I spent several weeks researching for ideas for classy jewelry that can be made with wool. I've spent the last month playing with ideas and having a lot of fun making very pretty things. The secret is that most of them use a wire core! If you want to know how to spin wool fiber over wool, check out my previous blog post: Core Spinning Over Wire. If you're not into working with wire or handspinning, there are some cool things for you, too!
Choosing wire
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1) Gauge
The smaller the gauge number, the thicker the wire. For the people who like numbers, there are a whole bunch of them explaining gauge here. The less mathematical version is that the number has to do with how many times the wire was drawn through the machine which makes the wire smaller. So the bigger the number, the more times it has been squished, the finer the wire.
2) Soft vs Hard
Soft wire is more flexible and hard wire is very difficult to work with. Different metal types have different softness levels. They also stiffen/ harden the more you work with them and can become brittle to the point of breaking. There is a really great explanation of the differences here. Just to save you a few dollars I want to mention that the 7strand (etc) beading wire does not hold its shape for these projects! You could possibly get away with it for the amethyst necklace, but it will not work for the other jewelry here that holds it shape. All the wire I use here are going to have a copper core.
3) Purchasing Wire
I personally have purchased Artist Wire brand (dead soft) and generic jewelry wire (half hard) from my local craft stores. I found that Joann's had a limited variety, Michael's had more, but Craft Warehouse had the best selection for wire options. However, during my research I have become rather enamored with CSLDesigns's videos. This woman really knows what she is doing! She gets all of her wire from www.jewellerymaker.com/ You can be sure I'll be check them out in the future!
Simple Bangles
These first two bracelets are the easiest, most forgiving, and don't require special tools. For the first bracelet (right), I spun fiber fairly smoothly and thinly over five yards 22g wire Artistic Wire. For the second (left) I core plied over 20g regular wire from the jewelry section (half hard). For these you don't really need the softer wires but it helps if you are learning. Anywhere in the 22-18g range should be fine. While you are at your wheel, spin yard or two of yarn, too.
I then found a jar that had a circumference that would allow me to slip the bandle over my hands. I used an old mayonnaise jar that was 9 1/2" in circumference. Carefully slip the wire off the jar, being sure to retain the shape. Your wires are not guaranteed to end on the same side, but if they do; bonus! Decide which part you want to be hidden under your wrist. There will be about a 1 - 2" section that we will bind it over. Clip your wires about 1/2" longer and then you really want them and bending them back on itself with pliers before wrapping with yarn. This will make the wire catch on the yarn and discourage it from slipping out. Wrap the binding area with matching yarn quite a bit. Then go over to your sink, add a dab of dish soap and rub it vigorously until the binding is felted.
Getting Playful with Art Yarn
At this point it is helpful if you have some simple jewelry tools; regular pliers, round nose pliers, and flush cutters. I bought a set of basic jewelry tools at Michael's for $10. I find them just fine for what I want to do. I may in future invest in Tool Magic, or equivalent, to keep from scratching wire.
TOOLS
For this bracelet you will need about 10" of 20g wire. Medium soft is fine as we're not going to do a lot to it. You will also need some jump rings and a clasp in coordinating metal colors.
We're going to prepare the wire *before* we spin on it. You will need to make a loop and wrap it at one end for attaching your bracelet fasteners. Here is a photo tutorial for how to do that. (Videos further on in this tutorial will demonstrate it as well.) Figure out how long you want your bracelet, making sure to account for your fastener's length. I chose to have mine be about 8" long. So at that mark, make sure to line up with the first loop and make a bend in the wire; finish your wire-wrapped loop. You bracelet should look something like this.
Now take this wire over to your wheel. Hook the loop onto the wire leader, turn the bobbin tension all the way off, and get creative. You can create a smooth bracelet, or you can create a fun lumpy, bumpy one; your imagination is the limit! Once your design is done, lick your fingers and rub them over the spinning bracelet to felt the fibers into place. Open up a jump ring and hook it on one end of the bracelet and one part of your fastener. Close the ring; I find it easier to use two pairs of pliers to do this. Slowly bend your bracelet into shape, working the wire with your fingers or bending it around a jar.
Wrapped Bracelet
I found this one very creative. This woman took a rubber tube and wrapped wire around it. Here is her tutorial. This makes a chunky piece of jewelry that is still very light! While I didn't find the same tube she had access to, I found a few other easily accessible alternatives. I found fuel tubing at a hobby store, and plumbing tubing at Home Depot in the sink section. Both tubes are inexpensive and sturdy. For this bracelet, I used the fuel tubing which I could buy by the foot.
You will need 6" of tubing, ~20 g wire for findings, jump rings, beads, a clasp, super glue, and about 2-3 yards of corespun wire (soft or 1/2 hard). You can spin thick or then, but consistent diameter is best so there are no gaps to expose the wrapped tube. Any wire in the 22-28 gauge range can work; I used 26. You will also need something that you can pierce the tube with; I used an awl.
Her tutorial is actually pretty great. The only things I have to add is a photo of how I attached the wire loops and how I covered the ends.
I chose to start my wrapping buy putting 1 end through the findings loop and folding it down on the other side of the tube. Then I lined up my wire with the edge of the tube and wrapped it around. I wrapped a second and third circle right on top of the first to fill up and hide the end of the tube. Once it was thick enough that it built up over the lip of the tube I started slowly spiraling down the tube careful to keep the wire snug against each other. At the other end, I did my best to create the end spiral again, then I snipped of the end and pinched it against the twisted wire. If you want you can use super glue to secure the fiber into place on either end of the bracelet. Use jump rings to attach beads, if desired, and your fastener.
Put a Bead On It
This necklace is actually simpler than it looks. The classiness comes from the beads and findings that you choose. I chose amethyst stone beads that look really good with my fiber colors. I also chose some small silver beads that coordinate with my cord ends with a similar antiqued finish look.
You will need two bead styles that will fit over your wire, 2 kumihimo / cord end caps (estimate size needed, go large if in doubt), jump rings, and an even-number of pieces of wire the length of your choosing; I did 4 x 45" wires. For this necklace you will want thin wire for a flexible drape. I used 28g beading wire. A dead soft wire may have given it an even better drape. I got my beads at Michael's and my cord ends at Craft Warehouse.
Before you do your core spinning, decide how many beads you want and where you want them to lie on the necklace. I liked mine about the distance from my fingertip to the crease of my second knuckle. Using my finger as a measuring tool made it easier to place the beads while spinning. THIS video shows how to add and secure the beads while you are core spinning. This spinning doesn't have to be even if you would rather have it textured. However you should have contrasting colors on your wires that you will twist together. You may also choose to leave some bare to show off the metal. You get to really design your jewelry here!
Once you have your wires prepared, pair them up. I have one wire with beads paired with a plain wire spun with a contrasting color. I hold them together and twist together the tips. Then I lay the first section of wire on my thigh and gently roll it down my tight with my hand, twisting it together until it has the amount of twist desired. Continue doing this down the length of the wire, evening it out as needed. Repeat with the other sets of wire.
When all your wires are twisted together its time to put them together. lay them out and decide how you want the lengths of wire to interact with one another. I chose to have one slightly shorter than the other. Find where the ends meet and twist them all together; trim off the excess. Use your pliers to spread out the wire edges so there are crevices for the glue to adhere to. Make sure your ends will fit into your cord end cap. Apply super glue to both the inside of the cord end and to the ends of the wire; push them together and hold for several seconds to secure; repeat for the other side. Let it fully dry and test your connections. Add a short chain or several jump rings to connect.
Statement Necklace
Funky yet classy seems to be very trendy right now so this wire-word is an instant hit! I chose the word "yarn" because it just seemed too perfect. :)
You'll need about a foot of evenly core spun wire using 18 - 20 gauge dead soft wire. You'll want it to be very flexible! You'll also need some beads with some sparkle, and a nice matching chain and fastener.
Here is a link to the tutorial and video. The hostess is hilarious! I want to watch more now. :)
The tutorial calls for wrapping the wire with embroidery floss so you don't have to spin if you don't want to. It just seams easier to me to stick the wire on my wheel! :) Another difference I did was that I did not start at the end of my wire; I gave myself some fudge room to adjust at the beginning of the word. I just trimmed off the fiber I didn't want and then finger felted it after.
Getting Fancy
This piece is one that I really fell in love with. The more I watched CSLdesigns's videos, the more I want to make them all. They are all really that fantastic. I didn't have time to do them all right now as I wanted to keep a variety going, so I just did this one. However, I know I will be making more very soon!
For this bracelet you will need 4 lengths of wire about 30" long. I core spun over two of them in the same color and felted it onto the wire right there at my wheel. The wool must be smooth and secure or it will tear off as you pull in in and out of the disk. The other two wires I left plain. You will also need one additional length of wire about 10". Other tools, materials, and instructions are given in the video.
For my bracelet, I made a matching stitch marker as a charm and added it to the chain.
Waste Wool Jewelry
I have to say that these pieces were surprisingly fun to make! My kids wanted to join me in making them so they became family projects. :D They are both some good messy fun!Bead Cage Oil Diffuser
This idea actually is a combination of 3 different tutorials that I found! :) Since the wool is on the inside, I left the wire bare to give contrast.
First make a felted bead with your wool waste. If you can, put some smoother bits on the outside of your rolled ball; it will help it form more smoothly. I was able to successfully make several similarly sized ~1" felted balls. My kids wanted to join in, too! They each happily made two before they got bored and started making them into funky "hot dog" shapes. lol
Next you will want to make a bead cage to fit your felted ball. You could also buy a bead cage if you can find one. I couldn't so I decided to use the tools I have. :)
Now attach your new pendant to a chain and add your favorite essential oil! You have have a trendy diffuser necklace!
Paux-Glass Bracelet
I did mine slightly different than the original tutorial. You will need some yarn or waste wool, aquarium tubing, baby oil, a wooden skewer, and a candle. Optional; medicine dropper / syringe.
Pour some of the baby oil into a little bowl. Take some of your waste wool soak and it in the oil and set it aside..
Aquarium tubing is flexible and the plastic is thin. Light a candle and hover the tube end about 2-3 inches above the flame; turn it as if you are roasting a marshmallow for up to 10 seconds and remove it. the end should have expanded and is quite hot to the touch! It will cool down fairly quickly though. If you scorched the end, no big deal; cut it off and try again. (It took me three or four tries to find the right spot.) Once you've got it, blow out the candle and we can do the next part.
Measure your wrist and choose your bangle size. Add half an inch to that length. Lets say 9.5" for example. measure out your tubing now, including the end you expanded. Cut it at an angle at 9.5". Set aside the remaining tubing.
Get your bowl of soaked wool. Get a small pinch of it and twist it thin, sort of like yarn. Use the skewer to push it down into the tube. Get it all the way to the middle if you can. Keep working at it. Once you get it all the way down in there, add a little bit of oil to the tube (a syringe will make it a little less messy). Repeat at the other end of the tube. Keep doing this, alternating colors if available, and keep stuffing until your bracelet is full. Then stuff the slanted end into the bigger end and push it in as far as you can. Optionally, "finish" it by heating the overlapped end with a hot hair drier then letting it cool. When your bracelet making session is over, make sure to wash them, and yourself, with some grease cutting soap!
Non-Wire Jewelry Ideas
Here's a couple more bracelets I made using a simple icord and the traditional kumihimo technique.
I separated out two of the coordinating colors of locks and navajo pied the yarn for strength. For these Mommy and Me bracelets, I just followed this kumihimo tutorial, but let my daughter help take turns so these bracelets are something that we did together. Now my son is requesting one, too!
For this i-cord bracelet, I spun my yarn a bit different than the normal way. I first plied my singles back onto itself with a center pull ball, but then I plied it back on itself a second time for a 4-ply cabled yarn. This gives the yarn a complex color combination that makes it more elegant than a standard variegated yarn.
I then knit the bulk yarn with size 7 needles for tight, full-bodied icord. I attached a bold bead over the knotted ends.
Knit and Crochet Jewelry?
Did you notice that I didn't really do much knitting or crochet jewelry? That is a whole other can of worms that I am super excited to play with BUT I don't see the fine wire I need locally! I'll have to buy it online and then I can do something with this stack of library books I've checked out on knit and crochet jewelry!
I made a whole Pinterest Board stuffed with ideas of
how to use core spun wire and other beautiful fiber Jewelry!
Rachel's Wire and Wool Jewelry Pinterst Board
Missed how to core spin over wire? See my previous tutorial!
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