http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O78811/coif-unknown/
The blackwork motifs are various flora, including pea pods, with spider web stitch peas. This is a fun stitch, in my opinion, because it is mostly weaving, another love of mine. First, I drew a small dot to indicate the center of the "web," just for placement purposes. Then I drew five "spokes" expanding from the dots.
You can see here that it isn't anything precise or carefully measured, just basic lines to guide the stitches. Next, I stitched a plain running stitch for each spoke. When the spokes were stitched, I pulled the needle up through the linen, next to the center of the web.
This is where the weaving starts. You work the needle and thread around the spokes, weaving over and under each spoke.
Aren't they pretty?