BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Knitting knitting wire

This may sound weird, but I was talkign with someone a while back about a thin flexable type of wire that is used for knitting (might be made to use for something else but some knit with it.) I am unable to find anything about this, I really want to combine wire and a type of yarn a knit a purse for a friend.

Anyone know what I'm talking about?

Samten,

I'm not sure but I think it's beading wire.

Julie

Beading wire? Neverheard of it.

I found this but I was hoping for more information on where to actually find the wire and how much it will cost. I'm startign to look for fun and unusual craft projects for X-mas gifts.

If you go to a store that sells beading supplies, they sell spools of thin fine wire for beading - called bead stringing wire, I think you'd want something like 24-32 gauge for knitting. I believe I got the small spool I have for about $2 at either Hancock Fabrics or Joann Fabrics. You might be able to get fine copper wire at one of the bigger hardware store too - it is used for winding motors or antennas. I haven't ever tried knitting with it though.

If you just want the metalic color, you might want to use metalic embrodery floss, which I believe is cheaper.

Julie

Oh! I thought you were talking about, well, something entirely different. It's been a really long day!

My mom was in Wal-mart this evening and I asked her to look for something and she found some stuff in the lawn and Garden area that was $1 and looks like it will work.

How thick is the embrodery floss? It sounds really thin.

There are various different types of metal or thread for embroidery. I think most of them are a mixture of metal and other materials. I've only used one kind (off the roll in my mom's floss box), I think it might actually be mylar or some other type of plastic and it's not very fun to work with.

Let me know how the wire you got works out for you.

Julie

Rowan Yarns make excellent kits for knitted jewellery, you can get them from Angel Yarns in the UK and I am sure US shops who stock Rowan would be able to get them for you.

http://www.angelyarns.co.uk/knitting/jewellery.php

The wire worked out alright. I stopped early because I made a few mistakes. It's a bracelet.

Here is a pic

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c232/samten-t/100_1223.jpg

What you want is magnet wire. It comes in any number of thicknesses and has a thin coating of enamel. There are lots of colors. I can post a good UK source later, a company perhaps called Artistic Wire, but I don't entirely trust my memory and I'm not at home. The thin wire (.020 was, I think, what I used. Again I can check at home.) knits very easily by hand and knits on a knitting machine with care. Used in combination with a yarn, it gives a moldable, foldable fabric. Knitting the wire for a handbag sounds like a very good idea to me. Do you mind if I give it a try?

Donna Carty
www.donnajcarty.co.uk