A few years ago I saw a fabulous wire and pearl bracelet at the jewelry store Viva! in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (sadly out of business now). I picked up some sterling wire and freshwater pearls at the bead store down the street (La Piedra) and started messing around.

Even on tiny needles I could never get the stitches even and tidy, so over time I used bigger and bigger needles and the cuffs were ever chunkier and more organic looking. I’ve decided that the bigger and sloppier the stitches, the more interesting the finished product looks! And it’s fun to pick up galvanized wire from the hardware store and mix it with lovely pearls to give as gifts… a great conversation piece.

The directions are really just a guideline… have fun experimenting with different types of wire, needle size and beads and see what you come up with!

Skills Needed

General knitting knowledge.

Size

Custom (see directions for sizing).

Materials

Wire

The amount will vary greatly depending on the width of your cuff; 1 oz of sterling will yield several cuffs.

• Galvanized steel will not rust; you’ll want 28-30 gauge, available at hardware stores or floral wire on a paddle from the craft store.
• Sterling will tarnish (but polishes); you can use 26–28 gauge, available at bead stores.
• Gold filled with copper core, I used 30 gauge, it’s quite soft, available at bead stores.
  
  

Notions

Freshwater pearls, between 15 and 25 for each cuff.

Needles

Note: I prefer metal needles for knitting wire – and don't expect to use them for anything else – the wire will scratch them!

• #11 on 28 gauge galvanized and 26-28 gauge sterling.
• #9 on the 30 gauge gold and copper wire.

Gauge

Knitter's preference.