Viking Knit Tutorial : Intermediate Level, Double and Triple Knits Now that you've been practicing your single knit, you're probably wondering if there's any other variation of this fabulous technique to try. Indeed there is, double and triple knit. There's nothing really difficult about making double/triple knits vs. single knit, but it's slightly harder to see where to put your knitting wire, so most people start out on single knit.

This photo shows some samples of double viking knit. The copper chain was made with 26g wire. The middle silver chain was knit with 28g fine silver wire. The bottom chain was knit with 30g fine silver wire. Finer wires allow you to draw to a tinier diameter without crushing the weave.

If you have not started this blog series by reading the single knit tutorial, please visit it first for instructions about starting the knit on your tool. This post assumes that you already know how to do single viking knit and therefore will not cover those basic principles.

How to Make Double Knit:

The first thing you will need to do is knit at least two rows of single knit chain.

Double knit chain is essentially made the exact same way as single knit, except for one key point. You want to place your wire up two rungs (instead of only one) and then slide it behind the

corresponding loop to the left. Triple knit is therefore made by putting the wire up three rungs and behind the corresponding loop to the left.

Pull the wire down and you should see a loop like this. It will look larger and longer than the single knit version.

Work your knit around until you run out of wire. You chain will start to look like this. If you find it increasingly difficult to get your wire behind the loops, you can use a pair off flatnose pliers to tighten up the loops slightly and to even the knit as the chain grows.

Simply place the jaws on either side of the knit column and gently squeeze the knit until it straightens up the column and tightens the knit.

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It should become much easier to get the wire behind your loops now.

Your double knit weave should look something like this when you are done with your first section of wire. Again, don't be upset if yours does not look at neat as mine.....I've been doing this for quite awhile now. Your technique will improve over time.

When you need to begin a new section of wire, use the same process that you would for single knit. This is also true for other tools than the Lazee Daizee. Just follow the single knit instructions, but bring that new wire up two rungs instead of one. Likewise, up three rungs for triple knit.

This is how your new wire will look once it has been pulled into place.

Once you have knit your chain to the desired length, you are ready to begin drawing your wire. Again, with the Lazee Daizee tool, your chain should fit into the 10mm hole. Other tools will produce other diameters of chain. Larger holes are available on your drawplate. Simply use what your chain will easily fit into for the first pull and work down to smaller holes from there.

You can see how the chain weave starts to change as you pull it through the 8mm hole.

I usually use my chain from the 5mm hole (unless I am using very thin gauge wire such as 30g). The knit is still very flexible at this diameter, although it is stiffer than single knit.

It starts to crush the weave at the 4mm hole when using 26g wire. Smaller gauges will be able to be drawn with no problem at all. Wire in 28g will work well in this size hole. While 30g works well down to the 3.5mm hole. I did not picture this chain in 3.5mm because it became to dense to pull through that hole.

I have been asked how I know how much wire I will need to make a bracelet/necklace/etc. Over the last year, I have recorded down some of my measurements that will hopefully help you decide what you will need for you project. Please understand that there is some wiggle room in the following measurements. Your knit might be slightly tighter or looser than mine. Drawplates can also be different as well as several other factors. But this will at least help you get a general idea of how much wire you will need.

24 gauge wire:I'm not saying it's impossible, but I find it hard to knit single knit with this gauge. I can't imagine trying to do it in double knit. Therefore I do not have measurements for this gauge. I'm always happy to report what other's have found in their experiences though. So, if you have some guidelines for this gauge, let me know!

26 gauge wire:Double knit will take about 60ft or 3.33 feet of wire for every inch. (Please keep in mind that these are not as exact as the measurements for the gauges listed below). These are for chains pulled to a 5mm diameter. Obviously

smaller diameters will produce a longer chain.

28 gauge wire:This is the point where I became a little more methodical about recording measurements because I knit fine silver using this gauge. We all know how expensive silver is these days :o)

For double knit chain you will need approximately 4.35 feet per 1 inch of non-pulled chain. After it has been pulled, it will end up being 3.10 feet per 1 inch of chain. And so you can figure out how much non-pulled chain to make, for every 1 inch of non-pulled chain, you will get 1.4 inches of pulled chain. __________________________________________________________________________________

So let's use an example to show you how to calculate an 18 inch necklace.....

Take your length of necklace (in this case 18 inches) x 3.10 feet (the pulled dimension above) = 56 feet (what you will need to make the necklace)

Now to figure out your price in silver: 56 ft x $0.31 (current fine silver price per foot at $38.75 a troy ounce) = $17.36

Or you can also do the calculation this way:

length of necklace (again 18 inches) = 13 (the number of inches of non-pulled 1.4 inches (the difference between pulled and non-pulled) chain you will need to make)

Then take your non-pulled length: 13 in x 4.35 feet (the non-pulled dimension above) = 56 inches (what you will need to make the necklace)

Now to figure out your price in silver: 56 ft x $0.31 (current fine silver price per foot at $38.75 a troy ounce) = $17.36

30 gauge wire:This gauge is wonderful if you want a nice narrow chain.....it is prone to kinking though when your knitting with it. For a double knit chain you will need approximately 4.34 feet of wire per 1 inch of non-pulled chain. When pulled to 3.5mm, you will have 2.90 feet of wire per 1 inch of chain. One inch of non-pulled chain will result in about 1.5 inches of pulled chain.

There you have it.....double knit. Please see the other posts in this series to learn how to start your wire, which tools to use, what wire to use, and how to do single knit in the first of the series of tutorials. The next post in the series will cover how to make my wire end caps.

Viking Knit Tutorial: Making Your Own Endcaps You have your chain made, but how do you finish it off into a beautiful necklace or bracelet? You're going to want to hide those unfinished ends inside of endcaps. There are plenty of designs available to purchase in different metals, but what if you want to make your own?

This post will explain how to make my cylindrical shaped wire endcaps.

What Tools Will I Need?

Making my end caps will require 4 basic tools.

I use bail making pliers to form my tubular structure. Three different kinds are pictured. What type you will need depends on what size endcap you need for your knit. I own all three of these because they are great multi-tasking tools for my other hand made chains as well. If you are interested in wire work or chain making, I would suggest getting all three. I purchased these at my local Hobby Lobby store. They run about $14 a piece and you can always use a 40% off coupon there to get a much better deal. You can also make these endcaps using a mandrel or other tubular device. This tutorial will cover using bail making pliers, but the process will be very similar no matter what you use.

You will also need a pair of cutting pliers or sharp scissors, a pair of roundnose pliers, and a pair of flatnose pliers.

Starting your endcaps off will be the same no matter what type of bail making pliers you use. Cut a blunt end into one length of your wire (you can leave your wire attached to the spool for now), and pinch it between the jaws of the bail making pliers.

Rotate your pliers to make a loop in the wire. Slide your wire around while rotating the pliers to make a coil of wire.

You can also hold the wire with your hands as you rotate the tool to make your coil.

When you have reached your desired height, you are ready to begin making the top of your endcap. I usually use 7 rings as the length of my endcaps, but you can use as many as you need for your project.

Next, cut your wire leaving approximately 1 to1 1/2 inches in a tail. (Perhaps longer if you are making a really large diameter coil)

Cut a blunt end on your wire and pinch between the jaws of roundnose pliers.

Rotate the pliers to make a nice smooth inner ring to your spiral.

You can continue to make this spiral using your roundnose pliers, but I prefer to switch to my flatnose pliers at this point Sandwich your "ring" between the jaws of your flatnose pliers. Keep your pliers still to avoid marring your wire, and use your thumb to push the wire again the small ring. You will need to re-position your flatnose pliers as you move along. Open them fully, move your spiral, and then close again. Don't slide your spiral within the jaws of the pliers or it will mar your wire. Continue making your spiral until you are right up to the coil you made previously.

Depending on the angle with which you made your spiral, you should have something that looks like one of these two pictures. Both are perfectly fine. If yours looks like the top picture, you will use your flatnose pliers to slide your spiral into place on top of your coil. If yours looks like the bottom picture, you will get your spiral as close to your coil as you can, and then flip the spiral down with your flatnose pliers like a lid on a can.

You may find that your spiral is just a little too big for your coil. Just use your flatnose pliers to help the spiral to readjust to the coil width. Be gentle, as you don't want to crush your coil.

Here is a side view and a top-down view of the finished product.

How To Attach the Endcaps to Your Chain:

Although there is probably a million different ways to attach the endcaps to your viking knit....this is my process.....

Using a 2 1/2 to 3 inch section of 18g-20g wire, stick the wire through the viking knit about two rungs down from one end.

With your bail making or roundnose pliers, make a rounded hook at one end of the wire. You do not want the end of your hook to touch the straight wire.

Pull your hook into the viking knit so that it grabs the chain like so. This will be very secure and hold your knit in place. There is no need to tie off the knit at all. It will not unravel. If your hook is a little loose, use your flatnose pliers to pinch the hook closed a bit more.

Slide your endcap onto the piece of wire and push it down so that the viking knit is flush with top of the endcap.

Make a 90 degree bend in your wire so that it sits perpendicular to your endcap.

Cut the end of your wire just long enough to make a small loop.

Using your bail making or roundnose pliers, finish the loop to look like this. You are now ready to attach your chain to a clasp.