Breaking the Rules (Which I've Made Up Anyways)

Here is my silver double knit bracelet from my last blog.

A sharp observer might notice that this piece does not have end caps on the raw ends of the chain like most of my other works. See how the end of the weave just stops right next to the pearls?

"No!" you say, "How criminal to leave the ends uncovered! It defies all sense!" Or maybe that's just what my inner control freak says, since I've never made a piece this way before.

There is a method to my madness, though.

I tend to design by my gut -- if I'm not pleased with a look, I will try something else.
When I was finishing this breacelet, I put the bead caps on to see how it fit, and the bead caps seemed too large to me, like when a little kid tries on a full-sized hard hat. So I fiddled with the combination of beads and end caps and clasp until I reached a look that satisfied me.

It may be a matter of taste, but I think my rebellion was not without success.

Double-Knit Explained

This next bracelet was an experiment in the thinner 26-gauge wire. Thinner wire is more flexible, and so allows for a chain with a smaller diameter, more flexibility, and double- or triple-knit weave.

Double knit looks more dense than single knit. People sometimes think "double" refers to two wires being woven at the same time. It actually means that one wire is wrapped around a "row" twice. I make my loops around my dowel like I would for a single knit, but when I finish going all the way around, I make a second set of loops around the ones I just made. After completing this, I start on another "row."

It can be a tricky technique because it is easier to make a mistake in the bramble of wire it makes! But I enjoyed the challenge, and maybe someday I will even try triple knit.

Check out my next blog to learn more about how I finished this piece.