Crocheting With Wire

By Candace – 6 Comments

A lot of crocheters make jewelry, too, and there are many wonderful pieces out there like beaded ropes and bracelets and necklaces made with thread. For those who want to use metal in their crochet jewelry, wire is the way to go. However, there are many considerations to take into account when making crocheted wire jewelry.



If you’re going to crochet with wire, you need the right hooks. Wood and plastic get damaged easily, so metal is best. Since the wire is such a fine material, you may want to use steel crochet hooks for a lot of your work.

The wire can be hard to work with, and it might be hard to understand what kind to purchase. You may want to use different gauges of wire depending on the look you want and the hardness of the wire. The higher the gauge of the wire, the thinner it is. Look at this 18 gauge copper wire as compared to the 30 gauge silver tone wire.

In addition, jewelry wire comes in different hardnesses. Dead soft is the softest wire, which makes it easier to crochet with, however, it does not hold its shape as well as harder wires. Half hard is mid-range in hardness; it holds its shape well and is good for making clasps and ear wires to finish your crocheted jewelry with. Full hard is the hardest, and it is difficult to work with using jewelry tools, let alone crochet hooks. If you need to harden your wire you can always work harden it by running it through nylon jaw pliers before working with it or using various finishing tools such as mallets or tumblers after you have completed your project.

If you just want to play around and practice stitches with wire, you may want to use wire from a hardware store and save the jewelry wire for an actual project. The jewelry or artistic wire is often more expensive than the hardware store wire, even when they are made of the same materials.

Making jewelry with wire gives you options that thread doesn’t. You can bend and shape the finished piece however you want for a unique look. It also allows for bigger pieces that keep their structure and don’t flop around.

Remember that wire behaves much differently from yarn, and you may need to turn to other tools to get things to work right. If that adjustable ring isn’t working out, try using pliers to pull it shut.

Also remember to tuck in the ends of your wire. Nobody wants to be poked, and the sharp ends can break skin.

Have fun crocheting and experimenting with wire! If you’ve crocheted with wire beofre, feel free to leave your experience and advise for others in the comments below!

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6 Comments

  1. Jackie says:

    How cute!! I was wondering when someone was gonna start posting Christmas ornaments to make for the tree…

  2. maggie says:

    perfect timing! I plan to make (or at least try to)my friend a bracelet for her birthday.

  3. Elaine Perry says:

    I have been crocheting with wire for a long long time. Just finding out that you can make braclet’s also. Have made at least 2 so far. i can give you a web link for it but i better ask if its ok or not.

  4. Sarah says:

    I make jewelry and accessories with wire and beads and have crocheted with it many times. If you want to hardened your wire (even after or while you are crocheting) you can grasp the piece or wire between two fingers on each hand or grasp with one hand and pliers in the other and simple rock or wiggle the piece back and forth until you achieve the desired hardness. I use hardware store wire all the time and I was taught this method by the hardware store owner. Its important to clean the wire and finish it with a light coating of lacquer to keep it from tarnishing. You can clean it by dipping it in a solution of lemon juice and salt (3 to 1 ratio), dry it with a cloth, rubbing any discolorations/tarnishing…repeat the dipping and rubbing process if necessary. After its completely dry, hold your project with a pair of pliers (you don’t want to touch it after you’ve cleaned it)…spray one side, let it dry and then the other. Some people apply oils to prevent the air from touching it…but I wouldn’t recommend that method if the object is to be worn or handled often (like a necklace or purse). Good luck, have fun and please do try it…its fun!

  5. Mindy Hurley says:

    I have been crocheting around 30 yrs. I still can’t get the hang of crocheting with wire. I have trouble even starting the chain. I want to crochet your cupped bauble bracelet, but can’t even start the chain. Can you help me? Your tutorial on wire didn’t even help me. HEELLLPPP!

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