Knotting, looping and netting

Knotting, looping and netting

An Afghan hook is used for so-called Afghan, or Tunisian crochet work. It looks like a cross between a 'real' crochet hook and a knitting needle.

A nålbindning needle is a bodkin-like needle used to make a complicated, looped material called nålbindning. A nålbindning needle is normally flat, between 5 and 10 cm in length, with a rounded eye at one end. The other end is normally slightly pointed, but blunt.

A netting cushion is a nineteenth century tool used for making netting. It is basically a heavy cushion to which the foundation loop of a net (netting) is pinned.

A netting darning needle is a very long needle that is used for working the required design on a net. It has a long eye at one end and a blunt point.

A netting gauge is a smooth, well-rounded stick with a uniform thickness throughout its length, so that the loops knotted around the stick are of equal size and easily slip off. The size of the gauge thus determines the size of the mesh. Gauges may be made of bone, ivory, steel or wood. It is also known as a netting mesh, or neeting mesh stick.

A netting needle is a long needle made of metal with a pincer at each end. The thread for the netting is wound on lengthwise, between the two pincers. The wounding is done in order to avoid the tangling of the thread before it is wrapped around the netting gauge (also known as netting mesh).

A shuttle is a boat-shaped device used to carry thread. With respect to decorative needlework, shuttles are used for netting and tatting. Shuttles for decorative needlework are made of a variety of materials, including bone, ivory, metal, plastic, tortoiseshell or wood. They are usually made of three elements: top, core and bottom (the top and bottom are normally identical) and are of varying sizes.