Making a net

Inspired by my success in achieving blueberries by protecting a couple of bushes with a bit of net curtain, and Flora's colourful plants in a cage I'm wondering whether it might be possible or desirable to use up some of my yarn stash on making a bird proof net for the blueberries for next year. I have quite a large amount of cheap acrylic yarn, that was mostly free gifts on various knitting magazines over the years. It's not the sort of thing that I fancy making clothes from, but I was considering making more soft toys. If I was to buy bird netting, it would be a synthetic material, albeit designed for the job. But I'm imagining that I could make something rather amusing, like 'yarn bombing' my bushes with rainbows or mandala patterns.
Do you think acrylic yarn would be strong and stable enough for outside use for a few months in late summer? What size mesh is optimum for bird exclusion? What else would I need to consider?

Good questions.

Acrylic is apparently known for its excellent UV stability & weather resistance, which I didn't realise.

This machine knitted netting might give you some ideas on how to approach hand-knitting?

"The 18mm x 18mm mesh is ideal for allowing bees to pollinate fruit."

https://highlandpolytunnels.co.uk/knitted-anti-bird-netting--6m-wide-681-p.asp

Hi Nancy - At the risk of sending you down the research rabbit hole, considering the 18 x 18 mm mesh suggested above by Ac, rather than knitting perhaps have a look-see at mesh construction used in fishing nets.   It's worked over a "mesh stick" which controls the size of the holes [width of stick is half the height of the hole] and for a flat piece it can be worked with long lengths of your yarn.  Happy crafting!

Just scrolling through : https://permies.com/t/265169/repair-netting
There are a couple of handy videos here featuring netting, and making a netting needle (?shuttle?)

Hello Nancy!

I think it would be fun to knit something like this!




I don't have needles that big but I think some could be made.    I think hardwood dowels could be given pointy ends and sanded smooth.  

I am a lot faster at knitting in the round than knitting and pearling.    I would probably make a large tube and cut it to make a tunnel to cover a row or give each bush its own tube.

Jill Dyer wrote:Just scrolling through : https://permies.com/t/265169/repair-netting
There are a couple of handy videos here featuring netting, and making a netting needle (?shuttle?)

Thank you!
Hmm, netting might be much quicker than knitting or crochet. Putting the video that Jeremy linked here as well for handy reference:



Something new to learn.....

Samantha Lewis wrote:Hello Nancy!

I think it would be fun to knit something like this!

I had forgotten that  - a thing of beauty indeed! I'm not sure I could get the range of sizes of stitch and still make it bird proof though.

Ooh look I found the pattern on ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/annes-lace-fence

I am a lot faster at knitting in the round than knitting and pearling.    I would probably make a large tube and cut it to make a tunnel to cover a row or give each bush its own tube.

Hmm, me too. I find the tension goes a bit between knit and purl rows too. The knitting needles might get a bit unweildy...It doesn't need to be stocking stitch - garter stitch would be fine, so no cutting required, just knit each row.

I was sort of thinking (since I have so many colours) something like


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or


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or


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Great idea, I'm happy to be the inspiration! I'm not using that cage now, because I made a quail aviary, which serves a similar purpose. Actually, I could still use it now when I dig up my potatoes and plant some spinach there, so thanks for the reminder!
I decorated my aviary with a crochet mandala (and now everyone thinks that I made it myself, haha) - I'm not sure what it's made of, cotton I think. It's quite resistant, but wouldn't work on its own as a barrier to keep predators out/quail in. So it sits on top of another mesh, and most of the aviary has two or three layers of different things... so far, the birds are protected!

I attached a picture of the aviary which I took yesterday evening, you can see the mandala as it's illuminated by a string of LED lamps, which I attached underneath the waterproof tarp (a little cheat to make them think that the day is longer; supposed to make them lay more eggs).

And here is a picture of the mandala during the day, so you can see more details. The solar panel for the LEDs is on top, and I'm also adding blackberry twigs to deter predators even more... pollinators have no problem getting in (I planted four tiny herbal "gardens" inside). I'd say that my original net was time consuming, but it surely took longer to make this mandala... but it can be a nice decor on some mesh or a fence that actually does the job... also, I bought it from a very nice person, so it was a pleasure to support their craft this way.

i would wonder, before anything else, if you would be able to get a discarded fishing net. they're generally everywhere and a good gauge for protecting from birds.

that said, I could absolutely see myself knitting a net with some of the stitches i use for making string bags, for example. The only thing is I'm always surprised how much yarn/string gets used in these projects.

I'll warn you of one thing... netting tying, macrame and related skills are very, very addictive!  It is hard for me to stop one once i start it. Usually my fingertips are so sore in the end that I have no choice but to tie off the ends and let it be.

The only thing is I'm always surprised how much yarn/string gets used in these projects.

Ha! you too. . . my rule of thumb is 3 times the height of the stitch,  maybe slightly less for netting.  It works for figure 8 looping (Papua New Guinea, and other locations)  crochet (who knew?) and the string bag constructions of the local First Nations people here in Oz.

I'll warn you of one thing... netting tying, macrame and related skills are very, very addictive!  

Just so;  be warned.   Most satisfying when there's a finished product.

Flora Eerschay wrote:And here is a picture of the mandala during the day, so you can see more details.

That is so pretty Flora! I'm not sure my crochet is up to that, and of course it would probably take longer...

I do like the idea of having something a bit more decorative and whimsical...

Maybe I could make some flowerlike mandelas of different colours and then link them with plan black net. It would break the job up into smaller chunks.

I was thinking relatively simple - like a large granny square....


etsy pattern source

Hmm, This sort of thing might be useful - incorporates an old CD which could sparkle in the wind and act as an extra deterrent:


etsy source

I feel project creep coming in already and I haven't started!

Tereza Okava wrote:i would wonder, before anything else, if you would be able to get a discarded fishing net. they're generally everywhere and a good gauge for protecting from birds.

I did have some fishing net (I dug it up when I was digging my chinampa), but I used it on my shed roof!


shed build thread

I think the gauge I usually find on the beach is a little large too for my smaller birds, although it would keep the crows  and blackbirds off.

Judson Carroll wrote:I'll warn you of one thing... netting tying, macrame and related skills are very, very addictive!  It is hard for me to stop one once i start it.

I find it a nice thing to be doing on a winter's evening. I like to put on a talking book so I can watch my fingers as I work :D

Looking for netting inspiration and I came across hairpin lace crochet...


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That looks a rather quick and easy way of making netting too...Sometimes I find my crochet can get out of control, and having a tool like that could be of help.

You can join in the round too and make quite pretty patterns:


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Not so long ago I learned how to make a knotted net. The best material for such nets is linen or hemp cordage (string). A material without any stretch.
Acrylic knitting yarn is stretchy. I think it won't make a good knotted net.

Knitting yarns are for knitting. There are knit stitches that result in a sort of mesh. I knitted a 'shopping net' that folds small, but can be filled with a whole load of groceries.
I think you could use such a stitchpattern for a large net to cover your fruit bushes. For example this stitch:

Winter is a good time to get this sort of project up and running. Actually I should have started months ago If I were going to finish for this summer, but maybe I'll finish for next summer...

Having sorted out my knitting and crochet patterns it was relatively easy to find some that had nice flower motifs. I also found a crochet tunic pattern (that I kept for the flowers I think) which has a simple net using linked chains.  

net dress!

I had almost completely forgotten how to crochet, but luckily some local ladies have been having an informal weekly get together in the local cafe to make progres on their knitting/crochet projects and compare techniques. I don't think I will be going every week, but this week the day was wet, so I took a few balls of yarn, some patterns and my second largest crochet hook to get some moral support and tuition - Time well spent!

first flower attempt

I actually unpicked all of this (It was a bit small), but it did give me a feeling for how the structure of a flower might go and remind me of different crochet stitches and how to hold the yarn and hook. When I got home I have done a little more practice stitching and I think I have a rough idea of how to do the centre of the flowers. With the size hook I am using I can't do the longer stitches as it makes the holes in the flower rather large and I think the smaller birds will be able to squeeze through. Actually the robins and wrens aren't likely to be a problem for the berries, but I don't want them getting in the net and not able to get out.

getting there!

I had another look through my patterns and found some inspiration for some more daisy like petals. Basically a chain the length of the petal, then a double row of stitches of varying length either side. That is my next trial piece! I'll probably do two rows one side and three the other, so as to end up back at the flower centre again and save some sewing up.