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.  

Netting in Magazines - The Delineator

For just over a year I have been listing digitized books that have netting information and patterns in them. Today, with my current list of digitized books exhausted, I decided to move on to digitized magazines that contain netting patterns.  The problem with magazines is that not all the issues of a particular magazine have been digitized.  My hope is that if I list what I can find, those who have more skill in searching or those who own the actual magazines will help us locate more netting information.

The Delineator, published by Butterick Publishing Company, began in 1873 and continued until 1937.

I have been able to find the following online:

1. January 1903
1. Section: Netting - Doily with Fluted Border (page 139)
2. July 1903
1. Section: Needlework - Dainty Hand-made Handkerchiefs (page 98)
3. The Art of Netting - No. 59
1. Doily with Netted Border - figure 1 (page 350)
2. Doily with Netted Border - figure 2 (page 350)
3. Netted Doily (page 350)
4. The Art of Netting - No. 61
1. Table-Center (page 245)
2. Tray-Cloth (page 245)
3. Plate Doily (page 245)
5. The Art of Netting - No. 62
1. Netted Handkerchief (page 473)

I would love to know which year these The Art of Netting sections appeared in.  I wish I could find all the Art of Netting series published in this magazine.

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Several months ago I remade one of my bag patterns.  I put it carefully away until the next time I needed a gift bag for a baby shower.  I found it last week and realized that I did not need to make a new bag for the latest baby shower I was invited to.  I just needed to fill the one I had.

Handicrafts For The Handicapped by Herbert J. Hall and Mertice M. C. Buck

In Handicrafts For The Handicapped,  the authors, Herbert J. Hall and Mertice M. C. Buck, have gathered together a variety of crafts and skills, including netting.  While the book, published in 1916, mentions many different and practical ways netting has been used, it gives only a few patterns.

1. Netted Loops and Borders  (Chapter III; part 2)
2. Baby's Cap  (Chapter III; part 2)
3. Hammock  (Chapter III; parts 1 and 2)

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This week I've remade another of my doily patterns.  I called this one Aurora.  It is 16 inches in diameter and used 94 yards of size 20 crochet thread.

Encyclopedia of Needlework by Therese de Dillmont

Therese de Dillmont authored many books on needlework.  I recently learned that her Encyclopedia of Needlework, published in 1886,  is available in digitized format. Among the types of needlework, she includes a section on netting, which includes the following:

1. Netting (page 395)
2. Implements and Materials (page 395; illustrations 611-613)
3. Stitches (page 397; illustrations 614-116)
4. Patterns Produced in Netting (page 400; illustrations 617-633)
5. Embroidered Netting (page 410; illustrations 634-691)

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I've been promising to post the photos of the sun catchers I net during the last two weeks of September.  So here they are.  There are some 4", 5", and 6" ones.  If you want to see all the sun catchers I have designed, click here.

Chrysalis 

Flame

Ferris Wheel

Masaka

Jellyfish

Merry-Go-Round

Mum

Waves

Winter Festival

Glisten

Scallops

Music

Zinnia

Sand Dollar

Peony

Pompom

Moonlight

Poinsettia

Ferris Wheel, Poinsettia, and Zinnia are in 6" rings.  Glisten and Waves are in 4" rings.  All the others are in 5" rings.

Varied Occupations in String Work by Louisa Walker

Many years ago, in the days before the internet, I purchased a copy of Graded Lessons in Macrame, Knotting and Netting by Louisa Walker.  This week I received a new link from Anthony Emery for Varied Occupations in String Work by Louisa Walker.  I was surprised to learn that my copy, published in 1971, is a reprint of the digitized version which was published in 1896.

1. Netting (page 116)
2. Tennis Net (page 122) [miniature version for children to make and use]

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I needed a gift bag for a baby shower, so I pulled out the pattern for a small bag. I needed to remake this bag in order to double-check the instructions.  I like giving baby shower gifts in a net bag because it gives the new mother something to hold baby bibs or anything else she wants to use it for, it saves on wrapping paper, and it introduces people to netting.

net bag with tea-towel bibs

empty net bag

    nearly invisible base of bag

This particular bag pattern has a small piece of diamond mesh for the bottom of the bag.  The sides are then formed by netting in a spiral around the edge of that piece.  It is hard to find where the sides and base of the bag meet.

Netmaking by P. W. Blandford

In 1941 the first edition of Percy W. Blandford's book, Netmaking, was published.  It includes netting instructions for heavier cord.  There are many illustrations throughout the book.  According to the preface to the fourth edition, "the first edition of this book was written during uncomfortable evenings in an air-raid shelter in 1940."

The digitized version is located at http://pachamamatrust.org/.  Once you arrive at the website, click on the portion of the side menu labeled CORE and a new side menu will appear.  Click on Net & Rope (which is under Craft & Trade, which is under Employment).  The text and photos will appear on the right of the screen.

A special thanks to Anthony Emery for the link to this book.

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The Eastern States Exposition (Big E) is held in September in West Springfield, Massachusetts.  This year I decided to go demonstrate netting.  During the 17 days it is open, I have been there netting for 7 days (about 4 hours each day).  It has been fun and exciting to introduce netting to those who stopped by while I was there.  Today was my last day, so I decided to take some photos of the lace demonstration area.





This case contains all the lace entries for this year, with the exception of the Best in Division.  There are examples of tatting, netting, and various types of bobbin lace.


















The picket fence was decorated with net sun catchers I made during the last two weeks.  Some of them were made at the Big E while I was demonstrating, and others were made elsewhere.  I will try to post them on my website with the other sun catchers as soon as possible.

On the table are net bags, net scarves, a net shawl, and stitch samples, as well as two small pieces of tatting.   I included the tatting because people tend to ask me if I am tatting, and I wanted to show them the difference between the two.













This is also the first year I have submitted something to the Big E.  I submitted two doilies, Pineapple and Crystalline, and Lantern, a small net covered ornament ball.  The large white doily on the left of the lace case is one of the two doilies.  The red ornament ball is in the lower right corner.

With all the beautiful lace displayed in the lace case, I was surprised to learn that Crystalline had been selected as Best in Division for Lace.  It was displayed with the other Best in Division Winners.











I'm already wondering what I will enter next year.

Aunt Ellen's How-To Book on Needlework

In 1954, Workbasket published Aunt Ellen's How-To Book on Needlework.  The netting portion of that book, with the exception of the Pineapple Handkerchief Edging, can be found on-line.  While many of the same stitches found in the 1800's are found here, this booklet is one of the few places that show both methods of netting.

1. How to Net (page 34)
2. Method I (page 35)
3. Method II (page 36)
4. Helpful Information (page 37)
5. Terms (page 37)
6. Knot Stitch (page 37)
7. Rose Stitch (page 37)
8. Crisscross Stitch (page 37)
9. Spider Stitch (page 37)
10. Fan Stitch (page 38)
11. Cluster Stitch (page 38)
12. Circular Netting (page 38)
13. Pineapple Handkerchief Edging (page 39)

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The first two days I demonstrated netting at the Big E, I worked on a doily that needed to be redone so I could check the instructions and also get a digitized photograph.  Here is the photograph of Jasmine.

The rest of the time I demonstrated netting this week, I worked on sun catchers.  I'll post photos of them next week.  So far I have been able to get 3 done in 4 hours.  I might just finish all I want to get made by the time the Big E ends - I have about 16 hours and 13 sun catchers left.