Loop stitch (point d’esprit) (figs. [641] and [642]).—This is a light open stitch, chiefly used for making a less transparent foundation than plain netting. Fasten the thread to the middle of one bar of the netting, then make a loose loop to the middle of the top bar of the same square, fig. [641], by carrying the thread, from left to right, over one vertical and one horizontal bar of the net and inserting the needle downwards from above under the bar and in front of the working thread. For the second row back, also represented in fig. [641], you draw the needle through, underneath the bar above the loop stitch and make the loop upwards from below; in doing this the working thread must lie to the left, in front of the needle. Fig. [642] shows how to join the rows and pass the needle through the stitches of the preceding row.
Fig. 641. Loop stitch. 1st and 2nd course of the thread.
Fig. 642. Loop stitch. Several rows completed.
Star composed of loose threads (figs. [643], [644], [645]).—This star covers 16 squares of netting. Fasten the thread to the middle knot of the 16 squares, then carry it diagonally over 4 squares, three times from left to right under a knot of the foundation and three times from right to left. In this way, the bottom rays of the star are formed. For the stitches that complete the figure, you start from the middle and following the direction of the little arrow in the illustration, you cover the netting with 3 horizontal and 3 vertical threads, carried over 4 squares. When you have laid the vertical threads, slip the needle 4 or 5 times round in a circle, under the diagonal and over the straight threads, but always over the bars of the netting. This completes the star, as it is represented in fig. [645]. Care must be taken to make the stitches lie quite flat side by side, and not one on the top of the other.
Fig. 643. Star formed of loose threads laying the underneath threads.