Rosemary Hill - Elements of Style: Creating Jewelry with Wire, Fiber, Felt, and Beads

This book is dedicated to my family, whom I love more than could ever be put into words.

I have met so many wonderful people, without whom this book would not have been written. There are three women who particularly inspired me to think of new possibilities: Jaime Dixon (aka Scout), Terri Shea, and Cheryl Oberle. Without you three, I would not be sitting here at this moment writing this sentence. My next giant thank you must go to Amy R. Singer, the mastermind behind Knitty.com, who published my first pattern (wire and bead Venezia napkin rings). And I owe a very special debt of gratitude to my dear friend Susan Mall, whose incredible kindness and support I will never forget. A loving thank you to my boys and my husband, who have put up with me and my acres of yarn, fiber, wire, and beads. The bits and pieces of this book spent some time taking over not just my life, but the dining table, living room, office, bedroom, bathrooms, and the lives of my family as well. You have been so patient with me!

I had the incredible good fortune to work with Interweave on this book, and sometimes, I truly need to pinch myself to believe how fabulous my editors have been. Thank you so much, Tricia and Katrina! You made this process not only smooth for a first-time author, but also enjoyable. And here is where it becomes really difficult. There are so many people to thank that I couldnt possibly mention you all by name. But I hope you all know who you are (especially you, Saturday morning ladies) and understand how much I appreciate you. I am so grateful for you, my friends who have stood by me, supported me, believed in me, and let me know that you were there. I wont ever forget.

Life has taken me in many directions: music, marketing, graphic design, and illustration to name a few. Somehow, though, it all led back here, where it began.

Color and texture have always entranced me. I remember my mother telling me that, as a baby, I would trace the grain patterns in the wood with my finger and talk to them as she held me in her old rocking chair. My fascination continued when my grandmother taught me to crochet (I was in preschool at the time), and later when my mother taught me to knit. Around this time, I also became irrevocably addicted to beads and beading. I remember that, when I was eight, I received my first jewelry commission from a coworker of my mothers.

In the following pages, I hope to share my passions and stretch your imagination with a slightly different look at the art of adornment and the elements of style. What is jewelry? What classifies a piece as jewelry? What forms can it take? From what materials can it be made?

When I set about designing projects for this book, I had one umbrella concept in mind: creating pieces from beads, wire, and fiber that are wearable in many different settings, from a cocktail party to the office to a casual weekend lunch date. I used beading, crocheting, knitting, felting, and wire-working techniques freely in many different combinations to realize these designs. Theres a good chance you will find mixtures of materials and techniques that you have not seen before.

The projects in this book come in all sizes and levels of difficulty, using myriad materials and techniques. You will love the tips and tricks, as well as taking old standby techniques and applying them in different ways, in different combinations, and with different materials. In the end, you will have unique pieces of jewelry that will have people asking to take a closer look.

As I write this, both my grandmother and my mother live only in the memories of those who knew them. Both had a lifelong dream of writing a book; neither ever did. It seems fitting that my first book should be dedicated to a synthesis and an exploration of the arts I learned from them.

Rosemary Hill

Knitting with wire was my first foray into making jewelry with needles and hooks. It was natural, loving needle arts and beading as I do, that the two should cross paths at some point. Even though I had worked extensively with wire, it was still surprising to me how simple it is to create a beautiful piece from wire and beads with knitting needles or a crochet hook. I went on to create projects that I hope you will enjoy from an aesthetic standpoint while you experiment with some techniques that may be new to you. These beautiful, sophisticated pieces are as enjoyable to create as they are to wear.

I love sterling silver! I love the color, the springy quality and malleability of the wire, and the beautiful way it shines up into a glowing masterpiece after looking dingy and gray. With all this in mind, I knew there would come a time when I would no longer be satisfied working with craft wire. And of course, I was right. I swatched, I designed, I swatched some more. And then, I took that irrevocable leap. I ordered a spool of 30-gauge sterling silver wire, and this bracelet was born.

need to know

Abbreviations

Knitting Basics

Larks Head Knot

Backward-Loop CO

Garter Stitch (grtr st)

Opening and Closing a Jump Ring

note

Throughout the pattern, the sterling silver 1822mm rectangular links will be referred to as frames to avoid confusion with other links.

Using 30-gauge wire and leaving a 4" (10 cm) tail, CO 5 sts as follows: begin with a larks head knot and CO 3 sts using the backward-loop CO method.

Work 4 rows in grtr st and cut the wire using flush cutters, leaving a 5" (13 cm) tail. Straighten out the stitches gently on the needle. Do not BO.

Using the wire tail from the CO edge, wrap the bottom of knitted piece onto the sterling frame by passing the wire tail through a stitch each time you wrap it around the frame []. Continue wrapping across the bottom and then up the next side until about " (2 cm) of wire remains. Twist the wire around a strand in the knitted piece and trim with flush cutters.