New Viking Knit and Cabochon Wraps

I've been playing around some more with the Viking Knit the past couple of days. I'm just loving this stuff. I think I may fall a little more each time I play with it.

I loved the new bracelet so much, I ran out to try to find some better tools. The pencil kinda sucked.  Hooked myself up with a big set of hex keys to try to use for mandrels instead. Turns out they work muuuuuuuuch better. The more prominent edges really help with keeping the stitches even. And, there's a BUNCH of different sizes. Yaaaay.

Big score on the hex keys.

I thought I'd try to make a thicker Viking Knit. See what happens with a thicker gauge wire. So, in the name of experimentation, I grabbed the biggest hex key from the set, some 24 gauge wire and went to town.

I took pics this time when I was drawing it thru the plate, so I can remember what it looks like. When I get better at it I'll be able to use a more open weave. It's much less forgiving than the more compressed piece, so I'll definitely need to get that even stitch thing down. *shrugs* It looks pretty neat...

It's a chunk of a chain. Thick. Wide. I can see filling it with beads or something. 

At this point, I like the more compressed Viking Knit. I pulled it several more times, antiqued it and ended up with a piece that was just a bit thicker than the first bracelet. 

I like it. It's a good bracelet cord size. Might do nicely for a necklace/choker type shiny too. I'm working up to that right now. 

I think what I'm most excited about today though is my first cabochon wrap. Or, my first treeless one rather. This is what I've wanted to learn all along. Sculpted wire seriously floats my boat. It intimidates me though, so I kept putting off learning it. I've just been collecting cabochons for when the time was right, reading about it, looking at it aaaaaaand...making other stuff. 

Well, the time might finally be right. 

The other night, I decided to give it a whirl. I grabbed a beautiful Moss Agate piece I've had for about a year now, pulled out the copper wire and went for it. 

What I ended up with was...

Isn't it purty?! :D :D Took me a while to figure out what to do with all the wires (my goodness there were a bunch) but finally decided to try to go all smooth flowy wavy...or... whatever you call that. I'm stoked at how it came out. Especially being my first real try. :D Go me.

This morning, I antiqued it, tumbled it again to polish it up and ended up with...

... a very different looking piece. This may be the first time working with copper that I can't decide which version I like best. The antiqued version does set off the variations in the Moss Agate better, so I think that makes it the winner.

I have grand plans for all of this new shiny stuff I'm learning. One of the big things I'm working towards is this... 

Wrapped cabochons and Tree of Life cabs paired up with Viking Knit chains. I think that's going to look sharp. I am really curious to see the Viking Knit with the Tree cabs. May need to twist up a copper one just to see.

Anyhoo, excited shinies grrl off to play some more.

Later taters!