Making Nets

Here I would like to give information on how to tie a net that could be hung on a wall, or made into a casting net if so desired. The net is like what is on fishing vessels, once you get the idea of how to tie the knot, it's a piece of cake. Mending a net is then nothing more than child's play.

To start your net you will need the following items:

1. A shuttle, or needle to hold your twine
2. A paddle, or gauge to measure your mesh width
3. Twine

The basic knot is a sheet bend: (If a casting net is your desire you will need to know how to tie a widener knot, which is nothing more than making a loop over the knot instead of over the next loop. And to add here, a reducing knot is tied by skipping the loop to be tied onto and going to the next loop.)

First tie a loop in the twine. Then just build from that loop with the sheet bend. The size of the gauge you choose will create a mesh that is double the gauge size. So if you use a one inch gauge, you will have two inch meshing for your net. The gauge helps stretch the loop and the knot is tied. Line up the top of gauge to the bottom of the knot. Your first loop you make will look a little big, and you side loops will also look a little backward.

I normally use my index and middle finder as my gauge. I have tried using a wooden, make shift paddle, but found that I would loose the paddle before I was done making the net, and the coordination of holding the gauge, holding the shuttle, and trying to bring tight the knot is crazy.

The first row is the worst, then it's easy from there. Just come down to the next row when you think your net is wide enough, and come across on the second row, and so on until you fell your net is the size you want it.

Things to remember:

1. Measure the loop a little larger than you desire, the knot tends to make the mesh smaller.
2. Keep the end loops of the rows a little larger, at least on one side, so that if you misjudged the size of the net you can add onto that side you kept the loops larger. (Slightly larger, don't go overboard.)
3. The knots you have made earlier will begin to untie, you will need to be attentive at all times and keep retightening the loose knots. (It has always happened to me, unless I use macramé and pull the knot tight with all my might.)

The question may be raised, what happens when I finish a shuttle full of twine?
Good question, I have been looking for an answer that no one seems to write down anywhere, I guess it is just assumed what to do. What I normally do is, reload the needle, and with the free end, tie a sheet bend around the last knot I made before I ran out. Another thing that works well is, take the free end of the shuttle, and the twine end from the net of the last knot I made, put them together, and tie your next knot with both pieces of twine. Both techniques work well. If someone has another, I would really love to know.

Making a Hammock
If your desire is the hammock, after you have your net, it can be easily converted to a hammock. Get one or two pieces of wood, one piece through the top end of the net and the other piece at the other end of the net.

Now to keep the hammock from closing, drill holes in the wood on each piece at each corner. Run a strong piece of rope through the hole at the headboard of the hammock, down through the loops of the net and through the hold at the foot board. Next bring the rope around and do the same on the other side. Then tie the ends of the rope together, and you now have your hammock.

The rope will keep the hammock from collapsing in one you as you rest in it. I normally use macramé to make a hammock. You will need a stopper knot after and before it enters the wood so that the pieces of wood don't try to come together. Initially it will stretch a lot as the weight of your body tightens the knots. After I've been in it, the knots hold pretty well.

Here's a book with quite a bit more info:
Net Making

- Dan L.

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Add to: Comments (13) bird climbing net I'd like to make my own bird climbing net for my quaker parrots that hang with the open space between the knots as square not triangles so the birds perch on horizontal lines instead of angled lines. The ones I've seen so far do not have finished edges and the four borders of the net are knotted with raw rope hanging. Can this type net be woven without the knotted ends of each line of cording? #13 - Cathy Jo - 08/27/2010 - 09:14 How can you make a widener knot? Can anyone tell me? please #12 - Tamer - 05/23/2010 - 07:06 Twister awesome to know there is some fellow net makers out there! I fish over in Idaho and twist up alot of dip nets or landing nets for the fisherman as well as my self. I have alot of fun making these nets and it keeps me occupied. I learned a couple of years ago by my father in-law and so far have twisted together about 50 nets all together. Thanks for listening or reading more less anit!!! #11 - Sapsis ilp ilp Moses - 04/04/2010 - 15:56 net making forum The URL for the "Nets and Net Making" forum has changed to: http://pineapple.myfunforum.org/index.php?c=7 #10 - tony - 03/15/2010 - 18:36 Net Knotter Wow! I thought I was the only person left making nets. Nice to know there's company. The Hardgate book has my highest recommendation. That and some imagination will probably any question and solve most problems. #9 - Dave Keller - 02/19/2010 - 02:06 Net Making Workshop Glynn Art is sponsoring a net making workshop with master net maker, Stanley Walker of Sapelo Island. Learn how to make or repair a quality cast net. Saturday, October 10, 2009--Postell Park in the Village on Saint Simons Island, GA. Call Glynn Art for more information: 912-638-8770 or go to www.glynnart.org Email: Glynnart@bellsouth.net #8 - Glynn Art !@#$$ociation - 08/13/2009 - 21:28 Making Rattles I am trying to fashion an authentic net which I will solidify in papier mache, for a rattle. I am kind of learning the "ropes", but would love any thoughts from experts, about how to shrink a net to a tiny globe, like the size of a coyote gourd, like 3 by 5 inches. #7 - Helga - 05/22/2009 - 18:14 i mwould like instructions on making and repairing castnets #6 - deannaballard@rocketmail.com - 05/14/2009 - 17:45 net maker novice After a long search to get started myself. I have found that true net makers are very secretive about the knots that they use. Some of these knots cut the net making time in half. But, I found an excellant place to start...http://www.jannsnetcraft.com. Here you can purchase an excellant how to book and supplies to get you started. #5 - Tim C. - 05/10/2009 - 15:12 me thks #4 - d lahr - 04/02/2009 - 18:03 Boaty Sewing a cast net is a very involved process. The last net i knitted was an eight foot bag net and it was about 36,000 knots. The knot used is a flying knot and you tie each one around a size guage.Each knot will result in a half mesh. You can use a granny knot but the net will not stay tight. This is only part of the process. you start with 36 meshes and after the third row of knots you must insert a widening every three knots. this gives you twelve extra meshes. with that row done you sew two more rows and the widening process starts over again. this time you insert the widening every 4th mesh. The result is 60 meshes. The widening gives the cast net its round shape. at the end of an 8 foot net you will have about 360 meshes if the mesh is a 1 1/2" stretch. The last row is double selvege, which means there are two strings per hanging open mesh. Then you have to sew the sides of the net together ( a nother story all together) and you have to hang the net on the led line, or you can use chain. Then you have to hang the top of the net on a swivel, and attach the hand-line, The hanging is very important because if you hang the meshes to tight the net will not throw properly. For fishing the hand knitted net is hands down the best there is. These pannel nets that you read about are still mostly machine made, and are never as relaxed or as round as a hand sewn net. The net building process takes about 100 hours to complete. 1 pound of #5 nylon twine (5000 ft) will make 1 net. For collecting garbage a store bought monofilament net will be your best option. #3 - Alan Campbell - 03/25/2009 - 19:11 where do I find instructions on how to make my own hammock chairs. Thank you Diane #2 - Diane Otterdahl - 09/29/2007 - 09:28 net making check out the :Nets and Net Making" forum at: http://knotical-arts.com/pineapple/viewforum.php?f=17 #1 - tony - 09/06/2007 - 23:09 Name E-mail (Will not appear online) Title Comment To prevent automated Bots form spamming, please enter the text you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly. »