What wire to buy to extend the legs of SMD components?
26 to 22 is a huge change, more than 3x as stiff. 

I don't think snipping the legs off of resistors (or diodes) is so wasteful, the cost
of bare wire in small quantity tends to be pretty high from legitimate distribution sources. 

You can also strip solid conductor wire. It will be copper, which is softer than the typical resistor/diode leads where are typically made from plated steel.