Viking weave

I recently spent time trying to puzzle out the Viking Knit. There some excellent directions on the Internet including these on the Fine Art by Rocio website. The problem is, the Viking Knit that …

When I purchased the wire for my first Viking Knit project and the Viking Knit class I had thought of using some wire I had picked up long before. This was the coloured copper wire I had avoided pu…

Viking Braids - Make a Trollen Wheel: A Trollen Wheel is a tool for making patterned cords or ropes which dates back centuries. There is some debate about whether Vikings actually used these or not, but it is a popular craft for children at medieval fairs and Viking-age reenactments non…

Something I wish to share with you all is a small and simple rigid heddle that I recently made. It is extremely portable and easy to use, especially when you wish to weave a band of just one or two metres. This sturdy little heddle has been carved from a slice of boxwood and given a couple of coats of hemp seed oil. I have to thank sculptor and good friend Ben for sending me several slices of this wood, which is really easy to work with, but has a fine grain and nice strength. Ben works with…

I am often asked, What is viking knit? So, I've decided to share my technique in photos, a lovely viking knit bracelet from beginning to end. Lovely handmade chains have been found in Viking treasure troves in Scandinavia. Made from melted down coins turned into fine wire, these chains…

One of the things I wanted to try when I first was learning the Viking Knit (Trichinopoly) technique was adding beads to the ‘weave’ – rather than capturing the beads within the t…

Ok, so this is kind of cool. I've been exploring the various things you can do with Viking wire weaving recently, and my wire mentor Letitia told me how to integrate beads into the weave. Basically, you string a bead when you're about to make a stitch. When you put the rough weave through the draw plate, those beads are smushed to the inside, and end up encased in the finished weave. This I had to try! So, for this practice piece I picked up some cheap 'beading wire' from Walmart this…

A New Zealand blog about my handcrafted jewellery design journey featuring wire wrapping, paua (abalone) shells, gemstones and more.