Found It!

I finally discovered why I was not at all satisfied with my new beading wire...
IT'S NOT 7 STRAND

I did some google-ing to find out why the wire I had recently purchased was so different from what I bought before.  Google told me I needed 7 strand beading wire to be satisfied.
7 strand beading wire is made up of 7 individual strands of wire woven together and covered with nylon.  You can find beading wire with a higher strand count, and more strands = more flexibility.
I got mine at Walmart in silver, but they  have in several other colors, and you can pretty much find anything on the internet too.

I promise I'll try to get that vintage latch hook kit finished up this afternoon, and I'm working on a super fun tutorial as well!!
Happy Crafting :)

Beading Wire

Maybe I'm just hard to pleas, but the only beading wire I've found that I can work with is this:

It's almost like the perfect balance of stiff and movable.  I don't know why, but everything else I have tried is just atrocious.  I thought I was purchasing an equivalent when I got this today:

I was totally wrong.  This beading wire is way too stiff to work with.  It was the right gauge, but it's just not possible for me to work with at all.  

I'm headed to Walmart tomorrow to hopefully get my hands on what I need so I can get back to jewelry making.