Welcome back, beautiful beaders! If you are a resident of the United States, we hope you had a fantastic holiday weekend that was full of fireworks, friends, and family. If you live elsewhere, we hope your weekend was just as glorious and fun. We cannot wait to get back into our favorite craft! Let's make some jewelry!

Yesterday, Kristen filmed an episode of Free Spirit Beading with her knitting spool and Pro Econoflex Beading Wire. We figured this would be a great time to take a deeper look at this creative little craft. Do you have a knitting spool? Did you have one as a child that you used with yarn? If the answers are no, you are in for a treat. You are going to learn the basics of a fun and rewarding new pastime. If you have used or own a knitting spool, this is a great day for inspiration!

Kristen opted to use Pro Econoflex Beading Wire in her video. She wanted to use a gold color in her project, rather than our more expensive 24k Gold Plated Extreme Flex Beading Wire. Pro Econoflex is an affordable and quality alternative for jewelry hobbyists. It offers our first and only .014 made with 49 strands of stainless steel. We are also offering .019 in 49 strands. Pro Econoflex Beading Wire is available in 2 colors and 2 diameters.

A timeless tradition that many will recall learning as a child has returned. The knitting spool you may have used with yarn or thread as a youngster has been reimagined for wire weaving. Try knitting using Soft Flex Craft Wire, Soft Flex Beading Wire as well as thread, cord, yarn, leather, etc. You can add beads. You can weave multiple and different materials together and create unique, one-of-a-kind, bracelets and necklaces. Not only are there three different styles of knitting spools available (3-pin, 4-pin and 5-pin), but there are several different ways to knit on each spool.

Knitted Jewelry Pattern With Crystals & Pro Econoflex Gold

Kristen designed an elegant bangle bracelet with lots of sparkle and golden shine. So fun and easy. If you have the beading basics in your tool kit: cutters, a pair of crimping pliers, crimps, beads, and wire - you just need a knitting spool to finish some wonderfully knitted jewelry designs.

The knitting style Kristen uses in this video is Knit Style 3. She uses a 3-pin knitting spool.

At Soft Flex Company, we carry three different knitting spools. 3-pin, 4-pin, and 5-pin. The number of pins on the spools create a different look. A 3-pin is great if you want to design with a less wire demanding spool - it will not use as much to create a finished piece of jewelry. The 4-pin and 5-pin spools have a wonderfully dense wire look. It is definitely worth checking each out to determine which one has your favorite finish.

Supplies:
Pro Econoflex Medium .019 Wire in Gold Color
5mm Crystal AB Bicone Beads
2x2mm Gold Filled Crimp Tubes
Hammered Cones in Gold Plated
Makers’ Clasp in Gold Plated
3-Pin Knitting Spool
Magical Crimping Pliers
Cutters

Check out our how-to pages on the three styles of knit we like to work with:

Knit with Beading Wire - Style 1

Knit with Beading Wire - Style 2

Knit with Beading Wire - Style 3

Once you have selected the knitting spool you would like to design jewelry with, it is time to determine which Knit Style speaks to you. The difference between each Knit Style is the way the wire is looped over the pegs and drawn down. Each Knit Style has a unique look if you like changing up your style.

To add beads or not to add beads? That is the question. You can create stunning and varied looks with just the color of the wire you are knitting with. You can also go further down the rabbit hole and start adding beads. You can create a knitted design and add beads down the 'tube' of the design before you finish the piece. You can add beads to the wire itself while you knit. Or, you can just add a large bead on top of the design as a sliding or set focal bead, this bead would need to have a large beading hole - lampwork is a great suggestion if you love glass!

Make sure you check out our draw plates if you work with Soft Flex Craft Wire on your knitting spool. A draw plate is great if want to create smaller or uniform designs and you are using a rigid wire like Craft Wire. Draw plates have holes that you pull your design through. As the wire goes through the hole, it gets smashed down to a smaller size. Draw plates are great if you demand that all of your designs fit a certain size requirement. Perfect if you are selling a design to a customer base that wants more petite jewelry.

Look at how different each bracelet can look with new colors and beads. Knitting spools lend themselves to a spectrum of fun designs. Perfect for a gold plated and elegant wire or fun for the beach with a splashy and vibrant color. With the right beads, these designs look great for any age or gender.

Create a unique look with different colors of Econoflex Beading Wire.

Don't be afraid to experiment with color. Changing the color of your beading wire can produce striking and sometimes very different looks for your knitted jewelry. Look at these luscious earrings Kristen made in Milwaukee during the Bead&Button Bead Show.

She loved the yummy color of the earrings and wanted to add matching pieces. A bracelet was a great choice to highlight the lovely pair.

Alternate Design Supplies:
Econoflex Medium .019 Wire in Spring Green
Size 8 Seed Beads
2x2mm Gold Filled Crimp Tubes
3mm Gold Filled Crimp Covers
Capital Cord End in Gold Plated
Night Blooming Garden Inspiration Bead Mix
3-Pin Knitting Spool
Crimping Pliers
Cutters 

Check out Kristen's video. She makes it easy to follow along and create your own unique earrings. You can create a pair for any occasion.

Learn how to make teardrop earrings with Econoflex or Soft Flex Beading Wire:

Create a Pro Econoflex Beading Wire bracelet using a 5-pin knitting spool and Knit Style 1

This style yields a design that looks like Viking Knit. The basic instructions that come with each knitting spool are for this style. When demonstrating the knitting spool, this is the knitting pattern style that we generally show. For written instructions, follow this link on how to use Knitting Spool Style 1.

The finished look of the Knit Style 1 design is just amazing. It looks so complicated. But it is really easy to pick up and learn. And once you get the hang of it, it is easy to do while you multi-task. Catch up on your favorite television show while creating your lovely jewelry.

Learn how to knit using Knit Style 1 and a 5-pin knitting spool:

Join our Facebook group – VIB. Stay in the know. Stay up to date. From our bead shows to our video shows and sales, you can stay in touch with us. The community is full of artistic and helpful beaders and crafty people. Inspire and be inspired. Share your pictures and get the beading bug from others!

Visit the Soft Flex Company YouTube Channel!

Blog contributor Thomas Soles loves Jazz Age writers and crunchy french fries. His favorite gemstones are Lapis and Pietersite. His favorite hobby is day dreaming. And his favorite mustache is Freddie Mercury's. As you can see, he has a healthy (or possibly unhealthy) sense of humor. You can write to him at Thomas@SoftFlexCompany.com