Make a Bracelet from a Knitting Needle

Vintage plastic knitting needles get a new modern look when they are made into a bangle bracelet. With a few simple tools you can upcycle old knitting needles into fantastic jewelry.

Materials
Vintage plastic knitting needle(s)
Pot of boiling water
Bracelet mandrel

Step 1
Select a plastic knitting needle that you want to turn into a new bracelet.

Step 2
Boil a pot of water.

Step 3
Place the knitting needle into the water until it softens and can be formed, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 4
Measure your wrist and gather a mandrel in the appropriate size. Women have different wrist sizes, so it is important to measure for size before forming. Chose your mandrel based on the size you need. An average bangle size is about 8" inner circumference (20 cm inner circumference). If you do not have a bracelet mandrel, look around your house for a substitute. Baseball bats, certain canned goods, jars, a fallen tree limb and similar round objects can all be used a mandrels in a pinch.

Step 5
Carefully remove the knitting needle from the water using tongs or tweezers and wrap the knitting needle around a mandrel to the size you desire for your bracelet.

Step 6
Allow the plastic to cool on the mandrel or, to hasten the process, remove the bracelet from the mandrel and place it in a bowl of cold water to set.

Step 7
Adjust the bracelet. If you are not happy with the shape you can put the knitting needle back into the boiling and repeat the process until you are pleased with the result.

Warnings
Note that the colors may change or fade when boiled. You can use the same technique to make a knitting needle ring. Substitute a ring mandrel for the bracelet mandrel.

If you do not like working on your stove top, you can preheat an oven (or toaster oven) designated solely for crafts to 350 degrees F and then bake the knitting needles for about 5 to 8 minutes, or until the plastic is pliable.

Take care when working with boiled water.

Be sure to use proper exhaust and ventilation when heating and forming plastic.

Do not reuse pots for food after using for crafts.

Take care that knitting needles used are not sharp. File away any burrs, sharps or items that could catch clothes or injure the wearer.

Make a Green Necklace for St. Patrick's Day from a Plastic Bottle

Before: empty bottle

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We decided to make a green necklace to wear today. We used the plastic recovered from an empty Garnier Fructise bottle. The plastic is a bright, cheery green perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

Don't forget to wear green to keep from being pinched by a leprechaun!

Tools
Xacto knife or scissor
Self healing cutting mat
Automatic center punch

Drill and bit
Round nose pliers or wire looping pliers
Chain nose pliers

Gather your tools

Wire cutters
Steel block
Rawhide mallet
Wire rounder, needle file or cup bur (and flex shaft or rotary tool)

Materials
Garneir Fructis plastic bottle
18-gauge brass wire

Step 1

Cut the plastic charms

Remove the label from the bottle. Wash the empty plastic bottle. Cut the plastic into charms using scissors or an xacto knife on a self healing mat.

Step 2

Mark the plastic and drill hole

Mark the plastic charms with the automatic center punch and then drill holes in the plastic where marked.

Step 3
Use pliers to create the links from the 18-gauge wire. Cut the formed link from the wire spool and then file both ends of the formed link smooth using a wire rounder, needle file or cup bur and flex shaft or rotary tool. Repeat to create the needed number of links.

Step 4
Assemble the links and charms into a chain.

Hook and eye clasp by GeltDesigns.com

Step 5
Make the hook clasp and eye from the 18-gauge wire. Place the finding on a steel bench block and hammer with a raw hide mallet to harden the wire and protect the shape of the finding.

Step 6
Attach the finding to the chain.

Related Tutorials
Make a Bracelet from a Plastic Bottle

After: Necklace by GeltDesigns.

Make a Cuff Bracelet from a Plastic Bottle

Further Reading
"500 Plastic Jewelry Designs: A Groundbreaking Survey of A Modern Material (500 Series)"; Lark; 2009.

Day 116. Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: plastic bottle
New Jewelry a Day.  

Make a Hair Clip from a Button

Before: button and bobby pin

My daughter has long, flowing beautiful hair. She likes to style it in different ways-- often using hair ribbons and hair pins.

Adding buttons to bobby pins is a great way to turn an ordinary object into an amazing fashion accessory. Buttons harvested from old clothes, found buttons and buttons leftover from sewing projects are all good choices for this project.


Materials
Button
Bobby pin
JB Weld or glue of your choice

Step 1
Select a button with a shank.

Step 2
Slide the button on the bobby pin.

After: hair pin by GeltDesigns.com

Step 3
Glue the button on to the bobby pin. We used JB Weld because we glued a plastic button to a metal bobby pin but we may have used a different glue if we used a button or a bobby pin made of a different material. Allow the glue to cure overnight or according to the glue manufacturer's instructions.

Related Tutorials
Make a Leather & Button Bracelet
Make a Button Bracelet
Make Button Earrings
Make a Chain and Button Bib Necklace

Further Reading
"Beautiful Button Jewelry: 60 Easy Heirloom Treasures"; Susan Davis; 2010.
"French-Inspired Jewelry: Creating with Vintage Beads, Buttons & Baubles"; Kaari Meng; 2007.
"Button Jewelry & Accessories: 20 Unique Projects"; Tair Parnes; 2006.

Day 114. Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: button, bobby pin
New Jewelry a Day.  

Make Earrings from Ballpoint Pen Caps

Before: Ballpoint pens

As soon as we saw the purple caps of these ballpoint pens, my daughter and I were excited. The color was yummy and we decided the caps would make great cone components for earrings. We used brass wire and added a pearl dangle taking advantage of leftover pearl earrings from an old beading project.

After: Pen cap earrings by GeltDesigns.com

Materials
2 ballpoint pen caps
2 pearls
headpin or  20-gauge brass wire
ear wires or 22-gauge brass wire

Tools

Gather your tools

Jewelry saw and blades
Chain nose pliers
Round nose pliers
Needle files


Wire cutter
Nylon jaw pliers
Steel bench blockRawhide mallet


Step 1

Cut off the tails of the pen caps

Cut off the "tail" of the ballpoint pen cap with a jewelry saw to create a cone. The pen caps we selected are a lovely shade of purple, but you can use any caps you like. If needed, sand the caps with sandpaper until smooth.

Step 2

Make loop below pearl

Feed a pearl on the wire. Make a very small loop below the pearl so the pearl will stay on the wire.

Step 3
Measure 2 mm less than the length of the pen cap (about 2 inches) and make a second larger loop at the other end of the wire. Wrap the excess wire to secure the loop. Trim the excess wire with a wire cutter and file the ends of the wire until smooth using needle files.

Step 4
Make a loop on another piece of wire. Secure the wire wrapped loop of the pearl drop to the loop of the second piece of wire. Feed the second wire through the top of the cone of the pen cap until the loop is at the very top of the cone. (Our pen cap had a hole at the top of the cone, but some do not and may need to be drilled).

Step 5
 Create a third loop on the outside of the cone. Wrap to secure the loop and hold the pearl dangle in place. Trim the excess wire. File the ends of the wire smooth with a needle file.

Note: Only the third loop will be visible on the finished earring, so take care that this third loop is round, well wrapped and as close to perfect as possible.

Attach the ear wires

Step 6
Make the ear wires. Place the formed ear wires on the steel bench block and hammer with the rawhide mallet to harden the ear wires.

Step 7
Attach the ear wires to the loop at the top of the cone.


Related Tutorials
How to Make "Fish Hook" Ear Wires
Make Earrings from Copper Wire
Make Earrings from an iTunes Gift Card
Make Dog Earrings from Toys
Make Earrings from Scrap Wire  

Further Reading
"101 Wire Earrings: Step-by-Step Projects and Techniques"; Denise Peck; 2009.
"The Earring Style Book: Making Designer Earrings, Capturing Celebrity Style, and Getting the Look for Less"; Stephanie A. Wells; 2010.

Day 112. Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: ballpoint pen caps
New Jewelry a Day.   

Make a Bracelet from a Plastic Box Handle

Before: box handle

This is a quick and easy project made from the handle of a box. Soften and form the plastic, drill holes and add findings for a chic new bracelet.

Materials
Box handle

After: Bracelet by GeltDesigns.com

16-gauge brass wire 

Tools
Automatic  center punch

Gather tools

Drill and drill bit
Chain nose pliers
Wire cutters
Rawhide mallet
Steel block
Bail making pliers

Step 1
Gather your tools and equipment.

Step 2

Drill holes in plastic handle

Mark the plastic handle with an automatic center punch. Drill a hole in each side of the handle.

Step 3
Place the plastic handle in very warm (but not boiling) water and shape the plastic until it takes the form of a cuff bracelet.

Step 4
Use the bail making pliers to create a heavy "S" clasp using the 16-gauge brass wire. Cut off excess wire using the wire cutters. File the ends of the wire smooth using a cup bur, needle file or sandpaper.

Bracelet by GeltDesigns.com

Step 5
Place the formed wire clasp on the steel block and hit the clasp with the rawhide mallet to harden the metal and prevent the clasp from becoming misshapen.


Step 6
Feed the formed clasp through the drilled holes.

Related Tutorials
Make a Bracelet from a Handle
Make Your Own "S" Clasp

Day 111. Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: box handle New Jewelry a Day.