How to Make a Rosary

In honor of Easter, we're posting our Traditional Rosary instructions!  This is a classic Catholic prayer bead pattern that has been popular for hundreds of years.  Every Easter, Catholic beaders make literally millions of rosaries, which are then used in religious services and in prayer throughout the year.  From a beading perspective, a wire wrapped rosary is ideal for practicing your wire wrapping skills.  If you're not Catholic, you can give one as a treasured gift to a friend, or to a child at First Communion.  (As an alternative pattern, you can wire wrap 108 beads for a Buddhist prayer mala.)  You can find this Traditional Rosary pattern, as well as lots of other free downloadable projects, on our web site http://www.beadworldinc.com/

Materials needed:


53 beads for “Hail Mary” (A Bead)
6 beads for “Our Father” (B Bead)
1 crucifix
1 three loop connector or Rosary center
14 short lengths of chain (approx. ½ inch long)
24 gauge wire for wrapping, cut into 59 3 inch pieces
4 jump rings, 5mm 19 gauge


Traditional Rosary Instructions:
1. Using the 24 gauge wire, make a long wire wrapped strand following this pattern: chain, 10 of the A beads, chain, one B bead, chain, 10 of the A beads, chain, one B bead, chain, 10 of the A beads, chain, one B bead, chain, 10 of the A beads, chain, one B bead, chain, 10 of the A beads, chain. Each bead is its own wire wrapped unit, so you’re looking at 118 wire wrapped loops altogether in this project! It’s great wire wrapping practice!
2. Using jump rings, connect each end of the strand to the three loop connector.

3. Using the 24 gauge wire, make a short wire wrapped strand following this pattern: chain, one B bead, chain, 3 of the A beads, chain, one B bead, chain.

4. Using jump rings, connect one end of the short strand to the bottom loop of the three loop connector. Connect the other end to the crucifix.