Wire Bead Crochet

[kvinna]

I have seen wire crochet jewelry and I am definitely interested in trying it out. I almost bought supplies the other day, but I was unsure about what kind of wire I should use. The wire I saw at Michael's went by a weight measurement - does this have to do with the thickness of the wire? Does it really matter if I go for the 26 instead of the 15?

My friend wants me to make her a bracelet so I am going to add the beads and make a chain long enough to fit around her wrist. As for the clasps...:shrug Do I need wire cutters and all that?

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

[jaclim]

Here's a tutorial for wire crochet:

http://www.seafore.com/wire/wire.html

Hope this helps.

good luck! :hook

[Catana]

That's something I want to do, too. The larger the number the thicker the wire, from what I remember. I think 22 is considered about the thickest you can work with without destroying your fingers. Do post a picture if you get the bracelet done.

[aliassak]

That's something I want to do, too. The larger the number the thicker the wire, from what I remember. I think 22 is considered about the thickest you can work with without destroying your fingers. Do post a picture if you get the bracelet done.

No, the larger the guage the thinner the wire. It's backwards, I know, but what can you do?

I've done some jewelry making with wire crochet, working with the thinner wire is best, and your fingers will hate you for a while. That wire can be hard on your digits! My advise would be to make sure you thread enough beads on your wire for your project, but that you measure the worked piece very well. It's easy to make something too long and you can't really frog it. I've had to cut each bead off a bracelet once because I didn't measure correctly.

[marymac]

I've wanted to try wire crochet for a while, but it looks awkward. Let us know how this goes? Its always nice to hear about others' experience with something like this...the web sites I've seen certainly make it SEEM easy enough.

[mamaoso]

The lower the number the thicker the wire.. You would not be able the crochet with 15 gauge wire. I have a hard time shaping 14 gauge wire...

To start out with I would use 22 or 24 gauge..

[CatsCradleCreations]

I'm using 32 gauge for a beaded bracelet I'm working on. It's slow going because the wire gets twisted and kinked really easily and I have to put my work down to unkink it.

I wouldn't recommend using anything larger than 26 gauge wire to crochet with~~and that's starting to get stiff due to its weight.

[RachelG]

I'd love to try this...just need to get some wire. I'm thinking silver wire with pink rock chips...or something like that...

[CatsCradleCreations]

Mine is in gold wire with emerald green seed beads. I'll be sure to post a pic when it's done.

[RachelG]

Sounds elegant! I like pink and silver, but green and gold would look fabulous on my red-headed sister.

[klouised]

I've just recently started making crocheted wire necklaces and bracelets. Here's a link that tells you what gauge is good for what. http://www.beadaroo.com/library/tips/view.php?tip=wireuses It says that 28 and 30 are the better for crocheting. I prefer the 28. 30 and 32 break easier, too. Anything thicker is hard to run smoothly over the crochet hook. The wire works on your hook terribly, so you might want to use an older hook. Sterling silver is the best to work with. Anything else tarnishes, and it's hard to polish wire once it's crocheted. LOL. I tried it, and it made a mess. Also, use different sizes of beads. A great variety looks really nice. I use crystals, glass, cat eyes, seed beads, and drops. It's lots of fun.

[moonrhythm]

Here's a tutorial for wire crochet:

http://www.seafore.com/wire/wire.html

Hope this helps.

good luck! :hook

thanks for sharing this one~*

[jaclim]

I've just recently started making crocheted wire necklaces and bracelets. Here's a link that tells you what gauge is good for what. http://www.beadaroo.com/library/tips/view.php?tip=wireuses It says that 28 and 30 are the better for crocheting. I prefer the 28. 30 and 32 break easier, too. Anything thicker is hard to run smoothly over the crochet hook. The wire works on your hook terribly, so you might want to use an older hook. Sterling silver is the best to work with. Anything else tarnishes, and it's hard to polish wire once it's crocheted. LOL. I tried it, and it made a mess. Also, use different sizes of beads. A great variety looks really nice. I use crystals, glass, cat eyes, seed beads, and drops. It's lots of fun.

Oh, Kristina! I would love to see pictures of your wire jewelry! :D

[bubblefizz]

is the wire "beading" wire?
as i bought some in a silver colour size 28

[piggy]

I have been crocheting with wire. I use patterns like granny square or anythng I think would look good. Do mostlly earrings. I found if you make a mistake just go on. Alomost impossible to rip out. Also you can not hold the wire like you do your thread or yarn. I have made several pairs of earrings. I also aldd beads to some of them.
I know not crocheting but I also knit with wire. It is also very interesting.
One more thiing on crocheting with wire . The simpler the pattern the better. I have also taken the snowflake patterns and used them. I found if you use your imagination and experimnent with the wire you can learn alot. I am self taught in this. I have learned alot by trial and error. But very much enjoy worrking with wire.
Rosemary

[quirkyvirgo]

I recently bought Crochet With Wire and it has been helpful but I've learned most of what I need to know on line.
Where do you guys get the wire? I've heard a lot about Artistic Wire but can't find it in any generic craft stores. Do I need to look at a bead store? My HL and Michaels have very little selection of higher gauge wires in anything other than brass and gold colors. Any advice as to where to get sterling silver wire?

[Cuddlefish]

Oooh. I even have some cheap wire lying around. Must try! :drool

And that tutorial was fun to read. Thanks. :)

[SuzyM]

Hi, I just googled into this thread and I thought I would let you know a few places to purchase wire for crocheting.

Santa Fe Jewelers is a good place to buy in bulk
http://www.sfjssantafe.com/

WigJig is a good place for hard to find shapes and sizes
http://www.wigjig.net/store/index.htm

Wire Sculpter is a place for medium orders of wire
http://wire-sculpture.com/wholesalecloseouts.php?type=main&cat=Wire

MonsterSlayer has the very thin wires at good prices the first link is for copper and brass wire the second is for the sterling silver wire. I use that to practice with. When I have the technique down pat then I use the sterling silver wire.
http://www.monsterslayer.com/miscpages/Cop&BrasS&W.htm
http://www.monsterslayer.com/MiscPages/SilverBG.htm

I hope this has helped :)

[SuzyM]

Hi, another thing to know is if you are going to crochet with silver wire, it is best to do it with Fine Silver wire. This is .999 percent pure silver. It will tarnish much slower than .925 (sterling silver) and is much easier to work with. I use a steel crochet hook #5 to crochet with and find it the easiest. I have also used a steet #8 and gone as large as an aluminum E hook. The best way to poslish crochet silver is to tumble the piece in a tumbler for about an hour. It won't hurt the beads you use either, unless they are amber or another very soft bead. If you are not sure, just tumble one bead in with something else you are tumbling and then you will know if it is OK to do a whole piece with the bead in it :) .

[jpr54_]

I recently bought Crochet With Wire and it has been helpful but I've learned most of what I need to know on line.
Where do you guys get the wire? I've heard a lot about Artistic Wire but can't find it in any generic craft stores. Do I need to look at a bead store? My HL and Michaels have very little selection of higher gauge wires in anything other than brass and gold colors. Any advice as to where to get sterling silver wire?

i just got the book from my library-Ii bookmarked all the sites for wire and i am planning to read them tonite and tomorrow

the stores are located on their website-
only 2 in nyc area

[Yasmin]

Hi !
I was reading this post the other day and wanted to give a try to wire crochet. Ofcourse , I'm not as lucky as you all to get the supplies required...I just made use of some copper wire lying around ( I use for stocking flowers) and added on some seed beads in different clolours. Voila...I had a necklace ready in no time and I was surprised at how easy it turned out to be. I'll try to post the pictures as soon as I can get off here and take pictures .Lol !

[Yasmin]

I posted the picture of me necklace in the show n tell
follow the link below

http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?p=257034#post257034

[crochetbabe]

i might have to try wire crochet

[brittolicious]

If you really want to get started Fire Mountain Gems sells wire by the ounce
http://www.firemountaingems.com/shopping.asp?skw=KWCORDSSWIREDEADSOFT&Shop_Page=2

for us knit and crochet girls at the best price I have found and then you can get enough for your whole project with out haveing to join wire (pain) I make wire jewelry but I have never crochetedwith wire I really want to try I have bought the wire but haven't tried anything yet. so good luck ;-)

[SuzyM]

If you look at post #18 you will see the links for Wig Jig, Santa Fe Jewelers and Monsterslayer. They are a little less expensive than FMG for wire.

[goodtaste]

Hi Everyone! Just a question, has anyone here used one of those little gizmos to crack wire into the shape of an I-cord? Would that be good to embellish the handle of a crocheted handbag?
Thanks! :)
Cloty

[V-Hooked]

I just started to wire crochet, and I think I'm hooked! My inspiration was a pattern posted in Crochet Me (http://crochetme.com[/html) called "It's Electric". I love it and everyone loves it!

[lil-crochet-girl]

:cheer oh ! That sounds so kool! :cheer

[missamorphosis]

I love to wire crochet and have done several jewelry pieces as well as some other things. I'll have to dig for pictures to show-n-tell sometime. I enjoy working with it as much as I do yarn...well, depending on my mood, but it took me awhile to get used to it.

I'm sure there are other people out there that know more than I do on this subject, but here are some of the things I learned when I first started crocheting with wire (some were previously stated in this thread):

Use a thinner wire, such as 28, 30, 32 gauge. I have found that I like 30 best. If it hurts your hand or is difficult to wrap around the hook, the gauge is probably too large. Try going for something a bit thinner, especially to start out with.
Don't invest alot of money into wire at first, until you get the hang of it. You can get wire very cheaply at Hobby Lobby to play with. Try copper instead of silver to start. It seems to bend more easily.
Once you know its something you'll stick with, try Artistic Wire. I saw a post in this thread wondering where to purchase it. I've only ever been able to get it online. The link is: http://www.artisticwire.com/. It's definitely worth the investment if you find you really enjoy crocheting with wire.
If using beads, thread them onto the wire before starting. Be sure to put on plenty to get you through your project.
Practice with thread, if you're not used to something thinner than regular yarn to get a feel for a smaller hook and smaller "fiber".
Relax. Learn how to hold the wire comfortably so that it flows smoothly.
Frogging is NOT a good thing when it comes to wire. :)
Have fun! :hook