How to Crochet Onto Wire
Most crochet crafters use thread and yarn to create their projects. For stiffer projects such as beaded jewelry or decorative wall hangings, you may find crocheting with wire creates a dazzling effect. Using small gauge wire such as 30, 28 or 26 gauge, you can work the wire with a little less fluidity than yarn. If you use anything larger, the wire is too stiff and harsh to cooperate easily, and you may find it damages your metal crochet hooks and hurts your fingers.
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Things You'll Need
- Wire, 28-gauge
- Crochet hook
- Toenail clippers
- Crimping tubes
- Needle-nose pliers
Instructions
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Unroll a 4- to 5-foot length of brass or bronze 28-gauge wire, but do not remove it from the spool. Make a slip knot in the wire with about 2 to 3 inches of tail in front of the knot.
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Insert a U.S. size two crochet hook (1.95 mm) into the loop. Yarn over the wire about three-quarters of an inch away from the loop, and pull the wire through the loop. This counts as your first chain stitch. Do not pull too hard on the wire or it will break. Allow the loop to retain a size slightly larger than the crochet hook size.
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Yarn over the wire as before and continue chain stitching the wire. Make the chain as long as you desire to create your project. For example, a chain five times the circumference of your wrist creates a good length for a wire-wrap bracelet, and you can coil it into a circular shape. The coil shape means you won't need a clasp.
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Use a pair of toenail clippers to cut the wire when you reach the length you want. Remove the hook from the last chain and pull the wire taut to create a knot at the end, so the chain doesn’t unravel. Return to the start of the chain and unwrap the end of the chain from the interior of your slip knot -- and pull on the wire to create a solid knot on the starting end.
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Thread a crimping tube onto one end of the chain and slide it down the wire toward the knot, leaving a 2-millimeters distance between the tube and the knot. Use a pair of needle-nose pliers to wrap the wire around the tube and insert it back into the hole from the top of the tube. Wrap the tail of the wire around the wire several times between the tube and the knot. Slip the wire tail into the first chain stitch, and wrap it over the chain so the tail is inside the stitch, then cut it close to the stitch wire with toenail clippers. Repeat the process with the tail on the other end of the chain.
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Tips & Warnings
Block the wire by stretching it with your fingers. Don't pull too hard or the wire will snap.
Brass or bronze gives you a gold-tone chain, and sterling silver gives you a silver tone. Stainless steel is too stiff to work well and may destroy your crochet hook and hurt your fingers.
References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
