Making Jewelry with Wire Crochet

Materials needed
Wire crochet doesn't require many more tools than regular crochet. When you're working with yarn you need a crochet hook, scissors or clippers to cut the yarn, and a large needle to darn in the ends. When you work with wire you'll also need a hook, but you'll use wire cutters instead of scissors, and maybe a small set of pliers to tuck in the ends.

People who get serious about wire crochet like to use wire made from precious metals like sterling silver or gold. But when you're just starting out, that can be expensive, especially since you'll waste some wire during the learning process. A less expensive way to start is with plain silver- or gold-colored craft wire, usually available in spools from a local (or online) craft supplier. The instructions I've seen recommend 28 gauge wire, but I think that's a bit too thick for beginners; instead, try to find 30 or 32 gauge.

You'll need a very small, sturdy hook to work with wire. The best choice here is a steel hook-the kind you'd use for thread crochet. You can start with one of the bigger sizes, like a 2 or 3, and as you get more proficient scale the size down to an 8 or smaller. Obviously the smaller hooks make smaller holes and neater stitches. But wire isn't as flexible as yarn, and when you're just beginning you might have trouble inserting your hook in some of these smaller holes.

Really thin wire can actually be cut with regular scissors, but if you do it a lot you'll ruin the scissors. Instead, look for inexpensive wire cutters at your craft supplier, who may even carry sets of wire working tools that include cutters and several different kinds of pliers. But try to find cutters that will blunt cut both sides of the wire, rather than angle-cutting one side and blunt-cutting the other. Angle cuts are useful for some types of wire work, but they tend to produce sharp edges that you won't want for wire crochet jewelry. If you can't find these cutters in the jewelry section, try the floral department.

Different pliers will bend wire in different ways. For wire crochet you may need them only to tuck in the ends; if the wire is thin enough you may be able to do this by hand.

Technique
Wire crochet uses the same techniques as regular crochet-chains and slip stitches, and single or double crochet stitches. You'll be making them in the same way as you do when you're working with yarn. You can make your piece either widthwise, working on just a few stitches until it's as long as you want, or lengthwise, when you'll decide on the length first, then create the width as you work.

When you first start working with thin wire you may not think it's all that different from yarn. But after you've made a few stitches you'll start to see the difference. Wire is not as flexible as yarn. It will take more effort to make the stitches, and more concentration to keep the stitches even. Fortunately, uneven stitches will usually not be noticeable; your piece might actually look better without a recognizable stitch pattern. So don't try to do anything fancy or complicated. Just use plain single or double crochets, maybe adding some beads (strung before you start) to a few stitches.

You may find that even though you're making the same stitches as you do with yarn, your movements will change slightly. For example, you might be holding the hook a different way or adding an extra movement when you pull the yarn through. This is nothing to worry about; it's just your hands adapting to the different needs of working with wire. If your hands get tired or start cramping, try taking frequent breaks or working for short periods of time. Go slower, and relax; wire isn't yarn, and it won't behave the way yarn does, so don't try to fight with it. Just concentrate on getting used to what it can do, rather than trying to make it do something it can't.

There's one other important consideration. Wire is very, very hard to rip out. I've been able to undo some of the 32 gauge wire, but thicker gauges like 28 are almost impossible to undo, and in any case, the wire will stay bent, making it very hard to re-crochet. Also, if you try to reuse thin wire enough times, it will eventually just break. So unless you're working with something expensive, like sterling silver, it's best to just leave "mistakes" alone. There's a very good chance no one will notice them, anyway!

Wire crochet designs tend to be quite lacy, and the crochet techniques used make them more flexible that a lot of other jewelry. This means that you may be able to get away without clasps for some bracelets. For necklaces, though, you'll probably need to attach a simple clasp to the ends-unless your necklace is long enough to go over your head.

Conclusion
Wire crochet may sound difficult; it's certainly not for beginning crocheters. But you can create some really spectacular effects with it, even if you don't include beads. And if you're looking for a unique style of jewelry-something very few other people wear-wire crochet is a good choice.