Tuesday, November 4, 2008

and now for the knitted bracelet

knit bracelet

Well that was a nice surprise. I thought that the knitting would be more difficult to manage, but it's actually just as easy as the crochet. You just need to be mindful of keeping your stitches loose. If you work too tightly, you will find it a struggle.

knit bracelet on wrist

Once again you need to embrace the wiggle! Every now and then you can give your work a little bit of a stretch, just to shape it nicely.

One problem which I did encounter with the knitting is that you need to be careful when turning at the end of each row... it is very easy to over twist the wire, which results in kinks which are difficult to remove... so it's best not to let them occur in the first place.

comparison knit to crochet

Here is a side by side comparison of the two. As you can see the crochet results in a heavier, sturdier, more dense weave. The knitting gives a softer, more delicate look. I don't have a preference here, I like the way they both work up.

Click here to see a photo tutorial demonstrating how to make a knitted bracelet

Click here to read my post about the crochet bracelet

21 comments:

Linda said...

I love the uniqueness of these bracelets. I will be getting some wire and trying both the knitted and crochet versions. And with my extensive bead collection I'm bound to find all sorts of colour combinations. Thanks for the great idea.

Anonymous said...

Looks Great!!!
I used a 3 strand box clasp on the ones I've made. Hmmm I'll put my thinking cap on for some other ways to finish it off. The pin is chic though :-)

Anonymous said...

Looks great!!!
I used a 3 strand box clamp on the ones I've made.
The pin looks chic though :-)

Terri H said...

WOW! Your work is awesome!

I've seen this done in books, but never actually done by a person. My daughter is a beader and I'm a knitter. i will definitely have to try this out.

Have fun!

Anonymous said...

hey nice work.... very unique.. but seems very sophisticated on the wirings hehe

heklica said...

Now I must buy myself some wire! I've resisted it for so long and now, with only two bracelets, you've managed to convince me that I should try it :)

Libbys Blog said...

I have been knitting with wire for a little while now, but am still practising. Its fun isn't it! I think the great thing is no two pieces turn out the same!!

laughing purple goldfish said...

crafty gardener - they are very unique... you couldn't replicate them even if you tried! have fun with your own experiments... I like the sound of an extensive bead collection, too

jacqui - I must take a closer look at your one and see how you have worked the clasp... thanks

terri - thank you... I can see you have plans to raid your daughters bead stash :)

wolfwood - thank you :)

misha - I've been wanting to experiment for a long time too... but it always looked so fancy! having tried it myself, I have to say... it's NOT fancy at all... it just looks that way... have fun!

lib - the uniqueness is wonderful, isn't it? and there's also the surprise factor... no matter how much you 'plan' the item... you never quite know how it will turn out

Cats-Rockin-Crochet said...

They look good, but I think I prefer the look of the crocheted bracelets, which do you prefer purple?

Anonymous said...

hello! nice work :)

Ashley said...

I totally like the knitted one! Nice work.

Susan J Barker said...

I have such a long and getting longer list of quilty things to do, but I will add some wire crochet to that list - what guage of wire do you use, did you already say in your blog -- I don't have my reading glasses on!
Also, I retried the 3-2-1 scarf and put a pic on my blog if you would like to stop over and see...

Dwiti R said...

amazing stuff... and very different too...

encantadora said...

Your jewelry is very original.

laughing purple goldfish said...

cat - that's like asking me to choose which child I like best!!!
seriously though... I like them both... the crochet one feels sturdier, but the knit one has a delicate lacy look and feel to it... arghhhh... I can't decide

miss snips - I checked out your new scarf... gorgeous... so pleased you tried a second time! I have used a 28 gauge crafting wire for both bracelets, but will be experimenting with some recycled wires soon :)

thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a comment

janiao said...

Hey I love your bracelet! It looks special and nice! =D
Keep up the good work!

Unknown said...

It's absolutely gorgeous! You are quite talented...I'll need some serious knitting practice first (I'm a beginner) but I definitely plan on trying this!

Anonymous said...

I love them both, but prefer the crocheted one. The "links" seem more defined and robust. Great work !

laughing purple goldfish said...

janelle - thanks so much

angela - stay tuned... I will be showing you knitters exactly how I make these VERY soon

stra - crochet is definitely more robust... and I know you would never live it down if you said you preferred the knitted one!

shilpa said...

Wow..thats amazing! I would never have thought to knit wire to make a bracelet!It's wonderful how many ideas I'm picking up from reading all this! I love your blog!

laughing purple goldfish said...

shilpa - thanks so much... I love inspiring others :)