How to Make Net Hammocks

Reward yourself for a job well done with a relaxing hammock nap.

If you are fortunate enough to have a generously-sized backyard, you probably want to fill it with comfortable places to relax. A net hammock is the perfect place to cozy up for a nap or with your favorite book. While you could easily buy a hammock at a discount or gardening supply store, making your own is not only an engaging project, but it may be more satisfying by allowing you to customize the size to meet your specific needs. If you have basic weaving experience, making a net hammock won’t be too difficult.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Twine
• Netting shuttle
• Hammock cord
• Gauge stick
• Drill
• 1/4-inch drill bit
• 1 1/2-by-1 1/2-by-33 inch wooden bars, 2
• 3-inch metal rings, 2

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of twine 3 feet long. Tie the ends together in a square knot -- simple loop the twine into a knot and then loop it again for another knot on top of it. It is like tying your shoe twice. Loop the twine circle over a doorknob.

2. Fill the netting shuttle with three to four loops of hammock cord. Tie the free end of the hammock cord to the loop. Hold the shuttle in your dominant hand and the gauge stick in your non-dominant hand.

3. Wind the shuttle around the gauge stick from front to back, pulling upward behind the stick. Thread the shuttle through the twine loop you’ve made and pull it snug. Form a half-hitch on either side of the starting cord, which allows you to pull the shuttle back to its starting position.

4. Repeat step 3 to cast 20 loops onto the gauge stick. Arrange the loops along the stick with your fingers so that they are evenly-spaced and none overlap. Slide the gauge stick out of the loops.

5. Turn your netting so that the shuttle is now on your non-dominant side and pick up the gauge stick in your non-dominant hand. Slip the gauge stick under the finished stitches. Weave the shuttle down under the front of the gauge stick and pull it up from behind, then slip it through the first loop on the stick and wrap it around to create a half-hitch.

6. Repeat the process you just used for the first loop on the remaining 19 cast loops. Keep the loops even so that they do not become twisted. Release the shuttle and load it with as much hammock cord as you can fit.

7. Tie the end of the new shuttle cord to the end of the old cord in a tight, square not. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to create at least 54 rows of 20 stitches each. Once the second row is finished, cut through the starting twine with sharp scissors and pull it through the first row, then discard it.

8. Drill a straight line of 20 ¼-inch holes across each of the 1 ½-by-1 ½ wooden bars. Start and end the holes 2 ¼ inches from each end of each bar and space each hole 1 ½ inches. Cut the extra hammock cord so that you have forty pieces, each 50 inches long.

9. Slide each piece of cord through a metal ring and then pull each end of the cord through a hole in one bar. Knot the cord around the corresponding top loop of the woven hammock. Repeat this with the remaining wooden strip on the opposite side of the hammock.

10. Cut six pieces of leftover hammock cord, each 7 feet long. Knot the cords together at the top in two groups of three. Braid each bundle of cords until the braids are 6 feet, 9 inches long, knot the ends securely and trim off the extra cord.

11. Push one end of each braid up through each of the outermost holes in one wooden strip. It will be a tight fit, since there are already two strands of hammock cord passing through these holes, so be patient. Weave each braid along its corresponding edge of the hammock, push the free ends up through the matching holes in the opposite wooden strip, and knot tightly to secure them.