Knitting with a crochet hook
…and not only that, but with wire! Have you ever heard of this? We interviewed the expert and designer, Stefanie Mohr, on this topic and learned a lot.
“My name is Stefanie Mohr, I am a graduate designer and live in Overath near Cologne. After many years in marketing of some cosmetic companies, I started my own business in 2009, after our move from Munich.
Now I indulge my passion and create, produce and sell crocheted and knitted wire jewelry.”
I guess that’s what you call a creative career. And it’s a perfect fit for addi! Some probably know that the Selter company with the addi needles is based in Altena. A town where the wire industry originated, the wire capital of the world, so to speak. So it could only come to a contact between addi and Stefanie Mohr.
“My name is Stefanie Mohr, I am a graduate designer and live in Overath near Cologne. After many years in marketing of some cosmetic companies, I started my own business in 2009, after our move from Munich.
Now I indulge my passion and create, produce and sell crocheted and knitted wire jewelry.”
I guess that’s what you call a creative career. And it’s a perfect fit for addi! Some probably know that the Selter company with the addi needles is based in Altena. A town where the wire industry originated, the wire capital of the world, so to speak. So it could only come to a contact between addi and Stefanie Mohr.
But how does one actually come to work with wire?
“Somehow it was a logical conclusion for me. I was born in the gemstone town of Idar-Oberstein, my grandfather was a diamond cutter, my grandmother taught me to crochet and knit. As a teenager, I knitted myself in class at school – like many in that generation – but then all of a sudden knitting and crocheting was out and disappeared off the face of the earth.
After my studies and many years in marketing I missed being creative and working with my hands and started to create jewelry. First with crystals, later with gemstones – I quickly came up with using a knitting dolly and jewelry wire to make necklaces, also crocheted air stitch necklaces and gemstones with it, and in my research on knitting and crocheting wire I came across some other techniques that fascinated me and I subsequently self-taught and perfected them.”
But how does one actually come to work with wire?
“Somehow it was a logical conclusion for me. I was born in the gemstone town of Idar-Oberstein, my grandfather was a diamond cutter, my grandmother taught me to crochet and knit. As a teenager, I knitted myself in class at school – like many in that generation – but then all of a sudden knitting and crocheting was out and disappeared off the face of the earth.
After my studies and many years in marketing I missed being creative and working with my hands and started to create jewelry. First with crystals, later with gemstones – I quickly came up with using a knitting dolly and jewelry wire to make necklaces, also crocheted air stitch necklaces and gemstones with it, and in my research on knitting and crocheting wire I came across some other techniques that fascinated me and I subsequently self-taught and perfected them.”
Such is the technique she now uses to make the majority of her jewelry. She calls it “knitting with a crochet hook”. The explanation is also quite simple: “Well, the stitch pattern looks absolutely knitted, also the technique is more like knitting, but you just need the hook of the crochet hook to pull the wire through the stitches.”
Such is the technique she now uses to make the majority of her jewelry. She calls it “knitting with a crochet hook”. The explanation is also quite simple: “Well, the stitch pattern looks absolutely knitted, also the technique is more like knitting, but you just need the hook of the crochet hook to pull the wire through the stitches.”
Do you need a specific wire for this?
“Yes and no – you can work with many different materials – copper, brass, bronze, silver, gold, etc. – even stainless steel is possible, but particularly hard to work with and therefore not suitable for beginners. The wire thickness should not be thicker than 0.4 mm – 0.3 mm is optimal. With colored wires, you should make sure that the quality is good, otherwise the color will come off during knitting. Simple, cheap enamel wires are therefore rather unsuitable.”
Do you need a specific wire for this?
“Yes and no – you can work with many different materials – copper, brass, bronze, silver, gold, etc. – even stainless steel is possible, but particularly hard to work with and therefore not suitable for beginners. The wire thickness should not be thicker than 0.4 mm – 0.3 mm is optimal. With colored wires, you should make sure that the quality is good, otherwise the color will come off during knitting. Simple, cheap enamel wires are therefore rather unsuitable.”
We are all familiar with very thin wire and know that it is also easy to bend with the fingers. Doesn’t that pose a problem with jewelry, or what are some ways to prevent it?
“There are certain pieces of jewelry that are only made using the simple knitting technique. These are relatively delicate and you shouldn’t grip them too tightly, but in general you can increase the stability of the wire through various factors:
- By knitting itself – the stitches already give the piece of jewelry quite a bit of stability.
- By calibrating, hammering or compressing with pliers you can harden the wire and get further stability.
- With the double knitting technique you halve the height of the stitches and immediately get a denser and more stable stitch pattern”.
We are all familiar with very thin wire and know that it is also easy to bend with the fingers. Doesn’t that pose a problem with jewelry, or what are some ways to prevent it?
“There are certain pieces of jewelry that are only made using the simple knitting technique. These are relatively delicate and you shouldn’t grip them too tightly, but in general you can increase the stability of the wire through various factors:
- By knitting itself – the stitches already give the piece of jewelry quite a bit of stability.
- By calibrating, hammering or compressing with pliers you can harden the wire and get further stability.
- With the double knitting technique you halve the height of the stitches and immediately get a denser and more stable stitch pattern”.
Does the work require special needles?
When it comes to which needle is best, Stefanie Mohr has a very clear opinion:
“Yes, you definitely need a special crochet hook and that’s the reason why, after a lot of trial and error, I now only work with the addiSwing and also recommend it to all my “students.”
Neither wood nor plastic or aluminum are suitable for knitting with wire. It must be a very sturdy steel needle. Since you always have to push the crochet hook through to the end of the shaft when knitting with wire to get an even stitch pattern, and the shaft of the addiSwing crochet hook is very short compared to other crochet hooks, you save a lot of time when working. Also, the ergonomic grip prevents you from turning the needle too much while working, which would be counterproductive because you quickly hurt the wire.”
Does the work require special needles?
When it comes to which needle is best, Stefanie Mohr has a very clear opinion:
“Yes, you definitely need a special crochet hook and that’s the reason why, after a lot of trial and error, I now only work with the addiSwing and also recommend it to all my “students.”
Neither wood nor plastic or aluminum are suitable for knitting with wire. It must be a very sturdy steel needle. Since you always have to push the crochet hook through to the end of the shaft when knitting with wire to get an even stitch pattern, and the shaft of the addiSwing crochet hook is very short compared to other crochet hooks, you save a lot of time when working. Also, the ergonomic grip prevents you from turning the needle too much while working, which would be counterproductive because you quickly hurt the wire.”
A package for home
Now you are certainly all fired up to give a homemade jewelry for the next birthday. Even if you have not yet mastered this technique, this is not an obstacle. Because Ms. Mohr offers both how-to packages and workshops for you.
“Why packages? – For one thing, you can’t do it without the base I created especially for this purpose (a kind of knitting dolly), and for another, it’s so much easier and more convenient, because with the package you can start right away, without still having to get or order all the material everywhere. For example, my beginner’s instruction kit also includes an addiSwing in 1.0mm.” So it’s no problem even if you have no experience at all with knitting or crocheting.
A package for home
Now you are certainly all fired up to give a homemade jewelry for the next birthday. Even if you have not yet mastered this technique, this is not an obstacle. Because Ms. Mohr offers both how-to packages and workshops for you.
“Why packages? – For one thing, you can’t do it without the base I created especially for this purpose (a kind of knitting dolly), and for another, it’s so much easier and more convenient, because with the package you can start right away, without still having to get or order all the material everywhere. For example, my beginner’s instruction kit also includes an addiSwing in 1.0mm.” So it’s no problem even if you have no experience at all with knitting or crocheting.
Mrs. Mohr – your favorite addi products?
If you are only interested in her products, she also offers them for sale. Either on Etsy or on Kasuwa – both under the name smdesignatelier. She also sells in her small showroom, usually by appointment. smdesignatelierShe also sells in her small showroom, usually by appointment.
If you are only interested in her products, she also offers them for sale. Either on Etsy or on Kasuwa – both under the name smdesignatelier. She also sells in her small showroom, usually by appointment. smdesignatelierShe also sells in her small showroom, usually by appointment.
