This is not your Grandma's kind of knitting!

Artistic Wire Knitter Tool and Knitter/Kumihimo Weight

Fun techniques always seem to come back around again, and knitting with Wire is no exception. The Artistic Wire Knitter Tools make it fun and easy to make gorgeous Wire ropes to adorn and embellish to your heart's content! In this week's Beadalon Facebook Live Video, I go step by step through everything that you need to know to make a simple knitted rope, add beads, and finish off the ends. It can be a little fiddley at first, but once you've got it down, it works up quickly and effortlessly.

One of the challenges that I always have when finishing any kind of beadwork other than Crimping, is how to finish it off to add a clasp. My favorite technique for finishing off the ends is to use a Necklace Cone, and of course I'll make my own cone whenever I get the chance! Sandra Lupo's Conetastic Tool makes it easy to make your own Necklace Cones with any Wire you want to match your design. In preparing for the video, I used both Flat Artistic Wire and 8-Wire Braid with gorgeous results. In the video, I demonstrate with 20 Gauge Artistic Wire in my new favorite color, Pearl Silver. I sometimes forget to start learning a new technique using the easiest materials possible, then moving up to something fancier and more complicated once I've gotten the hang of it. This is definitely one of those cases.

Like past videos that you can find on the Beadalon Facebook Page, this one is full of tips and tricks for both making knitted ropes and necklace cones. If there's anything that I missed, feel free to leave any thoughts or suggestions in the comments. Anything in particular you'd like us to cover in a future video? Let us know!

Materials and Tools used in the video:
Artistic Wire Knitter Tools
Artistic Wire Crochet Tool
Artistic Wire Knitter/Kumihimo Weights (for even tension)
Beading Awl
26 Gauge Artistic Wire
Spool Tamers
Nylon Jaw Pliers or Artistic Wire Straightener
Conetastic Tool

Reminder: Every Thursday, we post a new YouTube Video to the Beadalon YouTube Channel. This week's video goes into even more detail on how to use the Artistic Wire Knitter Tools.

And lastly, thank you so much to Candie Cooper for sending all of her friends over to join us!

Happy Beading!
Meredith