My fascination with tennis nets and iterative figures in general came about when I learned to form a Tikopian net. I loved the figure and found that I could continue the weaving sequence and form longer and longer nets. I varied the procedure for making the figure a bit and it became a show stopper when I was giving demonstrations. The following description shows how I form the 3 loop tennis net.
Murphy’s Mesh (Tikopian Net variation)
Form the Loom
• Begin with Opening A.
First Weave
• Pass each thumb away from you over the near index string and under the far index string, then pick up the near little finger string and return.
• Pass each index down through the upper thumb loop, then pick up the lower far thumb string and return.
• Drop both thumb loops and extend.
Second Weave
• Pass each thumb away from you over the lower near index string and under all other strings, then pick up the near little finger string and return.
• Drop the little finger loop and extend.
Fix the Bottom
Pass each little finger down through the upper index loop, then toward you under both strings of the lower index loop, pick up the far thumb string and return through the upper index loop. Drop the thumb loop and extend.
Clean the Top
Pass each thumb between the lower and upper near index strings, pick up the lower and upper far index strings (maintain their relative order) and return.
Navajo the thumb loops.
Drop the upper index loop.
Reset the Loom
Transfer the thumb loop to the top of the index, inserting the index from below, then retransfer this loop to the thumb, inserting the thumb from above (this accomplishes a -1/2 rotation of the thumb loop).
Repeat the entire weaving sequence four more times (omit “Form the Loom”) then make the 3-loop Inuit Net from the beginning, as if you had Opening A on your hands, and finish with the Power Lift or Caroline Extension. The formula for this figure is:
Opening A, [first weave, second weave, fix the bottom, clean the top, reset the loom]5, Inuit Out, Power Lift or Caroline Extension.