PDA

View Full Version : Learning Viking Weave



MuranoSilver
14-04-2010, 06:28 PM
Thought I'd try Viking Weave as I got a kit from Hubby ~
Really, really enjoyed it and can't believe how much the weave grows when you put it through the draw plate...
Have anly taken a few "snapshots" so far but if anyones interested there's some great instructions in
March 2005 Art Jewelry mag (available Here (http://www.artjewelrymag.com/ART/Default.aspx?c=a&id=465) as a PDF for $3.95) & Reproduced in the book "A complete Guide to making Wire Jewellery"
There's a Free step by step photo tutorial (http://janra-jewelry-designs.com/creating-vk.html)here too.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2768/4521414080_94f2d9db2c.jpg
This is my first ever (unfinished) Viking weave, I've put some Work in Progress pics on flickr.
Really really enjoyed it and ended up making three bracelets today.
Loads to do until they're finished but plans are brewing for PMC end caps :Y:
Nic xx

Fi Wilson
14-04-2010, 06:59 PM
=D> That looks fab Nic! Brilliant for your first piece and so neat too.

Sheltie
14-04-2010, 07:09 PM
Looks good. Due to wheer I live I am always doing demonstrations of this chain for the tourists and one of our archeology sites. I like doing the double knit normally and have recently been playing with tapering it (but that is a work in progress).

Ominicci
14-04-2010, 07:40 PM
Brilliant Nic! I've JUST finished a necklace for my brother's girlfriend and have made end caps from tube and domed circles. It was made from 0.5mm wire, 'single weave' on 5 spokes around a 7mm plastic dowel*. I also practiced a 'double weave' on 5 spokes around the dowel and it was much stiffer, but a better texture (will post pics tomorrow). The single weave I managed to get through a 3mm hole (althought I am using a piece of softwood so the hole has enlarged slightly after a few uses - that's why the drawplate should be hardwood), and the double through a 4mm hole. Both weaves doubled in length.

(*When I taught viking weave to my class I gave them hexagonal unsharpened pencils to use (a cheap option - £1 pack of 10 pencils), which I won't do again as some of the students pulled the wire quite tight and the wire bit' into the pencil so it took ages to wiggle the weaves off the pencils #-o All the effort was worth it though to see the look on their faces when even the most uneven, loopy, twisted weaves came out of the drawplate transformed :Y:)

Thank you for that photo tutorial link - it has another method of adding wire that I haven't seen before. The tutorial I learnt from is Vikingknit Directions (http://www.fineartbyrocio.com/vikingknitdirections.html), and have since written my own for my class, but I have never been entirely happy with the way I add the wire as sometimes you get an obvious 'double stitch' (well I can see it!) so will try the 'twisting wire join' next time.

This is my 1000th post!!:)))

MuranoSilver
15-04-2010, 08:21 AM
=D> That looks fab Nic! Brilliant for your first piece and so neat too.
:ta: ~ I used to love wire work then went off it for aaaaages. This might just get me into it again!

Looks good. Due to wheer I live I am always doing demonstrations of this chain for the tourists and one of our archeology sites. I like doing the double knit normally and have recently been playing with tapering it (but that is a work in progress).
Not tried the double knit yet but would love to see some examples (if you haven't sold them all already as I bet they're gorgeous!) Tapering it sounds interesting, is that something you do in the weave or by making it go through the not pulling all the way through on the draw plate?

Brilliant Nic! I've JUST finished a necklace for my brother's girlfriend and have made end caps from tube and domed circles. It was made from 0.5mm wire, 'single weave' on 5 spokes around a 7mm plastic dowel*. I also practiced a 'double weave' on 5 spokes around the dowel and it was much stiffer, but a better texture (will post pics tomorrow). The single weave I managed to get through a 3mm hole (althought I am using a piece of softwood so the hole has enlarged slightly after a few uses - that's why the drawplate should be hardwood), and the double through a 4mm hole. Both weaves doubled in length.
(*When I taught viking weave to my class I gave them hexagonal unsharpened pencils to use (a cheap option - £1 pack of 10 pencils), which I won't do again as some of the students pulled the wire quite tight and the wire bit' into the pencil so it took ages to wiggle the weaves off the pencils #-o All the effort was worth it though to see the look on their faces when even the most uneven, loopy, twisted weaves came out of the drawplate transformed)

Thank you for that photo tutorial link - it has another method of adding wire that I haven't seen before. The tutorial I learnt from is Vikingknit Directions (http://www.fineartbyrocio.com/vikingknitdirections.html), and have since written my own for my class, but I have never been entirely happy with the way I add the wire as sometimes you get an obvious 'double stitch' (well I can see it!) so will try the 'twisting wire join' next time.

This is my 1000th post!!:)))
CONGRATULATIONS on your 1000th Post
OH my goodness cant wait to see your necklaces - that's my next project planned so you will be my inspiration.
Thanks Nicci! Keep looking at the bright pink wires now and wondering If I could make a Rainbow, lol
I found a few photo tutorials that one had the best pictures, the pencil idea sounds cool. The kit I was bought was from StephanieEddy.com and cost $49.00 it came with wire, a delrin style draw plate and delrin hexagonal mandrel with a 6 petal daisy on the top. A bit costly but very easy to start on.

Sheltie
15-04-2010, 09:25 AM
:ta: ~ I used to love wire work then went off it for aaaaages. This might just get me into it again!

Not tried the double knit yet but would love to see some examples (if you haven't sold them all already as I bet they're gorgeous!) Tapering it sounds interesting, is that something you do in the weave or by making it go through the not pulling all the way through on the draw plate?

CONGRATULATIONS on your 1000th Post
OH my goodness cant wait to see your necklaces - that's my next project planned so you will be my inspiration.
Thanks Nicci! Keep looking at the bright pink wires now and wondering If I could make a Rainbow, lol
I found a few photo tutorials that one had the best pictures, the pencil idea sounds cool. The kit I was bought was from StephanieEddy.com and cost $49.00 it came with wire, a delrin style draw plate and delrin hexagonal mandrel with a 6 petal daisy on the top. A bit costly but very easy to start on.

I have some photos at home so will post them later tonight/tomorrow morning.

The tapered version is working your way up from 0.5, 0.6,0.7, 0.8 and 0.9 then back down again. The only problem with this is that you cannot pull it through a draw plate and has to be tugged by hand and a vice, annealed regularly and then finished by tapping with a hammer. I tink I may have a pic of my first attempt which became part of a necklace. Again I will post it later (on works computer at present.

Cheers
S

MuranoSilver
15-04-2010, 09:42 AM
Wow Sheltie
Can't wait to see those ~ that tapered weave sounds like a very masterful thing to do
bet it looks gorgeous :worthy:
If you ever do a tutorial on tapered weave can I be first in the queue :Y:
Nic xx

wheely
15-04-2010, 11:17 PM
That's gorgeous Nic - looks so complicated!

Gemma
16-04-2010, 09:19 AM
Gorgeous Nic. Its a weave thats on my (miles long) to do list

Sheltie
16-04-2010, 10:32 PM
Here is the first tapered viking knit that I did. and believe me the easy part was the weave the hard part was pulling it into shape. The piece was too short for a bracelet so I put it into the front part of a necklace. The remaining chain was a 5 stitch single knit pulled down to 3mm and it worked.

Please excuse the quality of the photo as it was done quickly before the necklace was given to the National Gulf Veterans and Families Association (NGVFA) as a raffle prize for their respite break week at the end of March

MuranoSilver
16-04-2010, 10:35 PM
WOW that is stunning - Whoever won it must've been so pleased!
nic xx

Gemma
17-04-2010, 09:42 AM
:":
Amazing Sheltie

Cathy at the Beach
19-04-2010, 12:29 AM
Very nice work both Nic and Sheltie (love your name)

Just last month or the month before either Lapidary Journal or Art Jewellery mag had an article on tapering viking knit. They use a hammer after using the draw plate. They tapped it at the ends until it was approximately the right thickness then rolled it with a piece of wood to smooth out the knit. I thought the idea was great!

I have made a fair bit of viking knit out of brass, copper and fine silver (even sterling silver) I like the look, but hate the time it takes. I am a person of very short attention span and just cannot spend that amount of time again making it. (hahaha shameful I know) I make jewellery for sale and no one is going to pay me for the length of time it takes me to make this stuff.
It sure is lovely though!

snow_imp
19-04-2010, 10:56 AM
I picked up a viking weave kit while at Flame Off 2010 over the weekend - now to get round to trying it out.

Ominicci
19-04-2010, 11:21 AM
Sheltie that tapered weave is fab!

Cathy I don't remember seeing that article - will be off to look for it later!

Finally took pics of my pieces;

Necklace is 5 stitch single weave drawn to 3mm. Handmade end caps and clasp and spinner bead (2 plain 2mm wire rings - for my brother to give his girlfriend).
Bracelet is 5 stitch double weave drawn to 4mm, handmade end caps and clasp. Pillow bead set with a sodalite cab that I cut and polished about 25 years ago (bracelet is for me).
Last pic is to show the difference between single and double weave after it is drawn down, although not as clear as I thought it would be as the single weave is in copper#-o

snow_imp
19-04-2010, 12:07 PM
Nicci - those items are gorgeous (need to find more words for describing nice things).

MuranoSilver
19-04-2010, 12:11 PM
Great pictures - love the visual of the double vs single and the pieces themselves are droolworthy!
Beautiful pillow bead I'm making a box bead for the second set of experiments with viking...
(The first experiment ~ involving kiln firing silver clay directly into the copper weave didn't work out to plan) :-D
Nic xx

Lou
19-04-2010, 12:29 PM
Looks great! I have never really worked with wire. Looks complicated too, off to check out the work in progress shots!

K-Pryor
19-04-2010, 12:49 PM
This looks amazing!! You should be really happy with the results....especially for your first time!! I´ve tried it once, but failed miserably...it was a huge disaster haha! You´ve inspired me to try again now though, it just looks so neat and beautiful! Congratulations!!

Cathy at the Beach
19-04-2010, 01:41 PM
nicci!! those are wonderful. I love the bracelet with the square -- I may have to reconsider doing viking knit again!

Sheltie
19-04-2010, 08:27 PM
Really nice Nicci

Have you tried to do a double knit then single for about 5 rows then back to double for about 10. What you get is a beautiful almost beaded like necklace. I have only made two of these both in copper. Sorry no pics but might try it again sometime.

You can with a bit of practise do double knit with two wires at the same time. If you do it in in two colours you get a really nice strapped pattern or changing the weave slightly (1 row double with one wire and the other single gives a great mottled effect.

I'll be honest I have not done these effects for a couple of years but once I finish the orders I have for the standard knit I will get some done and post...but don't hold your breath.

And Cathy as long as you get the tension right then I can knock out a bracelet in as little as 3 hours (for double stitch - Longer if I use bronze) which makes it worthwhile to sell and I do sell a lot of these with no beads or ordornments, normally to males

Ominicci
20-04-2010, 07:08 AM
Oooh might have a go at those two effects - if only to show my class that it is worth the spending a bit more time to create something more special - they all want to go home with a complete set of jewellery after 2 hours!

Cathy, both of these I wove/weaved (?) sitting in front of the TV in an evening each and then did the silverwork (end caps, clasp and bead) the next day.

Gemma
20-04-2010, 07:12 AM
I'll be honest I have not done these effects for a couple of years but once I finish the orders I have for the standard knit I will get some done and post...but don't hold your breath.

What?!? You mean you are not going to get on and produce samples for us right now Sheltie? That's completely unacceptable!! :dance:

jewellerybymia
23-04-2010, 08:03 AM
Absolutely gorgeous piece Nic :) I love it... must took lots of patience.
mia x