Sa-wing (Thai Hand Dip-Net) — a Fine-Mesh Knotted Bag on a Hoop of Khoi Wood, for Scooping Shrimp and Small Fish in Shallow Water

"Whittle bamboo into a round rod with rounded ends about 30 centimetres long and wind the cord round the middle of the rod; let out the cord and first tie the centre, like a short cast-net crown, then tie outward to the edge." (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author ทำนุ วรธงไชย (Thamnu Worathongchai), CC BY 4.0)

Whittle bamboo into a round rod with rounded ends about 30 cm long and wind the cord round its middle.

Let out the cord and tie the centre first, like a short cast-net crown, then tie outward. Use the tip of the rod to lever and pull each knot into a fine mesh, widening round after round; enlarge the meshes gradually while keeping them fine, and shape the work into a bag until it is wide and deep enough.

Strip the bark from a branch of khoi (Thai: ข่อย) and bend it into a hoop 40-50 cm across. Thread a flattened bamboo strip through the edge meshes all round, tie its ends together, lay it against the inside of the hoop and nail it on with small nails every 3 cm all round.

Photos of a real sa-wing from the Nong Bua Khok Folk Museum (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author ทำนุ วรธงไชย (Thamnu Worathongchai), CC BY 4.0).

Take the sa-wing and a fish basket to shallow water. In the rainy season, when the water in the paddies starts to dry, scoop small fish, shrimp, tadpoles, froglets and small frogs; in the hot dry season scoop shrimp, gourami, small minnows, climbing perch and other small fish. A fine-mesh sa-wing can also be used to catch red-ant eggs from nests in trees.

The sa-wing was in use in almost every rural household; housewives knotted them in their spare time to replace worn ones. Source: Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, Traditional Objects of Everyday Use database, "สวิง", author ทำนุ วรธงไชย (Thamnu Worathongchai), Nong Bua Khok Folk Museum, Buriram (CC BY 4.0 licence). **Limits** The source gives no mesh size or type of cord.