Chain Maille for Dummies

Chain Maille for Dummies . In this case, the dummy would be me.


I've made basic chain maille since I started beading. Chain maille is the art of weaving silver jump rings into a repetitive pattern to create a chain, and it was developed hundreds of years ago to create chain maille armor. Lots of traditional patterns translate well into jewelry.



Believe it or not, I don't own a chain maille bracelet. I haven't made myself one even though I've made dozens and dozens for customers.


Enter Chain Maille for Dummies.


I often bite off more than I can chew. I look at something and think, "oh yeah, I can do that". Chain maille patterns are either in the public domain or there are tutorials on line for them, so there are directions for every weave you can imagine. So I set out to make a byzantine ladder weave, feeling a little smug because, after all, I've made a bunch of the most basic of bracelets -- The Byzantine.

The ladder weave, however, nearly bested me. I didn't have enough hands, or enough fingers, and most certainly not enough patience. I made all the byzantine lengths, but couldn't hold them in the right orientation to hook them together. I'd hold the pliers, open a ring, and hook the pieces together, then drop the whole mess before I could scoop up another ring and get the orientation back again.


ACK!

I sat in the local coffee shop when I started the bracelet, fully expecting to get it pretty close to done by the time my mocha was finished. Instead, I left in a foul mood with nothing done except a bunch of short Byzantine bits that mocked me the entire way home.


At some point, though, the light bulb went on.


I don't know how, but I got one ladder bit made. Angels sang, martinis were passed, all was merry. And as with most chain maille projects, everything went fast once that first piece of the pattern was started.


Here's what it ended up looking like:




Click the picture for a better peek.


The clasp is an amazing vintage Swarovski crystal:



All in all, worth it. Frustrating? Oh yes. I very nearly quit. In fact, I DID quit at one point and put the whole mess away for a while. I took it out again when I had a fresh mind and had successfully completed some other projects to bolster my confidence - something I think is important to remember when you're facing a fear of tackling a new technique.




Lori Anderson's jewelry can be seen at www.lorianderson.net. Be sure to visit her other blog, Pretty Things.