Crochet/Viking knit Pendant

       So you found a pretty odd shaped stone, shell or some other very cool object and you don't know what to do with it,right? Happens to me all the time when I go beach combing here on Cape Cod. I found a few ideas on how to make a crochet or viking knit bezel to make it into a pendant. I did not by any means come up with this idea or technique on my own, but I did it with a little help from all the others ideas and I kept the ones that worked best for me to create this project. It takes some patience, mixed with a little humor and practice to get one that looks really good, but truly it looks quite nice even when the outcome is a bit rustic too. So have a cup of chamomile tea and let's get started.

Tools

1. Round nose pliers
2. Flat nose pliers
3. Flush Cutters
4. File
5. ⅛”-¼” dowel
6. Scrap paper and pencil
7. Sharpie

Materials

1. 16 gauge wire 7-12”
2. 26-24 gauge wire 2-4 ft
3. Cabochon or flattish back stone, shell, etc.

*The size of the stone/center piece determines how much wire you will need, so give yourself more than you think you need until you get good at estimating.

Directions-Prep

1. To determine how much frame wire you need measure around the outside of your piece, I do this by rolling my piece on the ruler or tape measure. Round up and add 3” to the measurement to account for your bail.
2. Cut your 16 gauge wire the length you figured out in step one
3. Mark one end of the wire 1 ½” from the end
4. Bend the wire at this mark in a 90 degree angle​

Making the Frame

1. Lay flat side of stone/center piece on scrap paper and trace the outside of it to make a template.
2. Using the template begin shaping the thick wire beginning at your bend (facing the tail away from the frame center and create a smaller version of the shape of the stone/center piece using your thumb and fingers. Lay the stone on top to make sure it is small enough. It doesn't have to be perfect in shape because it is the base back. 
3. Bend the other tail of the frame wire to lay side by side with the first tail
4. Using 2” of the thin wire wrap the tails together starting at the base of the frame and working upward. Be sure to keep the tails side by side not overlapping. Use your flat nose pliers after each wrap to help keep the tails side by side and tighten the wrap.
5. Trim any excess small tail of the thin wire and flatten the end towards the back of the frame, do not trim the longer end off, we need it to start the weave.

1. Wrap the long wire around the frame on one side two times
   
2. Lay the ⅛”-¼” dowel on the top of the frame in front and right next to the two wraps
   
3. Wrap the wire over the dowel
   
4. Wrap the wire around the frame two times and remove the dowel
   
5. Repeat steps 11-13 all around the frame until you reach the top of the frame to make first level of crochet bezel
   
6. Place stone into the crochet bezel and shape the loop around it with your fingers
   

1. Begin next row of crochet by looping over, around and between the first loop and stone and through the new loop. Use your finger to keep the new and old loops arched but close to the stone. This will begin to capture the stone as you go, but you will need to be patient because it is a bit tricky to keep the stone in place until you get a good amount of new loops going around
   
2. Repeat the making the next loop onto the next arch and so on until you reach the top again.
   
3. Your stone should be secured, however if you feel it is still too loose you can make another row of loops on the last row and around the stone again.
   

1. When you are happy with setting, feed the wire up and under the loops to where the long tails are wrapped.
   
2. Wrap the thin wire around and up at least 6 times covering the original wrap.
   
3. Trim and flatten the thin wire toward the back
   

1. Place the ¼” dowel behind the frame just at the top of the thin wire wraps
   
2. Bend the thick tails around the dowel so that they lay down the back of the stone
   
3. If needed trim the tails to be ½” below the stone top
   
4. File the ends of these wires and make small loops on each one
   
5. Press the loops tightly against the frame to make the bail (you may use the dowel to help shape it if you wish)