It’s astonishing how something as unremarkable as a spider’s web can be transformed by morning dew. Suddenly, the ordinary becomes extraordinary!
I’m not the only one intrigued by spider webs. Spiders and their webs have been the subject of considerable scientific research. “One of the biology’s best ‘manufacturing engineers’ with an incredibly effective material-fabrication capability is the spider. It fabricates its web to make a very strong, insoluble, continuous lightweight fiber, and the produced web is resistant to rain, wind and sunlight. It is made of very fine fibers that are barely visible, allowing it to serve its function as an insect trap. The web can carry a significant amount of water droplets from fog, dew or rain. Just in time the spider generates its fiber while hanging on to it as it emerges cured and flawless from its body… The spider has sufficient supply of raw materials for its silk to span the web over great distances relative to its body.” states the Institute of Physics (IOP) Science article Biomimetics – Using Nature to Inspire Human Innovation. The article goes on to describe specific breakthroughs in nanotechnology inspired by the spider.
Pictured below is a Golden Silk Spider (Trichonephila clavipes) which I spotted in our garden. These spiders are known for the golden color of their silk. They construct large, asymmetrical circular webs and are considered excellent web-builders. According to Wikipedia “T. clavipes is a well-studied species with a high recognized value to humans because of their usefulness in spider silk research. … the silk of T. clavipes has the potential to aid in surgeries involving the nervous system.”
Of course, spiders build webs to trap and catch insects to eat. It looks like this dragonfly is about to be someone’s dinner!
The IOPScience article also notes: “The fishing net can be viewed as another imitation of nature that most likely resulted from humans observing the spider using its web to catch flies… Both the spider web and the fishing net have structural similarities and the same function of trapping passing-by creatures.”
The similarity to a spider’s web is most apparent when examining what-appears-to-be a handmade fishing net.
This fishing net was spotted at the Casas de Mar de Angeiras (Angeiras Sea Houses) in Matosinhos, Portugal. This historic site showcases the structures and equipment used in agricultural-maritime activities in this region until the beginning of the 20th century.
It stands to reason that the making of nets, or netting fabric, would be a valued skill passed down through the generations. According to the 1884 Encyclopedia of Needlework by Thérèse de Dillmont, “Netting is a handicraft, so ancient that it would be difficult to trace it to its origin… There is evidence to show that the making of nets for fishing and game catching was as familiar to the earlier races of mankind as it is to us.” Fiber strands were hand-knotted at each point of intersection to create secure, independent loops in a diamond pattern. The resulting mesh didn’t slip, spread or distort making it ideal for fishing nets.
Eventually, and this is the part that intrigues me, craftspeople started to enhance and embellish the netting. The author tells us: “Practised in the first instance for the wants of life, it by degrees developed into an art”. I assume craftspeople improved their techniques and refined their tools. These diagrams illustrate the positioning of the hands and tools for netting.
Sources of the above diagrams: #1 Fig 303 Netting from Beeton’s Book of Needlework; #2 Fig 614 First Position of the Hands Encyclopedia of Needlework
Craftspeople also developed variations on the basic diamond stitch by introducing round and square shaped stitches; skipping, increasing and decreasing the number of stitches to develop patterns; varying the size of the stitches, and so on. These sketches illustrate the progression from a section of simple round netting to a complex pattern of diagonal netting with crossed loops.
Sources of the above diagrams: #1 Fig 305 Round Netting Beeton’s Book of Needlework; #2 Fig 620 Netting Composed of Plain, Double and Oblong Loops Encyclopedia of Needlework; #3 Fig 308 English Netting Beeton’s Book of Needlework; #4 Fig 617 Patterns Produced in Netting by Increasing and Decreasing Encyclopedia of Needlework; #5 Fig 621 Circular Netting Composed of Long and Short Loops Encyclopedia of Needlework; #6 Fig 633 Netted Fringe Encyclopedia of Needlework; #7 Fig 632 Working Detail of Diagonal Netting with Crossed Loops Encyclopedia of Needlework; #8 Fig 631 Diagonal Netting with Crossed Loops Encyclopedia of Needlework.
It’s a fascinating transformation—from humble fishing net to fine art netting needlework! There’s no way of knowing for sure, but it’s not hard to imagine, that netting also evolved into other fine needlework skills. For instance, there’s a noticeable similarity to macramé, crochet and bobbin lace. The below photo shows a piece of bobbin lace being made; multiple strands of thread are being knotted into an intricate pattern. You can learn more about the splendid art of bobbin lace in my blog post Tied In Knots in Portugal.
In summary, the spider and its web, have inspired many innovations in both science and art.
More Info
The article, Biomimetics-Using Nature to Inspire Human Innovation, by Yoseph Bar-Cohen and published 27 April 2006 by IOP (Institute of Physics) Publishing, is accessible via this IOPScience link.
I wasn’t able to find much information online regarding the Angeiras Sea Houses but there is a brief mention on the Turismo do Porto and Norte de Portugal website.
The Encyclopedia of Needlework by Thérèse de Dillmont (1846-1890), published in 1884, is a classic reference book one can turn to for time-tested information. The Encyclopedia of Needlework is available online in its entirety. The book has 16 chapters including Sewing, Mending, Single and Cut Open Work, Net and Damask Stitches, White Embroidery, Flat and Gold Stitch Embroidery, Tapestry and Line Embroidery, Knitting, Crochet, Tatting, Netting, Irish Lace, Laces of Different Kinds, Miscellaneous Fancy Work, and Practical Directions.
Beeton’s Book of Needlework, by Mrs. Isabella Mary Beeton (1836 – 1865), published in 1870, is a classic reference book for all crafters, beginners and experienced alike. Beeton’s Book of Needlework is available online in its entirety. The book includes instructions in Tatting, Embroider, Crochet, Knitting and Netting, Berlin Wool Work, Point Lace and Guipure d’Art.
I learned about bobbin lace while visiting Vila do Conde in northern Portugal. Learn about my visit to the Museu das Rendas de Bilros (Museum of Bobbin Lace) in my blog post Tied In Knots in Portugal.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Consider how Mother Nature turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.
2. Biology stimulates research in non-biological science and technology in the same way nature often inspires the world of art,
3. Netting is an ancient handicraft which originates from the making of fishing nets.
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