with a set of instructions and change just a little of the instructions and suddenly you have something new.  Sometimes the changes happen on purpose and sometimes changes just happen.

I've been making small, circular pieces of netting for my next netting class - Circular Netting.  One of the first things I created with one of the small, circular pieces of netting was a bookmark.

When I decided to make it in color instead of white thread, I started with the same instructions.  After all, I was going to check to make sure I had written it correctly.  I made the circular part and started on the rectangular length of the bookmark.  I was sitting in the library, visiting with members of our knitting group.  I realized I had been netting for a while and wondered how close I was to changing stitches.  I thought I knew how many rows of plain netting I needed to do before I changed to a different stitch, but, when I looked at the instructions and counted the rows, I had done more plain netting than I was supposed to do.

Now I had a choice to make.  Did I want to follow the pattern exactly (which would mean untying each knot, one at at time, for several rows), or did I want to end up with a different bookmark pattern than the one I had started to make.

I decided I did not want to untie that many knots.

I ended up with a new pattern and a slightly different look.  Which do you like better?

Why I make netting class patterns several times

In May, 2012, I displayed photos of the net dishcloths I've designed for my circular netting class.  Recently I remade the same dishcloths using colored yarn.  I've learned that by making them a second and maybe a third time, I will often pick up mistakes I made when I wrote the instructions.

Carrots Net Dishcloth

Skirt Net Dishcloth

There was not much to fix on the Carrots Net Dishcloth or the Skirt Net Dishcloth instructions.

I needed to make several changes to the Fan Net Dishcloth pattern.  I had to increase the size of some of the mesh sticks and change the placement of the Fan Stitches.  After a couple of tries, I ended up with a larger dishcloth, fewer knots, but about the same amount of yarn used.

Fan Net Dishcloth

Even though I had to net this pattern more times than the other two patterns, I like the results. 

I wonder what would happen if I used a 3/8" gauge for the large mesh stick instead of the small mesh stick.  I wonder if it would fit on top of a net bookmark.  I wonder . . . 

Gauge = mesh stick size and yarn size

I was looking at the patterns for my upcoming Circular Netting class.  I noticed that I had only one hot pad.  It uses the plain stitch.   

As I continued to transform the instructions for the net coasters from something I could understand to a handout everyone could understand, I realized I could have more hot pad patterns.  I just needed to make some changes to the coaster patterns.  

By using thicker thread and larger mesh sticks I went from coaster to hot pad.  The inserts in the acrylic coasters are just under 3 inches.  The hot pads are between 5 and 6 inches.

In knitting and crocheting how tightly you grip your yarn and needle affects the gauge and the finished size of your project.  This is not what happens with netting.  The finished size of an article of netting depends on the size of the yarn or thread and the size of the mesh sticks used.

Spiral Netting vs Circular Netting

While diamond-mesh and square-mesh netting are made with rows, spiral and circular netting are made using rounds

My grandmother taught me to net using spiral netting.  Spiral netting goes around and around until you change the size of the mesh stick or stitch pattern, or finish the project.  

Here is a doily she made for me to use as a pattern.  It is done in spiral netting and is a good example of some of the problems associated with spiral netting.














Here are some closeups of that doily highlighting three common problems experienced with spiral netting.  








The end of the netting is very obvious.  It just stops.

  

In the highlighted area there is a noticeable trail in the netting where the size of the mesh stick was changed.  It may appear as a jog in the round or a single long strand where there should be two or more strands forming a V. 





























Counting the number of rounds becomes a challenge because the round has no definite beginning or end.

If you look closely in the highlighted area you can see that there are mostly 5 rounds of small white netting.  However, there are a couple of places where there are only 4 rounds.  This makes it difficult to know when to change to a new mesh stick or a new stitch.













It was years after I had learned to net that I found there was another way to net in a circle.   Thanks to a small public library I found Net Making by Charles Holdgate and learned about circular netting.

Here is the same doily made using circular netting.  







Circular netting joins each round with an overhand knot.  

This simple step eliminates the problems described with spiral netting.

This week I found myself adding more projects to the Circular Netting class I am creating.  There are now seven different types of projects in this class and 15 patterns:  3 bags, 3 bookmarks, 3 coasters, 3 dishcloths, a doily, a hot pad, and a snood.

If you could choose only one type of project to make while learning circular netting, which would it be?

You can look at the projects at Rita's Netting Nook.

Small Circular Netting: A coaster, potholder, or hot pad?

One of the challenges in creating a new netting class is creating quick, easy, and useful projects.  The circular netting class I'm working on is no exception.

When I learned to net, my grandmother started me with spiral netting.  (I didn't realize that there was any other type of netting for years.)  Since she started the center on my first two doilies, I didn't even get to try the process for over a year.  And since each doily took a long time to complete I had a hard time remembering how to start the doily.

I wanted to avoid that problem with my students, so I have created several small circular projects.  Here are the latest.

7" diameter

5" diameter

I was not sure what to call them.  Are they coasters, potholders, or hot pads?







A friend recently experimented with these net yarn items. She found that they worked great when holding hot items like a cup of tea or coffee.  The steam and heat did not transfer to the surface below.  She also found they did not work so great with cold soft drink cans.  The condensed moisture that gathered on the surface of the can dripped through the holes onto the surface below. 

I guess that means I should stop calling them coasters and start calling them hot pads.  What would you call them?

Net Produce Bags

Recently I was asked if I could net a small bag to hold garlic bulbs and a larger bag to hold 5 pounds of potatoes.  Here are the results of my efforts.  Both of the bags are made of household string.

Three garlic bulbs are in the bag.  

Five pounds of potatoes are in this bag.

This week I was also able to give Knots Indeed a new look.  I tried to make sure everything got moved.  If I forgot something, please let me know.  It's not finished by any means -- I still have add more photos, links to patterns, and eventually a shopping cart.

I was also able to get the projects and syllabus listing up for the Circular Netting class.

Circular netting and bookmarks

Circular netting and bookmarks usually don't go together in my mind.

Eyelet Stitch

Cross Stitch

Cube Stitch

Fan Stitch

Heart 

I usually think of bookmarks as long and rectangular, like these examples. 

But just because circular netting and bookmarks don't usually come to mind together does not mean I can't combine them.  

I have been trying to come up with some easy, quick, and useful circular netting patterns.  

This week bookmarks kept coming to mind.  I finally relented and made Magic.  With positive feedback and suggestions from the ladies at a weekly knitting group, I designed the other two bookmarks.  I will be including these three in my upcoming Circular Netting class along with the dishcloths from last week.

Flower

Magic

Candle

Which is your favorite rectangular bookmark?  Your favorite circular bookmark?  Your favorite bookmark on the page?

Net Dishcloths

Since finishing the Square-mesh Netting class I have been busy creating the patterns for the Circular Netting class.  Today I took the time to photograph the three circular net dishcloths I've made.

Net Dishcloth Made Using the Carrots Stitch

Net Dishcloth Made Using the Fan Stitch

Net Dishcloth Made Using the Skirt Stitch

You may be wondering, "Why have patterns for net dishcloths in the circular netting class?"  There are several reasons:

1. Everyone can use a dishcloth, even if just to wipe a table, counter, or stove-top.   
2. They are made using a thick cotton yarn.  The yarn is easier to work with than thin crochet thread to learn the basics of circular netting.  You can see what you are doing.
3. They are fairly quick to make, especially when compared to a doily.

Even with those reasons you might wonder, "Why make a net dishcloth?  How do they compare with knit or crochet dishcloths?"  There are definite advantages to net dishcloths.

1. It's easy to rinse them out.  The dirt does not get stuck in the fibers as easily.
2. They dry quickly, even in humid climates.
3. The knots in the netting act as tiny scrub brushes.
4. If a thread breaks, the entire dishcloth does not unravel.  The knots that create the netting will keep the break from spreading.

Now I have a question for you:  Which of the three dishcloths do you like best?