Viking Knit

Judy Larson

Stories abound concerning the origins of

Viking Knit. Woven silver wire chains were

used to decorate clothing of the Vikings and

bits of this type of silverwork have been

recovered from many different archeological

sites throughout Scandinavia, thus the name.

There is also a possibility that since silver is a

precious metal, the ornamentation could have

served a purpose as currency. Imagine “wearing

your bank account” on your clothing and snipping

off sections as you needed them!

The first part of this tutorial gives you basic Viking

Knit directions. The second part gives directions

for making coiled end caps in case you can not

them. The third part of this tutorial gives

directions for making a basic bracelet or necklace.

Read through all three sections before you start.

You will then have a better understanding of what

you are doing and why you are doing it.

Materials:

22 gauge dead soft round wire

24 gauge dead soft round wire Note: As you

become more accomplished, you will want to use a

finer gauge wire. Each wire has different weaving

nuances which you will understand as you use them.

Some are harder to work in this technique than

others. For that reason, 24 gauge round wire is

good to start with.

Tools:

11-12” long 3/8” dowel

Flush cutter

T-pin Rubber band Drawplate

Directions: Prepare the dowel:

Step 1: Most dowels come in 3-4 foot lengths. Cut a 11-12:” piece of 3/8” dowel and sand the ends so they

are slightly rounded. Center the dowel end on the circle divided into 5 sections. You can do a 6 sectioned

knit for your next project, but to begin with, a 5 section mandrel is appropriate. Mark the sections in pencil.

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Step 2: Hold the dowel stable on a flat surface. Hold a pencil stable on the surface with the pencil lead on one

of the lines. Slide the pencil across the flat surface making a line parallel to the surface the dowel is resting

on. Repeat with the other marks. Hint: If you make a mistake, using pencil allows you to erase it and start over. Prepare the dowel: This step is not necessary but the lines do help beginners to keep the knit ribs straight.

Step 3: A credit card or drivers license can be used for this step. Hint: The next time you get one of those fake

plastic credit cards in the mail, keep it with your wire supplies to use when making Viking Knit. The flower you

will be making in the next steps can be reused several times before you feel you need to make a new one. The

size wire you use here can be the same size as the knit wire but one size larger seems to work best.

Working from the spool, wrap the 22 gauge round wire around the credit card five times. Carefully slide the

wire wraps off the card. Wrap the wire from the spool four times around all the wires about ½” in from one

end. Trim the excess wires even with the looped ends.

Step 4: Spread the long loops out to form a flower with five

petals.

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Step 5: Place the flower on top of the dowel and pull the petals down. Press the petals to the dowel. Secure

the flower petals in place tightly with a rubber band.

Step 6: Make sure that the lower loops of the flower petals are even all the way around the dowel. To do this,

you may need to use your chain nose pliers to bend the wires above the dowel. After the petals are even,

center each petal on a line.

Step 7: Use the tips of your flat nose pliers to slightly

bend up the lower 1/8” of each petal. This will make

weaving the first row easier. When this is done, push the

rubber band down closer to the lower ends of the flower.

Note: The rubber band will not keep the petals tightly in

place but it is a tremendous help. You could use tape, but

this will not keep the petals tightly in place either and it is

more difficult to remove than the rubber band. After you

have made a few Viking Knit items, you will find the first

row (in the next steps) much easier to do.

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Step 8: Single Knit: When you first learn the Viking Knit technique, it is best to do the single knit. When you

have mastered this, you can go on to double, or even triple knit. Steps 15-16 shows how to do a Double Knit.

Also, when you first being, it is best to use shorter pieces of wire because they will kink less and are easier to

use. When you become more accomplished, you may find that you will use 7, 8, or even 9 foot sections. For

the purposes of this tutorial, you will be using three 3 foot sections of 24 gauge wire to make the Viking Knit

chain which you will then make into a bracelet. The single knit will draw down to approximately twice the

original length.

The Viking Knit “stitch” is almost like sewing. Thread the wire through a flower petal from the outside to the

inside, from the right to the left. Pull the wire through until there is about 1” of wire tail left. Pull the wire

down on both sides of the loop.

Step 9: Holding the short wire tail down to the dowel with your left hand, pull the long wire down and over

the top of the tail wire and to the right.

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Step 10: Hold the crossed over loop stitch created in Step 9 down with your thumb. Move to the loop to the

right of that stitch and thread the wire through a flower petal from the outside to the inside, from the right to

the left. Pull the wire to the left and then down.

Wire Hints: When pulling the long wire through a loop, you may end up with tangle wires. Be aware of this

before it causes a problem. If the wires twist over each other, just twist them back (photo 1 and 2). If you did not

catch the crossed wires in time, you may end up with a tight kink in the wire (photo 3). It is imperative that you

“back the kink out” or unbend the wire (photo 4). Do not try to pull it straight or the kink will just get tighter.

When you have knit 1/3 of the way down the dowel, you will need to push the knit chain up a few inches to make

it easier to finish.

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1.

2.

3. 4.

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Step 11: Hold the new stitch down with your thumb. Pull the wire to the right. Repeat Step 10 and the

beginning of this step until you reach the first stitch you did. Try to keep the tips of the petals on the lines.

This first row will not be very neat, but do not worry.

Step 12: For the next row, you will stitch behind the “X” formed at the lower end of each loop in the previous

row. If you can not slide the wire under the crossed wires, you may need to use the T-pin to lift them up.

Each stitch is done in the same manner as the first row- while holding the previous stitch down, stitch from

right to left, pull the wire down and then to the right. Do not worry about the beginning wire tail. Just move

it out of the way between the lines.

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Step 13: Continue to stitch around the

dowel. When you first start, your stitches

will not be even. Do not worry. The

drawplate takes care of all inconsistencies.

You will find that by the time you are done

with the second 3 foot length of wire, there

will be a rhythm to your stitches.

If you find that one of your knit ribs is

moving away from the line, use the T-pin to

bend it back into place.

Step 14: When you have 1½”-2” of wire left, it is time to attach a new wire. There are several ways to do this.

Each wire artisan has their favorite method. Two will be shown here.

Using another 3 foot section of wire, move on to the next crossed loop and make another stitch, pulling the

wire through until the wire tail is the same length as the wire you had left on the previous stitch. You will

notice that the new stitch is loose. Moving around the dowel, make another stitch or two to stabilize the wire.

At this point, you can twist the wire tails tightly together until the wire “swag” between the crossed wire

stitches is similar in size to the other “swags” you have been making between stitches. Trim the twisted wire

tail to 3/8” in length.

Continue around the dowel. When you

reach the connected wires, pull the wire

over them and continue around the dowel,

always going over the twisted wires.

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For the other

method, pull the

wire tails down

onto the line.

Trim the tails to

¾”. When

making a stitch,

slide the long

wire under the

tail, make the

stitch under the crossed wires, and then pull the wire over

the tail. Continue around the dowel in the manner, going

under and over the wire tail, encapsulating it, when you

make a stitch, until there is no more tail. You will be doing

this with both wire tails each time you add a new wire.

Step 15: Double Knit: If you would like to make a more dense, less airy chain, you can do a double instead

of a single knit. To do this, instead of going up to the previous row, go up two rows and stitch under the

crossed over wires. Constructing the stitch is the same, just two rows up.

Step 16: After completing one round, you still go

up two rows to make the next stitch. Continue in

this manner until you have reached the desired

length. A double knit does not draw down to

double length, but just a little over 1.5 times the

original length.

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Step 17: Remove the knit from the dowel. You may have to grasp the knit on the dowel with your hand,

slightly twist it back and forth, and “worry” it up and off the dowel. Remove the rubber band. Use flat nosed

pliers to flatten the bent portions of the flower.

Step 18: Push the flower section through the largest hole the chain will fit through. Pull the petal section and

chain through the hole. Do this twice in each successive hole until the chain is the desired size. You will

notice that any imperfections in the chain are no longer noticeable. You will also find that the chain will bend

more easily in one direction than another. Keep this in mind when constructing your bracelet.

Step 19: Measure up from the finished

end and cut the length you need.

If you want to reuse the flower

constructed in Steps 3-4, cut the wires

just below the petal tips. You will need

to remove small wire bits from both the

flower and the chain.

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Coiled End Caps

Judy Larson

Not having end caps to finish a

project should not stop you. Try

these versatile and easy to make

end caps.

Materials:

24 gauge dead soft round wire

20 gauge dead soft round wire

Hint: Work from the wire spool because the sizes of

mandrel you use makes a difference in the amount

of wire you need for the end cap.

Tools:

Flat and round nose pliers

Soft jaw pliers

Flush cutter

000, 00, or 0 knitting needle

Mandrel a bit smaller than the diameter of the

Viking Knit Chain

Directions:

Step 1: Using 24 gauge wire, make

two coils 2½” long each on a

mandrel no smaller than a 000

knitting needle (shown) but not a

mandrel larger than a 0 knitting

needle. Hint: Starting with a 1” wire

tail keeps the wire coil stable when

wrapping. Make the coil a bit longer

than needed and then cut it to length.

Step 2: For a tight fitting end cap, the mandrel you choose for the next step should be slightly smaller than

the final hole you pulled the chain through since the wrapping will spring out a bit. For instance, if your chain

was drawn down to 13/64”, the mandrel could be 3/16”. If your chain was drawn down to ¼”, the mandrel

could be 7/32”. Of course, you could use the same size mandrel as the hole and the end cap would have a

loose fit.

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Step 3: For this step, you must work from the spool of the 20 gauge wire.

Pull off and straighten about 12” of wire. Slide one of the coils on the

wire. Flush cut the wire end and spiral it until it is the size of the

diameter of the mandrel.

Step 4: Hold the spiral on the mandrel. Wind the wire around the mandrel

four times, keeping the wraps as close together as possible.

Step 5: Push the 2½” coil tightly against the mandrel and continue coiling, keeping the coiled wire wraps as

close together as possible.

Step 6: Cut the 20 gauge wire off

¾” from the wire coil. Spiral this

wire up tightly to the wire coil.

Step 7: Push the end cap to the end of the mandrel. Push the top end spiral down over the top of the

mandrel. You may need to push the mandrel down on the table to get the coil to nestle inside the coil.

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Step 8: Repeat for the other end cap.

Step 9: Check the fit on the Viking Knit chain.

If it is too loose, you can slide the cap on a

smaller mandrel and gently tighten the lower

coiled section.

Step 10: You can leave the end caps plain or use your imagination and dress them up with beads.

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Viking Knit Bracelet

This tutorial is not for making Viking Knit but for

constructing a bracelet after the knit has been

constructed.

Hint: Follow these directions but make a longer

chain to make a necklace. A Viking Knit necklace

can be any length, but 18”-22” seems to be standard

for adding pendants.

Materials:

Up to 7” of Viking Knit chain

4 ½” of 18 gauge round wire

8” of 20 gauge round wire

Two 10x7mm cone end caps (fits 5-7mm bead)

Two 4mm round beads

Tools:

Round, chain and flat nose pliers

Soft jaw pliers

Flush cutters

3/8” mandrel

Directions:

Construct The Hook:

Step 1: Straighten and cut a 4½” piece of 18 gauge round wire.

Step 2: On one end of the wire, make a slightly more than full circle with

the tip of a round nose pliers. Hint: You may find it easier to use a chain

nose pliers to start the center of the spiral.

Step 3: Using soft jaw pliers, tightly scroll the wire until the scroll is 2”

from the end of the wire.

Step 4: Place the tips of the round nose pliers as close to the scroll as possible, as shown. Bend the

wire over the plier tips and up the side of the scroll.

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Step 5: Switch back to the soft

jaw pliers and finish bending

the wire up over the top of the

scroll as shown, left.

Step 6: Bend the wire tail around the 3/8” mandrel as

shown, right

Step 7: Use the tip of round or chain nose pliers and make half a curl. Use flat nose pliers to press

the curl flat down to the wire.

Step 8: Construct a length of Viking knit and draw it down to fit inside the cone end cap you have chosen.

For this tutorial the wire was drawn down to 7/32”-13/64”. Hint:: If you make your own drawplate, you can

get more holes, and therefore more sizes, than if you purchase one.

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Step 9: Refer to the following measurements and cut the knit chain the desired length. You might want to

make the bracelet a bit longer (between sizes) if your chain is larger than ¼”. When you determine where to

cut the chain, go one knit row beyond the length chosen, otherwise the wire loops you need to use will have

been cut off and the length will be a bit shorter than desired.

Finished Bracelet Length Cut Knit Chain This Long

7” 5-1/8”

7½” 5-5/8”

8” 6-1/8”

8¾” 6¾”

Step 10: Remove all the small pieces of wire from the cut ends of the knit chain. Using chain nose pliers,

position as many of the knit loops as possible directly in front of each other, creating a “channel through

them.

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Step 11: Cut two 4” pieces of 20 gauge wire.

Make a bend with flat nose pliers 1 ½” from the

end of each wire. Slide the hook through the loop

channel created in Step 10.

Step 12: Grasp the bend with a chain nose pliers. Wrap the short wire end tightly around the long wire,

trying to stay as close to the knit as possible. Trim off the short wire tail.

Step 13: Slide a

cone bead cap on

the wire. Pull the

wire will pushing

the bead cap

down. This will

seat the knit into

the bead cap.

Slide on a bead.

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Step 14: Make a wire wrapped loop on the end of the

wire. Make sure that the eye is large enough to fit the

end of the hook through.

Step 15: Repeat Steps 12-14 on the other end of the

Viking Knit chain. Make sure that the eye loop on the

second end is the same size as the eye on the first end.

Step 16: Slide the hook onto one of the eyes. The

bracelet needs to curve easily around your wrist. Hold

the bracelet in you hand. You will notice that it bends

more easily in one direction than another. Hook the

bracelet. Bend the eyes perpendicular to your wrist. Curve the cone and wire ends of the bracelet into a

slight curve.

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Make A Viking Knit Drawplate

Judy Larson

Purchased wooden drawplates for Viking Knit are great and not very expensive. Since many of us

have or have access to wood scraps and a power drill and assorted drill bits, why not make your

own!

Shown here is a 1x2 piece of oak drilled with bits ranging in size from 5/8” down to 1/8”. Any size

board will do, but it should be solid, not plywood, and it should be a hardwood. Searching the

internet will produce several different shapes for your drawplate.

Another tip is to countersink the holes on both sides. This makes the knit slide smoother over the

rounded edge of the holes instead of snagging on the sharp edge of the opening.

Make sure to mark the hole sizes with a fine point sharpie.

Do not stain or finish the wood as this could rub off on the chains as you pull them through.

Tips about drawing the knit chain through the holes:

1. Pull the knit through each hole twice. It will make the chain easier to pull through the next

size down as well as keep the chain round.

2. It will be much more difficult to draw the chain through the smaller holes.

3. Holding the board down and pulling toward you is not a good idea. You may end up hitting

yourself in the face. (see the next step-you could break teeth or need stitches)

4. When you find it difficult to pull the chain through the hole, push the flower base through

the hole and pull with a pliers from your workbench, not the ones you use for your jewelry

making.

5. Your chain can be drawn up to two times the original length. Hint: Make note on your

tutorial of the items you have made, the original knit length, length it was drawn down to in

what size hole.