Welcome to More Than Fish & Hammocks

Netting has been a part of human history for thousands of years, arguably at least since we learned how to spin fiber into string about 50,000 years ago. It likely started with simple looped netting, in which the string was simply pulled through the loops of the previous row (this technique is also thought to be a precursor of knitting),but knots soon proved to be a far more stable and secure way to make nets. The first nets were likely used for catching fish and fowl (as shown in the art of ancient Egypt), and for carrying things, but it probably didn’t take very long for people to start adding decoration to their nets as charms and talismans to help with the hunt. By the 13th Century, netting had made the jump from utility to fashion as finely worked hairnets for upper-class women, and patterns and uses have only expanded since then.

I intend with this site to show the basics of knotted netting, some traditional patterns and techniques and some of the techniques I use that are a little bit different from standard practice.