Things You'll Need:
- Nylon rope Two trees or posts Pocket knife Flat piece of wood (2-by-4-by-1/2 inch)
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Step 1
Learn the "sheet bend" knot that will be used to make the net. First, make a loop in one of two ropes and leave it in this condition for the rest of this paragraph. This loop will be referred to as the original loop. Then, enter the loop with the tip of a second rope from the front. Next, wrap this second rope around the outer right hand side of the loop. Continue to pull the tip across the front and around the outer edge on the other side. Lastly, slip this rope underneath itself on the back where it emerges through the loop for the first time. This knot is just like a square knot but instead of going back through the original loop, it goes under itself where it first emerged from the original loop.
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Step 2
Carve a piece of wood using the pocket knife to make a shuttle (this step is optional). This is a piece of flat wood (half an inch wide) that is pointy at one end (tapered) and has a big oval hole cut in the middle (1-by-3 inches). Inside the oval is a piece of wood like a dowel rod that sticks up so that line can be wrapped around it. The shuttle passes through the net when knots are tied and the rope, which is wound on the shuttle, comes with it. The work is much faster and the line does not have to be constantly pulled through each time a knot is made. Wrap the line in the shuttle on the dowel rod/spindle starting with one end of the rope. Leave the far end hanging out four inches when the wrapping is done.
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Step 3
Tie a line up between two trees or a pair of stable posts using a double overhand knot (the first part of tying a shoe lace where the "rabbit goes under the bridge," done two times with one on top of the other). Leave the line slightly slack (loose). Tie the end of the line from the shuttle to the post, just below the line already up. Tie a sheet bend between the two lines to make the first loop to set the desired size of the loops. Use something between the previous knot and the new knot being tied to keep the loop size (between knots) regular.
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Step 4
Progress from the location where the shuttle is tied to the post to the other side and then do it again going the other way once the end is reached. Leave a loop at the end that is big enough to match the rope circumference in one of the loops inside the net so that the net does not lose a loop every time a row is completed.
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Step 5
After the net is the desired size, weave a rope in a spiral either clockwise or counter clockwise around the net to help define and strengthen the edge of the net.
