To start Viking Knit the conventional way, one generally fashions a
Five or Six-leafed petal out of wire
secures it to the top of a dowel, and then starts the weave from there. I decided to try making a tool to make the process a little easier. I am posting this because some people might find it helpful.
I took a wooden dowel about 3/4 inch thick and drew a six slice pie on the top with a Sharpie marker. I continued those lines down the sides of the dowel mandrel using a ruler to draw them straight. These are guide lines for the Viking Knit.
I used a rotary tool like a Dremel to drill pilot holes for small screws. I screwed the screws into the mandrel by hand. You have to go slowly because it’s easy to split the wood. Don’t use a hammer.
This picture shows how I loop the beginning wire off of which I will work the Viking Knit. I have used a bit of tape to secure it. You could also hold it in place with a band of wire under the screws. Since this part will be cut off, it doesn’t matter what it looks like so long as you are comfortable with it and it works.
This is the start of the weave.
The lines help you to keep your rows straight.
This is the single weave knit that I’ve removed from the dowel after cutting off the starting loops. (This is 24 gauge copper wire) I have another dowel the same size as the starter tool I made and I could slip the open weave onto that and keep weaving for a longer chain. That would help me to keep a uniform shape. There are those who would be able to do this without the dowel, but I am not one of them!
I made about 10 inches of weave and pulled it through the drawplate until it was about 18 inches long
I recommend using wire drawing pliers because it makes the job so much easier. They don’t have to be expensive.
You could put end caps and a clasp Viking Knit at this point. Here’s a video that shows how to do that.
But you don’t have to be limited to end caps and clasps. Next week I will post on a new idea for designing and finishing single knit Viking Weave that I hope gets your creative juices flowing.
Ornamento 
