beaded wire crochet bracelet

Want to see just how easy it is to make one of these crochet bracelets?

As always, if you would like to see the photos in greater detail... click on them... and you will be able to enlarge them using flickr



Firstly you will need an old hook. Once it has been used to crochet wire with, it will never be quite the same again. I am using a 3.0mm hook, but the exact size is not critical.



This is the copper wire I reclaimed from the electrical cable (click here for the blog post detailing how I did this) It is a bit thicker than the crafting wire I used in the earlier projects. If you are looking to buy wire, I recommend a 28 gauge... it is pliable enough to work with, yet strong enough to resist breaking too easily. My original bracelet was crocheted using 28 gauge wire and a 2.0mm hook



Gather a variety of recycled beads and buttons... or whatever you plan to embellish with



Before starting to crochet, you will need to thread these items on to your wire. Always thread on more than you think you will need. If you are using recycled wire you will need beads with large enough holes to easily pass over the kinks in your wire.



Work a few chain stitches... the width you would like the bracelet to be.



Make sure you keep your stitches LOOSE, as the wire has no 'give'

Work a single crochet into the second chain from the hook, then into every chain until the end. Try to ignore the fact that it looks ridiculous! It looks nothing like regular crochet - but that's okay... start working back and forth in sc, working a turning chain at the end of each row.

Do not panic if you think it 'looks wrong'... start chanting to yourself "embrace the squiggle... embrace the squiggle... embrace the squiggle"

Just keep going... it WILL be fine!

It can be really difficult to determine where EXACTLY your stitches are... don't worry about it... just poke that hook in wherever you can fit it, and try and keep your stitch count consistent. Seriously - it doesn't matter!



When you are ready to start adding beads, work a sc then slide a bead all the way up to your hook before working the next sc. Do this as many times as you like in the row.



You'll notice that all the beads are settling to the BACK of your work.



Then when you turn for the next row... you will see them clearly.

ALWAYS ALTERNATE YOUR ROWS... a bead row is always followed by a plain sc row

REMEMBER if the beads are facing you, you are working a NON-BEAD row



Work until you are happy with the length.



I have joined this one by 'sewing' the two ends together using the tails of wire. Obviously I am not actually using a needle, just poking the wire end though



To finish off I have threaded the wire through one of the beads on the bracelet, and then trimmed the wire



Next time I will share instructions for the knitted version!