A Pretty Edging or Frill in Netting from The Home Book of Pleasure and Instruction

The final edging from page 308 of The Home Book of Pleasure and Instruction, by Laura Valentine and Mrs Aylmer, (published in 1867) is called A Pretty Edging or Frill in Netting. Like the other two edgings from this book, this edging is designed to have the netting turned and the edge placed along one of the sides of the initial strip of netting.  I did find the directions were a little vague.  Here is what I thought the author meant.

Using a #0 knitting needle, net eight stitches into the foundation loop; continue netting these stitches until you have a strip as long as you want the edging to be. Be sure to end with an odd number of rows. Remove the foundation loop and place it through the loops along the side of the netting away from the netting needle. Retie the foundation loop.

Turn the netting so you will net up the edge of the rows not attached to the foundation loop.

Row 1: 1/4" mesh
Net 3 knots into the next loop, skip a loop, net 3 knots into the following loop.
Rows 2-4: #0 kn
Net 1 knot in each loop.
Row 5: 1/4" mesh
Net 1 knot in each loop.
Row 6: #3 kn
Net 3 loops together with one knot; repeat across the row.
Row 7: #3 kn
Net 1 knot in each loop.
Row 8: 1/4" mesh
Net 3 knots into the next loop, skip a loop, net 3 knots into the following loop.
Rows 9-11: #0 kn
Net 1 knot in each loop.
Row 12: 1/4" mesh
Net 1 knot in each loop.
Row 13:#3 kn
Net 3 loops together with one knot; repeat across the row.
Row 14: 1/4"
Net 1 knot in each loop.
Row 16:#3 kn
Net 1 knot in each loop.

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After looking through my soon-to-be-printed book and making suggestions for corrections, my daughter made one final suggestion.  "You really should take the bag photo that has a black background and make the background white to match all the other bags on the page."

I explained that it could not be done with that photo since the yarn used was variegated.

She replied, "Why don't you just remake the bag with yarn that is not variegated?"

So I did.

Another and Wider Net Edging from The Home Book of Pleasure and Instruction - continued

Last week I showed a second edging (and a variation) from  The Home Book of Pleasure and Instruction, by Laura Valentine and Mrs Aylmer, (published in 1867).  The net edging was called Another and Wider Edging. This week I tried another variation on this same edge.  This time, instead of having a single knot tied in the loops at the beginning and ending of the row, I net 3 knots in the first and last loops of the row.

Today I had the time to starch all three versions of this edge.

Which of the three versions do you like best?  I think I like version 2.

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This week I net two small bags.  I am calling them Puppet Pouches since they were made to hold small knit finger puppets. The instructions were the same except for the handles.





The bag on the left has a regular, single handle.

The bag on the right has a twist in the handle that makes the entire bag a moebius bag.  That means that the entire bag has only one surface: no back or front, no inside or outside, just one surface.

If I were to place my finger on the handle and move it slowly along the handle, I would be able to go along the handle, the outside of the bag, and the inside the bag and end up where I had started without taking my finger off the bag.

It blows my mind every time I think about it.

Another and Wider Net Edging from The Home Book of Pleasure and Instruction

I tried a second edging from  The Home Book of Pleasure and Instruction, by Laura Valentine and Mrs Aylmer, (published in 1867).  This net edging was called Another and Wider Edging.

Like the one I did last week, this edge is done in a long strip and then the netting is turned on its side. The final two rows of the edging are net into the side.  

It is hard to know what size mesh sticks were used.  The book has a circle for one size and a rectangle for the other.  The problem is that I don't know if the printed copy I made is the same size as the original book.  That could make a difference.  I measured the diameter of the circle (1/4") and the length of the rectangle (3/4") and decided to keep the same ratio, just smaller.  I used a #3 knitting needle, which is close to a 1/8" diameter, and a 3/8" flat mesh.

I also tried making this edge without turning it on the side.  There is certainly a difference in the look of these two edges.   

I did not have time to starch either sample today.  Possibly, when I pin them out and starch them, they will look closer to the same shape.

Edges in Netting from The Home Book of Pleasure and Instruction

The edge pattern for today comes from The Home Book of Pleasure and Instruction, by Laura Valentine and Mrs Aylmer, (published in 1867).  This pattern was called Edges in Netting and is found on page 307.

One different thing about this edge is that it is net on six stitches for as long as desired and then turned so that the last row of the edge is net into the side loops of the previously-made netting.  This causes it to hang differently than if the final row had been net into the loops on the row just finished.

The first row made comprises the loops on the right side of the netting.

How similar would the look be if I made the final row, row 14, into the loops of row 13? So I tried it.

I think they look fairly similar. What do you think?

Net Edge on a Baby Sock

I found the instructions for this net edge in two different magazines:

1. Peterson's Magazine (Vol. 39-40), published in 1861
1. Baby's Knitted Shoe and Sock [with net trim] (page 77) 
2. Godey's Lady's Book (Vol. 78-79), published in 1869
1. Baby's Boot (knitting) [net edging on cuff] (page 255)

In the magazines the first row of netting was made into the last row of knitting.  I just made a couple rows of plain netting.

It's a simple edge and very easy, which is a change from the last two weeks. I'm beginning to like it more than I did at first.

Netted Escallop Borders - If at first you don't succeed . . .

I wanted to show you the finished Netted Escallop Borders on page 147, illustrated on page 148, of Peterson's Magazine (Vol. 41-42), published in 1862. It was designed by Mrs. Jane Weaver.

I encountered a few problems. The instructions were almost non-existent:

"The best way of attaching these is to add a preparatory row to the article, in which, having measured the distances which the escallop will occupy, a loop must be introduced with the thread twice round the mesh, to allow of the first long loops to be netted upon it. These rows which appear thick, and show a sort of pattern in the netting, are done by passing the thread three times round the fingers, netting the three as one loop."


With the help of the illustration I was able to figure out the pattern.

However, I could not figure out how the Netted Escallop was to be attached to the previous netting. It looks so easy in the illustration. Maybe during the week I will be more successful.  Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions.

I started hemstitching the handkerchiefs for my daughters and granddaughters. It took me about 2 hours to do one side. With the time it took to pull the threads a few weeks ago, I'm guessing it will take me about 10 hours to prepare one handkerchief. I hope I get faster as I go along. If that was all I had to do, I could finish them in less than a month.

Today I finished re-making the doily I named Compass. It is 20 inches in diameter and used about 114 yards of size 30 crochet thread to tie 5,872 knots.

Netted Border from Godey's Lady's Book

This Netted Border was published in Godey's Lady's Book in 1863.  There is an illustration on page 25 and the instructions are on page 87. Similar instructions are given on page 55 of The Ladies’ Companion (second series) (Vol. 27), published in 1865.

There was one problem with the instructions.  The method used to fasten the feathers to the netting allowed the thread in the three loops to slip and slide out of the pattern.  Either I misunderstood the instructions, or they used a cord that would not slide as easily as the crochet thread I used.  I made about two and a half rows of the feather pattern before deciding that continuing in this way would drive me crazy.  So I undid those rows and tied three knots in the loops where they wanted the feathers made.  It looks close enough to the illustration for me and holds more securely.

When I finished making a sample of this lace, I thought it would be too big to put as an edge on a handkerchief.

6 inches long and 3 inches wide

As I continued looking at the sample, I realized that there were several options that could be used for narrower handkerchief edgings.

The section with the feathers could be used either as a three-row feather pattern as shown here or as a single-row feather pattern.

A single row of feathers could be combined with the bottom pattern.

The bottom pattern could be used by itself.

Do you see any other combinations that would look nice on a handkerchief?