https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/fishing-net-cuff • Posted by Zest Books
When there are still waaaaay too many months to go until vacation, you can feast your eyes on this fishing-net–inspired cuff and daydream about all the fun you’re sure to catch come summer. Raid your supply of beach finds from last summer, or just use colorful glass and plastic beads that remind you of vacation times. If you’ve never crocheted before, you might need to look up some instructional videos online. It’s totally worth taking a few minutes to learn the basics: Once you get the hang of it, it’s an awesome and simple way to make all kinds of jewelry, hats, scarves, and more.
When there are still waaaaay too many months to go until vacation, you can feast your eyes on this fishing-net–inspired cuff and daydream about all the fun you’re sure to catch come summer. Raid your supply of beach finds from last summer, or just use colorful glass and plastic beads that remind you of vacation times. If you’ve never crocheted before, you might need to look up some instructional videos online. It’s totally worth taking a few minutes to learn the basics: Once you get the hang of it, it’s an awesome and simple way to make all kinds of jewelry, hats, scarves, and more.
Junk-Box Jewelry: 25 DIY Low Cost (Or No Cost) Jewelry Projects. Copyright © 2012 by Zest Books. Used with permission of Zest Books, San Francisco. Learn more at www.zestbooks.net.
Get a long piece of twine and make a loop at one end by loosely double knotting it around your finger. Slide the loop off your finger.
Put your crochet hook through this loop from front to back. Wrap the twine once in a clockwise direction around your hook above the original loop. Using the hook, pull the twine toward the loop while push- ing the loop off the hook, over the twine. Now you have two loops joined.
Continue crocheting so that you make a chain. If you’re just learning how to crochet and it’s a little confusing, look up demon- stration videos online to help you learn. (Tip: Keep your crochet work loose with biggish loops. Don’t worry if it looks a little messy. That’s part of the charm of the design.)
Once the cuff is just long enough to fit around your wrist, pull the twine through the last loop to end it and keep it from unraveling.
Now you’re ready to attach your beach finds. Cut a 3 ft (1 m) piece of 0.4 mm wire and wrap one end tightly around the end of your twine chain four times to secure it.
Thread your beads and beach finds onto the wire. Make a little loop at the unat- tached end by wrapping the wire back around itself a few times, to keep the beads from falling off.
Slide all your beach finds to the end of the wire that’s attached to the twine. Put your crochet hook through the first twine link from front to back. Wrap the wire clockwise around the hook and pull it through, push- ing the twine off the hook. You should have a wire loop attached to your twine chain.
Keeping the wire loop on the hook, put the hook through the next twine link. Push the first beach find right up next to the hook, then wrap the wire clockwise around the hook. Pull that wire through the first wire loop on the hook, then through the twine loop. Only the new wire loop should be left on the hook.
Keep going with this technique, crochet- ing the wire and beads to the twine chain. Don’t worry if it looks messy; it’s supposed to look sea-weathered. Adapt your design in any way you want: For a funkier cuff, add on another piece of beaded wire and crochet back down the twine. For a more silver-y cuff, crochet another beaded wire onto your wire strand.
Once you’re done crocheting, pull the end of the wire through the last chain link like you did when you tied off the twine.
Then gently bend your cuff into an oval shape with your fingers.
To secure your cuff, make a hook out of 1 in. (3 cm) of 0.8 mm wire. Bend the wire into a hook with your fingers and use the pliers to make a small loop at the end so the wire doesn’t scratch you. Attach the hook to one end of your cuff by looping it through the twine and wrapping the wire back around itself a few times. Your hook can grab onto any link in your twine chain.