DIY Knitted Necklaces | 2 X Pretty Patterns With Metallic Details

I hardly ever seem to see anyone using knitting to make jewellery, and yet I think it's perfect for it - especially when you use delicate edging patterns, and/or incorporate classic jewellery-making techniques like wirework too.

This Instructable includes 2 knitting patterns for necklaces; the first, a 'mini bunting' design with copper details, and the second, a layered scallop pendant.

I hope you like them!

- Yarn; I used a DK grey melange yarn, and an olive DK yarn. You can use a different weight of yarn (& corresponding size of needle) if you like - the end result will just be bigger/smaller that my version.

- Knitting needles; I used 5 mm straight needles, as recommended on my yarn label.

- Scissors

- Copper wire; I used 18 gauge wire.

- Sturdy wire; I used 1.6mm galvanised wire because that's what I had available, but you can use any wire that is sturdy enough to hold its shape.

- Jewellery components; matching gunmetal chain, lobster clasp and jump rings.

- Jewellery pliers & wire cutters

- Yarn needle

- Metallic cord/thread (optional)

First, cast on 8 stitches.

Then follow this pattern:

Row 1 (WS): p8

Row 2: k1, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1

Row 3: p6

Row 4: k1, k2tog, k2tog, k1

Row 5: p4

Row 6: k2tog, k2tog

Row 7: p2

Row 8: k2tog

This will leave you with 1 stitch left.

Key:

k = knit stitch

p = purl stitch

k2tog = 'knit two together' decrease, where you knit 2 stitches at the same time, as shown in photo 3.

Cut the working yarn to leave you with a yarn tail at least 6" long, then take this tail through the last stitch and tighten.

Feed this yarn tail into a yarn needle and weave it into the back of your knitting. Do the same for the other yarn tail too.

Repeat the pattern 4 more times so that you will have 5 triangle shapes.

Cut a length of copper wire and bend it in half. The length of this folded wire 'prong' needs to be at least 1/2" longer than the sides of your knitted triangles.

Feed the ends of this wire prong into the bottom point of the triangle so that each wire end goes under a strand of yarn - one on each side.

Then do the same again, but the wire ends need to go under a strand of yarn about halfway up the sides of the triangle.

And finally, do the same at the 2 top corners of the triangle.

Shape the wire so that the sides are straight and are as far apart as they can go.

Use rounded pliers to create a wire loop at each end, and cut off any excess wire.

Repeat the same for all triangles, then connect the wire loops together to make a chain of 5 knitted triangles. You will have to angle the wire loops to get the triangles to all hang straight down and not at weird angles.

Next, use your jewellery pliers to attach a jump ring and a length of chain to each end of the knitted bunting.

16" is a popular necklace length, but it's personal choice.

And at the other ends of the chain, add a jump ring to one side, and a jump ring and lobster clasp to the other side.

And that's the bunting necklace finished :)

First, cast on 41 stitches.

Then follow this knitting pattern:

Row 1: *Knit 2, lift 6 stitches over the working yarn, knit 1

Repeat from * until you only have 1 stitch left, then knit 1.

Underlined instructions: Bring the working yarn between the needles to the front and lay it over the left needle tip. Then use your right-hand needle to pick up the first stitch on the left-hand needle, take it over the strand of working yarn and drop it off the end of the needle. Do this a total of 6 times - so you're taking 6 stitches, one at a time, over the working yarn and dropping them off the needle. It will help if you use your fingernail/thumbnail to keep the strand of working yarn on the left-hand needle throughout.

Once you have completed that first row, you will have 5 scallops.

You will then need to do the following:

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: Knit

Row 4: Bind off on a purl row*

*In other words, you will need to: purl 2 stitches, then bind off 1 stitch (by using your left-hand needle to pick up the 2nd stitch down on the right-hand needle, taking it over the stitch above, and dropping it off the end of the needle), then repeat (purl 1, bind off 1) until the end of the row.

Once you have only 1 stitch left, cut the working yarn to leave you with a tail at least 6" long, then take this yarn tail through the last stitch and tighten.

Weave each of the 2 yarn tails into the back of your knitting using a yarn needle. Cut off the excess yarn.

You will then need to use the same pattern again, but this time you need a knitted piece with only 3 scallops.

So to do this, cast on 25 stitches and follow this same pattern:

Row 1: *k2, lift 6 stitches over the working yarn, k1

Repeat from * until you have 1 stitch left, then k1

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: Knit

Row 4: Bind off on a purl row

. . .

Key:

k = knit

. . .

This time, once you have finished, you only need to weave in the first yarn tail.

The last yarn tail you created at the end needs to be used to join the 2 knitted pieces together, so now feed the end of it into a yarn needle.

Centre the 5 scallop layer on top of the 3 scallop layer, as shown in photo 3, then turn them over.

Sew (using the basic whip stitch) the layers together. I just joined 1 stitch to one stitch, and once I was happy with the result, I wove the rest of the yarn tail into the back of the knitting to secure it.

Cut a length of sturdy wire that is about 1" longer on each side than the top of your knitted pendant. Form it into an arc shape, as shown.

Feed this wire into the top of the pendant, choosing 1 line of stitches to pick up. I chose a line of stitches to pick up just behind the bound off edge. Just make sure to pick up evenly i.e. every stitch or every other stitch.

Use rounded jewellery pliers to form each end of the wire into a loop, then cut off the excess wire.

Attach a jump ring and length of chain to each of the wire loops on the pendant.

Then, at the other ends of the chain lengths, add a jump ring on one side, and a jump ring and lobster clasp on the other.

If you would like to add metallic thread, first feed a length of it into your yarn needle. The come from the back of the pendant (leaving enough of a tail to weave in later) and weave the thread into the front of your knitting. Try and follow the scallop pattern, and pick up every other stitch/strand of yarn in the path you are following.

Make sure to finish by taking the thread to the back of the knitting again.

Then weave the tails of thread into the back of the knitting to secure them.

I'm really pleased with how these turned out, and I hope you liked this project too :)