Viking Knit Tutorial

Viking Knit
Judy Larson

Stories abound concerning the origins of
Viking Knit. Woven silver wire chains were
used to decorate clothing of the Vikings and
bits of this type of silverwork have been
recovered from many different archeological
sites throughout Scandinavia, thus the name.
There is also a possibility that since silver is a
precious metal, the ornamentation could have
served a purpose as currency. Imagine “wearing
your bank account” on your clothing and snipping
off sections as you needed them!

The first part of this tutorial gives you basic Viking
Knit directions. The second part gives directions
for making coiled end caps in case you can not
them. The third part of this tutorial gives
directions for making a basic bracelet or necklace.
Read through all three sections before you start.
You will then have a better understanding of what
you are doing and why you are doing it.

Materials: others. For that reason, 24 gauge round wire is
22 gauge dead soft round wire good to start with.
24 gauge dead soft round wire Note: As you
become more accomplished, you will want to use a Tools:
finer gauge wire. Each wire has different weaving 11-12” long 3/8” dowel
nuances which you will understand as you use them. Flush cutter
Some are harder to work in this technique than T-pin Rubber band Drawplate

Directions: Prepare the dowel:

Step 1: Most dowels come in 3-4 foot lengths. Cut a 11-12:” piece of 3/8” dowel and sand the ends so they
are slightly rounded. Center the dowel end on the circle divided into 5 sections. You can do a 6 sectioned
knit for your next project, but to begin with, a 5 section mandrel is appropriate. Mark the sections in pencil.

Step 2: Hold the dowel stable on a flat surface. Hold a pencil stable on the surface with the pencil lead on one
of the lines. Slide the pencil across the flat surface making a line parallel to the surface the dowel is resting
on. Repeat with the other marks. Hint: If you make a mistake, using pencil allows you to erase it and start over.
Prepare the dowel: This step is not necessary but the lines do help beginners to keep the knit ribs straight.

Step 3: A credit card or drivers license can be used for this step. Hint: The next time you get one of those fake
plastic credit cards in the mail, keep it with your wire supplies to use when making Viking Knit. The flower you
will be making in the next steps can be reused several times before you feel you need to make a new one. The
size wire you use here can be the same size as the knit wire but one size larger seems to work best.

Working from the spool, wrap the 22 gauge round wire around the credit card five times. Carefully slide the
wire wraps off the card. Wrap the wire from the spool four times around all the wires about ½” in from one
end. Trim the excess wires even with the looped ends.

Step 4: Spread the long loops out to form a flower with five
petals.

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Step 5: Place the flower on top of the dowel and pull the petals down. Press the petals to the dowel. Secure
the flower petals in place tightly with a rubber band.

Step 6: Make sure that the lower loops of the flower petals are even all the way around the dowel. To do this,
you may need to use your chain nose pliers to bend the wires above the dowel. After the petals are even,
center each petal on a line.

Step 7: Use the tips of your flat nose pliers to slightly
bend up the lower 1/8” of each petal. This will make
weaving the first row easier. When this is done, push the
rubber band down closer to the lower ends of the flower.

Note: The rubber band will not keep the petals tightly in
place but it is a tremendous help. You could use tape, but
this will not keep the petals tightly in place either and it is
more difficult to remove than the rubber band. After you
have made a few Viking Knit items, you will find the first
row (in the next steps) much easier to do.

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Step 8: Single Knit: When you first learn the Viking Knit technique, it is best to do the single knit. When you
have mastered this, you can go on to double, or even triple knit. Steps 15-16 shows how to do a Double Knit.
Also, when you first being, it is best to use shorter pieces of wire because they will kink less and are easier to
use. When you become more accomplished, you may find that you will use 7, 8, or even 9 foot sections. For
the purposes of this tutorial, you will be using three 3 foot sections of 24 gauge wire to make the Viking Knit
chain which you will then make into a bracelet. The single knit will draw down to approximately twice the
original length.

The Viking Knit “stitch” is almost like sewing. Thread the wire through a flower petal from the outside to the
inside, from the right to the left. Pull the wire through until there is about 1” of wire tail left. Pull the wire
down on both sides of the loop.

Step 9: Holding the short wire tail down to the dowel with your left hand, pull the long wire down and over
the top of the tail wire and to the right.

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Step 10: Hold the crossed over loop stitch created in Step 9 down with your thumb. Move to the loop to the
right of that stitch and thread the wire through a flower petal from the outside to the inside, from the right to
the left. Pull the wire to the left and then down.

Wire Hints: When pulling the long wire through a loop, you may end up with tangle wires. Be aware of this
before it causes a problem. If the wires twist over each other, just twist them back (photo 1 and 2). If you did not
catch the crossed wires in time, you may end up with a tight kink in the wire (photo 3). It is imperative that you
“back the kink out” or unbend the wire (photo 4). Do not try to pull it straight or the kink will just get tighter.

When you have knit 1/3 of the way down the dowel, you will need to push the knit chain up a few inches to make
it easier to finish.

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Step 11: Hold the new stitch down with your thumb. Pull the wire to the right. Repeat Step 10 and the
beginning of this step until you reach the first stitch you did. Try to keep the tips of the petals on the lines.
This first row will not be very neat, but do not worry.

Step 12: For the next row, you will stitch behind the “X” formed at the lower end of each loop in the previous
row. If you can not slide the wire under the crossed wires, you may need to use the T-pin to lift them up.
Each stitch is done in the same manner as the first row- while holding the previous stitch down, stitch from
right to left, pull the wire down and then to the right. Do not worry about the beginning wire tail. Just move
it out of the way between the lines.

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Step 13: Continue to stitch around the
dowel. When you first start, your stitches
will not be even. Do not worry. The
drawplate takes care of all inconsistencies.
You will find that by the time you are done
with the second 3 foot length of wire, there
will be a rhythm to your stitches.

If you find that one of your knit ribs is
moving away from the line, use the T-pin to
bend it back into place.

Step 14: When you have 1½”-2” of wire left, it is time to attach a new wire. There are several ways to do this.
Each wire artisan has their favorite method. Two will be shown here.

Using another 3 foot section of wire, move on to the next crossed loop and make another stitch, pulling the
wire through until the wire tail is the same length as the wire you had left on the previous stitch. You will
notice that the new stitch is loose. Moving around the dowel, make another stitch or two to stabilize the wire.
At this point, you can twist the wire tails tightly together until the wire “swag” between the crossed wire
stitches is similar in size to the other “swags” you have been making between stitches. Trim the twisted wire
tail to 3/8” in length.

Continue around the dowel. When you
reach the connected wires, pull the wire
over them and continue around the dowel,
always going over the twisted wires.

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For the other
method, pull the
wire tails down
onto the line.
Trim the tails to
¾”. When
making a stitch,
slide the long
wire under the
tail, make the
stitch under the crossed wires, and then pull the wire over
the tail. Continue around the dowel in the manner, going
under and over the wire tail, encapsulating it, when you
make a stitch, until there is no more tail. You will be doing
this with both wire tails each time you add a new wire.

Step 15: Double Knit: If you would like to make a more dense, less airy chain, you can do a double instead
of a single knit. To do this, instead of going up to the previous row, go up two rows and stitch under the
crossed over wires. Constructing the stitch is the same, just two rows up.

Step 16: After completing one round, you still go
up two rows to make the next stitch. Continue in
this manner until you have reached the desired
length. A double knit does not draw down to
double length, but just a little over 1.5 times the
original length.

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Step 17: Remove the knit from the dowel. You may have to grasp the knit on the dowel with your hand,
slightly twist it back and forth, and “worry” it up and off the dowel. Remove the rubber band. Use flat nosed
pliers to flatten the bent portions of the flower.

Step 18: Push the flower section through the largest hole the chain will fit through. Pull the petal section and
chain through the hole. Do this twice in each successive hole until the chain is the desired size. You will
notice that any imperfections in the chain are no longer noticeable. You will also find that the chain will bend
more easily in one direction than another. Keep this in mind when constructing your bracelet.

Step 19: Measure up from the finished
end and cut the length you need.

If you want to reuse the flower
constructed in Steps 3-4, cut the wires
just below the petal tips. You will need
to remove small wire bits from both the
flower and the chain.

10

Coiled End Caps
Judy Larson

Not having end caps to finish a
project should not stop you. Try
these versatile and easy to make
end caps.

Materials: Tools:
24 gauge dead soft round wire Flat and round nose pliers
20 gauge dead soft round wire Soft jaw pliers
Hint: Work from the wire spool because the sizes of Flush cutter
mandrel you use makes a difference in the amount 000, 00, or 0 knitting needle
of wire you need for the end cap. Mandrel a bit smaller than the diameter of the
Viking Knit Chain
Directions:

Step 1: Using 24 gauge wire, make
two coils 2½” long each on a
mandrel no smaller than a 000
knitting needle (shown) but not a
mandrel larger than a 0 knitting
needle. Hint: Starting with a 1” wire
tail keeps the wire coil stable when
wrapping. Make the coil a bit longer
than needed and then cut it to length.

Step 2: For a tight fitting end cap, the mandrel you choose for the next step should be slightly smaller than
the final hole you pulled the chain through since the wrapping will spring out a bit. For instance, if your chain
was drawn down to 13/64”, the mandrel could be 3/16”. If your chain was drawn down to ¼”, the mandrel
could be 7/32”. Of course, you could use the same size mandrel as the hole and the end cap would have a
loose fit.

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Step 3: For this step, you must work from the spool of the 20 gauge wire.
Pull off and straighten about 12” of wire. Slide one of the coils on the
wire. Flush cut the wire end and spiral it until it is the size of the
diameter of the mandrel.

Step 4: Hold the spiral on the mandrel. Wind the wire around the mandrel
four times, keeping the wraps as close together as possible.

Step 5: Push the 2½” coil tightly against the mandrel and continue coiling, keeping the coiled wire wraps as
close together as possible.

Step 6: Cut the 20 gauge wire off
¾” from the wire coil. Spiral this
wire up tightly to the wire coil.

Step 7: Push the end cap to the end of the mandrel. Push the top end spiral down over the top of the
mandrel. You may need to push the mandrel down on the table to get the coil to nestle inside the coil.

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Step 8: Repeat for the other end cap.

Step 9: Check the fit on the Viking Knit chain.
If it is too loose, you can slide the cap on a
smaller mandrel and gently tighten the lower
coiled section.

Step 10: You can leave the end caps plain or use your imagination and dress them up with beads.

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Viking Knit Bracelet
This tutorial is not for making Viking Knit but for
constructing a bracelet after the knit has been
constructed.

Hint: Follow these directions but make a longer
chain to make a necklace. A Viking Knit necklace
can be any length, but 18”-22” seems to be standard
for adding pendants.

Materials: Tools:
Up to 7” of Viking Knit chain Round, chain and flat nose pliers
4 ½” of 18 gauge round wire Soft jaw pliers
8” of 20 gauge round wire Flush cutters
Two 10x7mm cone end caps (fits 5-7mm bead) 3/8” mandrel
Two 4mm round beads

Directions:

Construct The Hook:

Step 1: Straighten and cut a 4½” piece of 18 gauge round wire.

Step 2: On one end of the wire, make a slightly more than full circle with
the tip of a round nose pliers. Hint: You may find it easier to use a chain
nose pliers to start the center of the spiral.

Step 3: Using soft jaw pliers, tightly scroll the wire until the scroll is 2”
from the end of the wire.

Step 4: Place the tips of the round nose pliers as close to the scroll as possible, as shown. Bend the
wire over the plier tips and up the side of the scroll.

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Step 5: Switch back to the soft
jaw pliers and finish bending
the wire up over the top of the
scroll as shown, left.

Step 6: Bend the wire tail around the 3/8” mandrel as
shown, right

Step 7: Use the tip of round or chain nose pliers and make half a curl. Use flat nose pliers to press
the curl flat down to the wire.

Step 8: Construct a length of Viking knit and draw it down to fit inside the cone end cap you have chosen.
For this tutorial the wire was drawn down to 7/32”-13/64”. Hint:: If you make your own drawplate, you can
get more holes, and therefore more sizes, than if you purchase one.

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Step 9: Refer to the following measurements and cut the knit chain the desired length. You might want to
make the bracelet a bit longer (between sizes) if your chain is larger than ¼”. When you determine where to
cut the chain, go one knit row beyond the length chosen, otherwise the wire loops you need to use will have
been cut off and the length will be a bit shorter than desired.

Finished Bracelet Length Cut Knit Chain This Long

7” 5-1/8”

7½” 5-5/8”

8” 6-1/8”

8¾” 6¾”

Step 10: Remove all the small pieces of wire from the cut ends of the knit chain. Using chain nose pliers,
position as many of the knit loops as possible directly in front of each other, creating a “channel through
them.

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Step 11: Cut two 4” pieces of 20 gauge wire.
Make a bend with flat nose pliers 1 ½” from the
end of each wire. Slide the hook through the loop
channel created in Step 10.

Step 12: Grasp the bend with a chain nose pliers. Wrap the short wire end tightly around the long wire,
trying to stay as close to the knit as possible. Trim off the short wire tail.

Step 13: Slide a
cone bead cap on
the wire. Pull the
wire will pushing
the bead cap
down. This will
seat the knit into
the bead cap.
Slide on a bead.

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Step 14: Make a wire wrapped loop on the end of the
wire. Make sure that the eye is large enough to fit the
end of the hook through.

Step 15: Repeat Steps 12-14 on the other end of the
Viking Knit chain. Make sure that the eye loop on the
second end is the same size as the eye on the first end.

Step 16: Slide the hook onto one of the eyes. The
bracelet needs to curve easily around your wrist. Hold
the bracelet in you hand. You will notice that it bends
more easily in one direction than another. Hook the
bracelet. Bend the eyes perpendicular to your wrist. Curve the cone and wire ends of the bracelet into a
slight curve.

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Make A Viking Knit Drawplate
Judy Larson

Purchased wooden drawplates for Viking Knit are great and not very expensive. Since many of us
have or have access to wood scraps and a power drill and assorted drill bits, why not make your
own!

Shown here is a 1x2 piece of oak drilled with bits ranging in size from 5/8” down to 1/8”. Any size
board will do, but it should be solid, not plywood, and it should be a hardwood. Searching the
internet will produce several different shapes for your drawplate.

Another tip is to countersink the holes on both sides. This makes the knit slide smoother over the
rounded edge of the holes instead of snagging on the sharp edge of the opening.

Make sure to mark the hole sizes with a fine point sharpie.

Do not stain or finish the wood as this could rub off on the chains as you pull them through.

Tips about drawing the knit chain through the holes:

1. Pull the knit through each hole twice. It will make the chain easier to pull through the next
size down as well as keep the chain round.
2. It will be much more difficult to draw the chain through the smaller holes.
3. Holding the board down and pulling toward you is not a good idea. You may end up hitting
yourself in the face. (see the next step-you could break teeth or need stitches)
4. When you find it difficult to pull the chain through the hole, push the flower base through
the hole and pull with a pliers from your workbench, not the ones you use for your jewelry
making.
5. Your chain can be drawn up to two times the original length. Hint: Make note on your
tutorial of the items you have made, the original knit length, length it was drawn down to in
what size hole.

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Viking Knit Tutorial

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