Bead All About It

I’ve started working beads into my pieces. I was wandering around Michael’s looking at different charms (so many pretty earrings to be made) when I noticed several kinds of beads.

I know very little about beading but there were some beads that were round or clover shaped. I thought these would go nicely with some of the various colors and patterns I’ve been working with. I thought right.

This is a silver spiral necklace with turquoise beads every couple of inches. I had to count out each ring to get just the right amount of rotation in the weave in between the beads. (16 rings at that size, not including the ones connecting it to the bead, if you were wondering.) I think it turned out nicely:

I also did a four color rosette necklace with hematite beads for myself. It’s the same 2 purples, blue, and black ice combo from the last entry. Michael’s didn’t have these beads the last few times I went. I was beginning to think they were discontinued when they finally got them back in stock. Looks like the necklace I did for myself won’t be a one of kind for long:

You may have notice that I bought a display. I had a coupon and it’s much easier to display these items when you can see how they’ll lay. I was debating between linen and black but this color is closer to human skin. If I get around to selling these, it will give a better idea of how the colors really look.

Weaving To: I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight by U2

Quoth the Ravens

To follow up the rosette entry, I completed two necklaces in honor of ‘my’ football team making it to the Super Bowl. I’m not big on football but I occasionally watch Ravens games and always root for them. I’m even doing a little Super Bowl party at my house this year since it’s a local team.

This necklace is the typical Ravens colors of dark purple and black:

I did a more subtle color in black ice and a lighter purple. It’s still black and purple but it’s more subtle. If and when I start selling this I’ll have to do red and gold for all the Redskins fans around here. They’re proof that hope always springs eternal:

Rockin’ Out To: Broken Hearts, Torn Up Letters & The Story Of A Lonely Girl by Lostprophets

Rosette by Any Other Name

One of the designs I’ve got on a piece I bought that I’ve mimicked is a chain of rosettes. It’s very pretty and works well in one color, or several colors. My original necklace is all red while the piece I did for my mother was two shades of purple, blue, and black ice (it’s like silver and black had a really pretty baby). The picture isn’t optimal but I didn’t want to make her dig it out so here’s what it looked like in the development stages:

My only trouble is that rosette is more of a loose term than something technical. If you Google Image ‘chain maille rosette’ and ‘chain maille mobius,’ you’re going to see some overlap.

Rosette is a word that seems to be used loosely. I call the design I do a four ring rosette. I have a pendant that the designer called a mobius and it’s the same design with about 20 rings. The pendant uses 14 ½ rings so the design works well and isn’t too small.

I’ve come to think of a mobius as a rosette on ‘roids. There are several chain maille groups and societies so I’d have to look and see if I’m using the term incorrectly. I learned it from a friend who has a business doing this and gave me a tutorial back in December. It would be weird to learn that the design I’ve learned is a rosette is actually a mini-mobius. Either way it’s pretty. Here are some on-going projects I’ve got:

Current Jams: Brave by Josh Groban

Captive Inbound Angry

Today I attempted the captive inbound round for about an hour. I want that hour of my life back.

I have several pieces of jewelry and the one I haven’t tried to mimic yet was the inverted round. I haven’t ordered smaller rings yet and trial and error revealed that 18 1/4 rings are too large to hold the weave properly.

Then I discovered the captive inbound round. It’s the same weave but rings are trapped in the middle. It should work and would help the rings I have hold the weave.

‘These tutorials look very simple. I should be able to do that.’  Remember the difference between simple and easy? Tutorials make it look simple. Tutorials lie like crooked politicians.

I was a phenomenal display of suck. I got to the point where the damn ring was trapped and then it came loose. At this point I threw everything down, made a noise that startled my dogs, and walked away. I’m currently fighting the urge to throw everything across the room including the hundreds of little jump rings I’d have to pick up. The 100+ pick up is not an effective deterrent.

Remember the blog devote to how I dislike the European 4-in-1? I like 4-in-1 better than captive inbound round. A lot. 

Seriously debating if I ever want to try to get back on this horse or just send him to that special farm upstate where all the ‘missing’ goldfish and hamsters go.

Shaggy Weave

Shaggy weave is an incredibly simple weave. I discovered it on Etsy looking for new weaves to try. Studying it in pictures I thought, “It can’t really be that simple can it?” Yes, it can.

It’s got a lot of movement so it works best in colors. Here are the necklaces I made over vacation:

What’s interesting is the difference in how necklaces/bracelets lay versus earrings. Here are earrings that match one of the necklaces:

Current Jams: Cupid’s Got a Shotgun by Carrie Underwood

Fanatic in Chains

The Caps had a fan appreciation event and I had a jolly good time. Elliot from DC101 asked a few of the players questions like their favorite NHL game. Someone asked what their favorite move from Gangnam Style was. Troy Brouwer actually did the dance on the ice. I truly hope that makes it to the internet.

It was 20% off at the team store and variety of free classic sports arena food. I got a pretzel, lemonade, and bottle of water. I got a few things at the team store including a shirt that says ‘I’m going to the Caps game. Make your own dinner.’

All of the items I purchased will look lovely with this:

It’s not a recognized weave but I thought a simple chain would be nice. If you lay the piece down it kind of splays out but if you wear it gravity helps give it more of a chain shape. I started it on Tuesday and finished it at bar trivia the next night.

I also completely a shaggy weave in the same colors

As I was working on the shaggy chain a guy came over to my table and asked if I was making jewelry. He borrowed my chain just to see how long it would take his friends to notice. Not very long if you were wondering.

I’ll give you more details on the shaggy weave soon since I made some other pieces on my vacation.

Listening To: I Feel Again by One Republic

THEY’RE BACK!!!

The NHL finally got its stuff together and we’re getting a hockey season! I heard the news right before I left on vacation. There will be a fan appreciation night on Thursday to celebrate and encourage folks to come back and spend money. Free noms, an open practice, and 20% at the team store? I’d say a themed necklace is in order. I’ll post pics when I’m done.

Weaving To: Uprising by Muse

It’s a Small World After All

I was at MAGfest right before I left on vacation. It was a gaming convention that had board games, arcade games, MMORPGs, RPGs, various panels, and a dealer’s room. There were some chain mailers there and I was able to talk shop with them. I had actually met them before at Shore Leave, a sci-fi con in Baltimore County last summer.

I got some really good insight as to what size to use when I want to start on the Byzantine weave. I’m mostly using 18 ¼ gauge jump ring nows (18 = wire, ¼ = ring diameter) which are too large for a single Byzantine. They had lovely double Byzantine bracelets and necklaces but I thought it best to start on single before I figure out double. The size they used for single was 18 ³/₁₆ which resulted in a lovely but dainty bracelet. The same goes for necklaces. To interest men, 18 ¼ is large enough to appeal without making them look like hippity hop wannabes.

I got a choker made of rosettes when I first met them and hope to recreate it in different colors at some point. The way they connect the rings helps the piece lay flat. He said the rounder weaves work well as chains but flat weaves work as chokers. Spiral is a round weave and a Half Persian is a flat weave. I’ll probably try a Half Persian in the next few weeks.

While I was there I was wearing a spiral necklace I’d just finished. When you first make it, it looks just like a pretty chain but if you twist it you get this: 

The mailer said that the only difficulty with spiral is its tendency to un-spiral. If you twist it and hook it, it looks very pretty and will stay put. However, you want it to sit close to your throat because of its tendency to bunch when it has too much slack. I’d imagine it would work well as a really long necklace but I’d have to try it out.

Funny story was that they had some earrings in simple weaves but in great colors. I called one pair in blue, pink, and yellow ‘birthday cake’ colors. Apparently I spent enough money last summer to get free earrings but I left them at their booth. They looked for me and didn’t see me again. Those were my earrings and my saying that made the remember me. It took a few months but they let me have my earrings. I like these folks.

Listening To: Wreck-It, Wreck-It Ralph by Buckner & Garcia

Size Matters

Size is very important when it comes to making chain maille and I’m not just talking about the length of the necklace or bracelet. The size of the jump ring can dictate what weaves you can do, modifications to the weave, how it will look, etc. I’m primarily working with 18 ¼ and 16 ⁵/₁₆ right now but will expand into a smaller size for future projects.

The thickness of the wire seems to be the biggest determinant of a ring’s malleability. I know the diameter factors in but I seem to have the most trouble from the thicker wire.

I have some 14 ½ I’ve made into a mobius and that was not easy but fairly pretty. Unfortunately, the plies I used had teeth. Despite wrapping my tools, it still left marks. I currently have one pair of needle nose jeweler’s pliers and one large set. I’ll need another big one before I try again.

Rockin’ Out To: Last Goodbye by Ke$ha

One Is Silver

I think I should stick with silver for all my first attempts. I’ve come to that decision for two reasons:

1) Silver rings are cheaper

2) Scuff marks are far less noticeable

As much as I love working with color, any scuffs or scratches are far more visible on colors. If I’m still in the ‘screw up and try again’ phase, I’d rather not advertise it.

Current Music: Break In by Halestorm

4 in 1 Pains in My Hindquarters

If you like the look of the armor or chankini tops, you have to learn a 4-in-1. I’ve seen several pieces of jewelry that incorporate parts of the 4-in-1 as earrings or as accents on a necklace. It’s quite lovely.

I got a refresher using this YouTube video which is fairly accurate once you know how it’s supposed to line up. My only trouble is that this SOB lies about how easy he makes this weave look.

I hate the 4-in-1 weave.

When I went to a friend of mine to ask about how to make chain maille, she showed me a few weaves starting with a 4-in-1. We spent about 20-30 minutes of me epically sucking before I asked to move on to something else. After succeeding at a different weave, I went back to the 4-in-1 and finally managed to pull it off.

She stepped away for a moment and when I showed her, it looked wrong. I was worried that I would have to take it all apart and try yet again. Turns out if you’ve only got a single strand of a 4-in-1, the rings twist and shift. It’s a dynamic weave early on.

I’m still in the early stages of working with it but I like to think of the first row as the ‘slippery little bastard’ stage. I may leave it as a single row and go the anklet route.

From the messing around I’ve done, you can probably use just about any size ring to make a 4-in-1. Since it’s integral to garments and some things I want to try with jewelry, I’m making myself work on it. Right now I still need a safety pin and pliers to pull it off.

If I get the patience to try colors, I’ll be sure to let you know.

Background Noise: Awake and Alive by Skillet

I Think I Can, I Think I Can…

When most people think of chain mail (or maille), they think of medieval knights and armor. I did too. Then I started going to Renaissance Fairs and saw that maille can be so much more than just armor.

I saw earrings, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, chokers…Looking at galleries and forums on-line I’ve seen hockey jerseys, window treatments, ties, and belts. The more money I spent on some of these fabulous wares the more I wondered if I could do this myself.

I have learned that I can do some of this myself. I really like doing it and the more I do it the more my creative juices flow. The more my creative juices flow, the more of a problem this presents for my wallet. Once I have enough stuff made, I’ll have to figure out where and how to sell my wares.

Here I will be detailing my attempts at new weaves and my attempts to break even on my hobby. If I go the on-line route, I’ll be shouting to the high heavens so feel free to drop by and exchange cash for a pretty shiny.

Current Jams: Fanfare by Black Violin