Viking Knitting is a wire-weaving technique that dates back to the 8th Century. Artifacts of these woven chains have been recovered from a variety of archeological sites in Denmark, Norway, and Ireland. Although we don't know exactly how the weaving process was done in historical times, it was probably little different from how it is done today: weave a tube by using a long strand of wire to make loops around the base of other loops, using a form of some kind to hold with woven tube while you work. The basic principle is easy enough to understand, but the key is in being able to handle the long wires while weaving.

This tutorial is a comprehensive presentation of the technique, from start to finish. There are over 75 photos showing how to start a chain, how to do the stitches, how to control the wire and prevent kinking or hardening the wire, how to make a drawplate, how to anchor your work, various ways to keep your stitches aligned and to fix mistakes, and two ways to finish the ends of long chains. The specific project presented is for the hoop earrings shown, as these can be finished more quickly than a bracelet, but once you have an understanding of the technique, you will have enough information to finish a project of any size.

Tools and Materials:

*2' of 26-gauge copper craft wire (more for practice)
*9'-4" of 26-gauge wire for earrings, as desired
*10" of 20-gauge wire (same type as earring wire); may substitute 22-gauge
*Earwires
*Standard jewelry pliers: chain nose, round nose, flat nose
*wire cutters
*ruler or tape measure
*3/16" Allen (hex) wrench
*bench vise, clamped to a table
*drawplate (instructions are included)

After your payment through PayPal has cleared, I will send you the 1.3MB PDF file via email. NOTE THAT THE EMAIL IS NOT GENERATED AUTOMATICALLY!! I usually send it out right away, but if I am away from home or at an art show for the weekend, delivery WILL be delayed. Also, please make sure your listed email address is current and correctly spelled!!

The tutorial requires a PDF viewer, either Adobe Acrobat (free!) or Preview (on every Mac). If you need assistance while working with this tutorial, please do not hesitate to contact me!

As with all tutorials, the text and photographs are Copyright protected materials of the author (me)! Please do not copy, share, or otherwise distribute!

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