Boy do I know netmaking...

That first link is golden! Making a net is really two steps, making the meshes, which is covered very well in the pics from the link, and deciding what to do with them. In the "old days" the twine would be netted in place, a bit like knitting. Today, everyone uses machine made net, but the basic assembly is the same. There is a bit of math and a lot of common sense seciding how to lay things out, but basically, you're talking about clove hitches and lashings.

What do you want to make? A dip net is just a tube, either worked in a circle, or seamed and closed at the bottom. A seine is just a big sheet of netting with floats on the top and weights on the bottom. Tennis nets are just regular net hung "square"...



This one can swallow a city block...

Matthias

A throwing net is just a cast net, maybe made with a bit heavier materials. In the movies the gladiator types usually have nasty hooked weights, but it would probably be much more effective with a plain edge. A cast net, or any other circular net is just a length of twine with a whole pile of half hitches! You'll have to work increases in if you want to do the job right, which is a bit harder than making a square net, but other than that? If you want to try something like this, practice making a small square section first to get the motions down, then spend some time to make a decent support frame. If it's for people, (or starlings, pigeons ) I'd start with a relatively big hoop (top of a plastic paint pail?) and then once the outside was done come back and fill the hole - much easier than working from a point.

Great set of instructions at the same website:

http://www.bertaut.com/castnet.html

Now I want one...

Matthias

another good link: http://www.wedcraft.com/netting.html

the pdf's on that page are particularly well illustrated.

http://www.ropeworks.biz/archive/net-1.html ; good illustrations with instructions on how to fill the shuttle.

I missed this topic so far, and it has run almost a day already. You can't take time to have dinner with your parents anymore 

There are a few online netting supply shops, but I have no experience with any of them, so google and search for a fairly local one if you want to buy netting needles.
If you are in England I have an e-mail address of the shop I buy my needles.


For a net to transport things I would make a tube with one closed end, string a cord through the other end, knot the ends of the cord, and there it is.

As a beginner it might be easiest to make a piece of net that is basicly square or rectangular and sew that together. But once you are familiar with the basic netting knots you can make one in one go.
Make 6 to 12 loops on a string, tie that into a small loop and attach the end of the string to a hook or other fixed point.
Now make 2 mesh in each mesh, (that is double the amount of loops,) when you come back to your starting-point you can either tie a netting knot or an overhand knot in the first mesh of your base row, and an other overhand knot in the bottom of the first loop of the second row, and such make a neat row each time, or you can ignore the transition and just work on, this is a little hard in the first few rows but makes work easier in the body of the bag.
I often double the amount of mesh twice at the start of the net and then do a couple of rows with just one mesh in each of the row below.
When you spread the net it should lay flat on the table but there need not be extra space.
You can work on till your net starts not laying flat anymore and add more mesh if it is not wide enough yet.

After it is wide enough it is just going on with netting till it is long enough.
If you have decided to spiral, that is ignore the start of the row, use the last mesh you made for one end of your cord to close the net.

Willeke

What isn't clear?
How to tie the knots or my desription of how to make a net?

Willeke

Taiki,
The best way to learn to understand netmaking is starting to do it.
And as with all crafts, it is so much easier to understand patterns if you understand the basics of the craft.

Willeke

I agree with all your points, but the last.
After a little training you will be surprised how easy netting really is.

-Round here (Dutch coast) the netters use either a dowel attached to a wall or a frame made out of 2 bars of wood with two dowels.
Schrew 2 eyes into a wall, a little closer together than your dowel is long, and big enough that you dowel slip in the eyes easily.
If you want to work at a table take/make 2 pieces of wood, 1"x2"x6" will do, drill 2 holes through both pieces of wood, in the middle of the 2" and about 1" and 4" off one end of the 6" side.

The size of the hole should be a fraction bigger than your dowels are.
Slip your dowels into the holes and clamp the free end of the wood to the table.
This gives you a frame to work on.
I'll try to make a drawing and add it to this post.

When you get to the end of your row, slip the dowel with the netting out of the hooks/from the frame, turn it over end slip it in again, ready to start the next row.

-A mesh stick is not just better, it makes a whole world of difference.
Pick up a ruler that is about 1" or 1 1/2" wide and use that as meshstick and try to follow the instructions with that.

-A netting needle is not hard to make, but easier to buy. But for starters you can also use a long normal needle like a packing needle. If it is as long as your hand and blunt it will work.
A netting needle will allow you to use a much longer string with much less efford.

-Cats are attracted to string moving, and the longer the string you are working with, the more likely the cat sees it.
A netting needle will keep the string containted to the area of your hands and lap, and if the cat is on the floor it might miss seeing it, no proof, and no cat proof way of working though.

-Buy a roll of cheap string, like sisal, that you can see.
If you tied your knot right it will not move over the string you tied it to, a knot that is tied right but tightened wrong is a slipknot round the string. Often a yank on the needlestring will collaps it into the right shape.

-The string you use is often very thin, so while you use a lot of length, you will use very little weight.
Cotton string is sold by weight and one half a kilo roll (a little more than a pound) will make more shopping nets, and storage nets, than you can use up in your life.
Natural fibres will stay in the knots more easily than manmade fibres, but go for smooth string if you can get it. Hairy string is not easy for beginners .

-You only have to learn one knot and that is much easier than the shoelace knots, and you are much older than you were when you had to learn that one.

Willeke