Samantha Lopez - Knitted Wire Jewelry: Techniques. Projects. Inspiration

Knitted Wire
Jewelry

Techniques Projects Inspiration

SAMANTHA A. LOPEZ

www.mycraftivity.com

Knitted Wire Jewelry Copyright 2009 by Samantha A. Lopez. Manufactured in China. All rights reserved. The patterns and drawings in the book are for personal use of reader. By permission of the author and publisher, they may be either hand-traced or photocopied to make single copies, but under no circumstances may they be resold or republished. No other part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote a brief passage in review. Published by North Light Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236. (800) 289-0963. First edition.

Other fine North Light titles are available from your local bookstore, craft supply store, online retailer or visit our website at www.fwmedia.com.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lopez, Samantha.
Knitted wire jewelry : techniques, projects, inspiration / Samantha Lopez. -- 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-60061-157-5 (pbk.)
1. Jewelry making. 2. Knitting--Patterns. 3. Wire craft. I. Title.
TT212.L665 2009
745.5942--dc22 2008047778

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Editor: JESSICA STRAWSER
Production Editor: LIZ CASLER
Designer: KELLY ODELL
Photographers: CHRISTINE POLOMSKY, AL PARRISH, RIC DELIANTONI
Production Coordinator: GREG NOCK
Stylist: NORA MARTINI

Metric Conversion Chart

DEDICATION & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Dedication

To my husband, Richard: Without your love, trust, commitment and support, none of this would have been possible. Thank you.

Acknowledgments

I would first like to thank my mother, Susana, whose unconditional love and support has given me the courage to do anything. I would also like to thank my dad, Renato Sr., and my brothers, Renato and Arturo, who always let me think everything I did was wonderful. To the rest of my family: Bob, Moira, Harold, Missy, Edward, Linda, Claudio, Tiana, Sebastian and Denise, thank you. And finally, to Nani, I know you would have loved to see what I did with the knitting skills you taught me. I love you all.

Thanks also to the team at F+W: To Jessica Strawser, whose hard work has made this all seem easy; Christine Polomsky, the amazing photographer who somehow knew exactly how to capture the tiniest of details; and finally, to Suzanne Lucas, for somehow finding my work, and to Tonia Davenport, for believing in it.

About the Author

Samantha A. Lopez was born in Mexico City but spent most of her time as a child in the countryside of the state of Morelos. She moved to New York City to study at Pratt Institute School of Art and Design, where she received her degree in fine art with a concentration in sculpture. Her work has been exhibited at the Rubelle and Norman Schafler Gallery and Object Image Gallery in Brooklyn, New York.

The Knotstudio line of jewelry can be found online at www.knotstudio.com as well as in select boutiques in the New York City area.

Contents

Butterfly Pendant

INTRODUCTION

This was all my husbands idea. He was not my husband then; we were both in art school, and I was incredibly poor and frustrated because I wanted to make a big, metal sculpture (I am a small woman, and, yes, I probably have a Napoleon complex) but had very little money to spend on materials, so I was trying to figure out a way to make a mesh to cover the surfaces by welding lots of steel rods. Thats when he suggested I just knit it. It was kind of a jokeI had just learned how to knit and was knitting hideous sweaters for him and myself on an addictive level, which is probably why he suggested I put my energy into a different projectbut I took him seriously, and the next thing I knew, I was knitting bare copper speaker wire into a gigantic kinetic sculpture.

After graduating from art school, I lost my studio, but I was still fascinated by the idea that, through knitting, I could transform a cold, hard material into a soft, organic fabric, so I kept experimenting, but this time with smaller needles and thinner, silver wire. One day I put two of those pieces onto some ear wires, and soon my friends and family began pushing me to make more. So I launched Knotstudio as a side project. After having worked for a designer in the jewelry industry for some time, I decided to quit and dedicate all my efforts to the project.

Because of my Mexican background, I always had a hard time with the terms art and craft because, in Spanish, there is a word that in a way bridges bothartesaniawhich is a traditional craft so special it is considered a work of art. So, even though I had been trained as a sculptor and had been using materials and tools to make artwork, I was also knitting and making jewelry, which in many worlds are considered crafts. I had no idea how to make money doing this until, eventually, trends shifted and both boutique and art gallery owners began to take an interest.

Although at first the projects in this book may seem complicated and even intimidating, they are all made up of several very basic and accessible techniques, all of which are explained in detail. Anyone can learn how to knit, string beads or loop wire, but it is the application of all these techniques into one piece of jewelry that makes the work unique.