Make sure your foundation stick/string (the thing that you will net your first row onto) is tied or clipped onto something heavy that you can pull against for tension. We will be using a different kind of knot for this first row so that the foundation is easy to remove.
Bring your shuttle over the foundation, moving from front to back.
Bring the shuttle around the front. of your loose tail from left to right.
Bring the shuttle behind the foundation and loop up and over the front of the foundation. Then bring your shuttle down in front of the foundation but behind the lower loop you just made.
Pull your thread down and tighten your knot.
Go around your mesh gauge with a snugly fitting loop (this is where pulling tension is helpful) and make another knot. Congratulations, you have made a stitch!
Continue on and make all the stitches you need for your first row. I recommend using a smaller gauge for this first row than you will be using for the rest of you net as these loops will be bigger once you’ve removed the foundation.