1. Leftover Madness
Bead Neckpiece With
Convertible Viking Knit
I have always loved turquoise so
whenever I found a strand, it would
always find a way into my shopping
cart. The beads left over from all my
projects started to add up over the
years.
This project is perfect for all those
mismatched beads in your stash.
Make a ton of bead dangles, throw
them in a bag, pull them out without
looking and string them. Every piece
will be unique.
Materials:
10” of bead stringing wire
Two crimp tubes
Two 5mm crimp covers
16” of 18 gauge round wire
48” of 26 gauge round wire
20” of 28 gauge round wire
Two 8mm OD 18 gauge closed jump rings
20” of Viking Knit and two end caps to fit
Variety of 4-10mm beads and LOTS of headpins
Tools:
Flat, round and chain nose pliers
6-Step barrel pliers
Flush cutter
½” mandrel
Ruler
Ultra fine point Sharpie marker
Directions: It is important to read through the directions before starting. If you need a refresher on bead
stringing, crimp beads and crimp covers, see the tutorial “THE BASICS-Bead Stringing.” See “THE BASICS-Wire
Wrapped Loops” to brush up on making wire wrapped loops with headpins.
Step 1: Make wire wrapped loops using headpins and beads ranging in mm to
8mm.
Step 2: Cut a 10” piece of bead stringing
wire. Attach an 8mm OD jump ring to one
end of the wire. Cover the crimp tube with a
crimp cover. Slide an 8mm bead on the
stringing wire (pearl shown).
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2. Step 3: Slide the wire wrapped loop beads onto the stringing wire, alternating them in a pleasing manner and
making sure they nestle together
with no gaps. The finished length
should be between 2½” and 6½”.
Finish the end with an 8mm bead,
crimp tube and cover and an 8mm
OD jump ring.
Step 4: Straighten and cut two 11” pieces of 26 gauge round wire.
Leaving a 1” tail, use one wire to wrap the jump ring at one end of the
beaded section. Wrap the short 26 gauge wire tail once around the
bead stringing wire above the crimp cover. Trim the short wire tail and
tuck into place with the tips of chain nose pliers. Do not trim the longer
wrap wire. Repeat with the other 26 gauge wire on the other end.
Step 5: Wrap the longer
26 gauge wire four times
around the bead stringing
wire above the crimp
cover. Trim the wire tail
off and tuck the end into
place with the tips of chain
nose pliers.
Step 6: Straighten and cut two 3½”-4” pieces of
18 gauge wire. Make a hook on one end of the
wire and attach it to the end of the Viking knit.
You may want to bend the hook over to lock it
into place. Slide an end cap onto the wire.
Repeat with the other end.
Step 7: Make a wire wrapped loop using Step 4 of your 6-step barrel pliers. The loop should be the same size
as the closed jump ring used on either end of the bead section. Repeat with the other end of the Viking knit.
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3. Step 8: Straighten and cut two 11” pieces of 26 gauge round wire. Wrap
each loop, starting at the base of the loop and working around to the base
on the other side. Trim the wire tails off and tuck them in as flat as
possible using the tips of chain nose pliers.
The following directions are for one hook. Repeat for the other hook, but
wrap, bend and bead the wire in the opposite direction.
Step 9: Straighten and cut a 4”
pieces of 18 gauge round wire.
Mark the wire 1½” from one end.
Step 10: Centering the mark between the two smallest steps on the
6-step barrel pliers, bend the two wire ends down on either side of
Step 2 of the 6-step barrel pliers.
Step 11: Cross the wire ends, using your fingers to push the crossed portion of the wires up to the barrel of
the pliers. This creates an eye that can be used as an attachment point to any project.
Step 12: Spread the eye loop
open just enough to slip it onto
the wrapped jump ring on the
bead section.
Step 13: Using the tips of your
chain nose pliers, grasp the small
loop just above where the wires
cross. Twist the two wire ends ¼
turn.
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4. Step 14: Place the eye loop on a ½” mandrel. Bend the wire ends
around the mandrel. Make sure that the wire that comes from below
the eye goes above the other wire on the opposite side of the
mandrel.
Step 15: Use the tip of your round nose pliers to make a small loop
on the end of the shorter wire. This loop should end up exactly
opposite the larger loop created in Steps 10 and 11. A line drawn
from the center of one loop to the center of the other loop should create two equal halves. Both the left and
right hook are shown below.
Step 16: Grasp the long wire tail
between Step 3 and 4 of the 6-Step barrel
pliers. Make sure that Step 4 is on top
and large wire loop is pushed up to Step
3 of the pliers. Use your fingers to push
the long wire tail up and over Step 4 of
the pliers until the wire tip almost
touches the large circle.
Step 17: Use the tips of your round nose pliers to make a small
loop at the end of the hook. Twist the hook to the back and
perpendicular to the large circle, in line with the small loop
below it, as shown. Lift the hook end slightly away from the
circle and to make it easier to attach the
beads.
Step 18: Select a variety of beads 3mm-5mm in size to fill the large circle.
Note: Through Step 21, you will be working from the back so periodically check the
beads on the front of the hook.
Step 19: Leaving a 1” tail, wrap 3 times around the frame between the lower loop
and the large circle. Trim the short wire tail off. Tuck the end in with the tips of your
chain nose pliers. Wrap around
the area two more times,
covering the cut wire tail.
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5. Step 20: Going toward the
hook, wrap the frame 6-8
times. Find beads to fit the
space and slide them onto the
wrap wire. In this case, the
bead sizes were 3mm and
5mm. Wrap the other side 812 times going toward the
hook.
Step 21: Find beads to fit the space and slide them onto the wrap wire. In this case, the bead sizes were 3mm
and 5mm. Pull the wrap wire around the base of the small loop and the base of the hook, securing both
together. Wrap the area three times. Then continue wrapping down the opposite side of the frame 6-8 times.
Step 22: Find a bead to fit the space and slide it onto the
wrap wire. In this case, the bead size was 5mm. Continue
to wrap down the frame toward the first bead added. Trim
the wrap wire off close to the frame. Tuck the end in with
the tips of your chain nose pliers. Note: You have been
working from the back. This photo to the left shows the hook
from the front.
Step 23: Use the hook to
attach the bead section to the
Viking knit. You may need to
twist the wire wrapped loops
and wrapped jump rings so
they are perpendicular to the
horizontal hook.
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