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Friday, January 27, 2017

Leftover rings

I overestimated the amount of rings that I needed for the chainmail scarf that I made from a couple posts past, so I have been trying to find some ways to use them up.
I started with the gold rings, because I had so many extras of this color. Few of the chainmail weaves I have made in the past would work with this size ring, so I tried to find new things to make! I started with the one weave that I knew would work with this ring size, and that is the Half Persian 4-in-1 weave. I made a bracelet in this weave using all gold rings. I did finish except for a clasp. I discovered that I don't have any gold clasps, except for some too-small lobster clasps, so it isn't quite finished yet.
The HP 4-in-1 is the top one in this following picture:



I then started with the lavender rings. I decided to make a bunch of mobius rosettes, and I picked a good size ring in silver to connect them. As I was connecting them, I did have some difficulty with the connecting rings, but I had already gotten so far, that I went ahead and finished it up with a clasp.
I love how even though they are all the same color, since the light hits the rings differently, they look like different shades.




I chose next to make a birthday gift for a friend, whose favorite colors are blue and black, so I made another mobius bracelet like the lavender, only using the turquoise rings. I used a smaller gauge ring, but same diameter for the connectors in black, and it was perfect. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it before I gave it to her. It came out so nicely, though, that I'll probably make another one with the few turquoise rings I still have. (Pics to come later).

Then I went back to the gold and made another mobius bracelet with the same black connectors, but ran into the same issue of not having any larger gold clasps. Pictures of the 2 clasp-less gold bracelets are above, together.

Last, I sold a stretchy Half-Persian 4-in-1 bracelet in my Etsy shop, so I made up another one to replace it. The picture is a little blurry, but here it is.



Thursday, January 19, 2017

Trizantine, kinged vipera berus, and necklaces

I have been on a chainmail kick lately, so that's where my crafty focus has been.
I tried a couple new (to me) weaves that I have been wanting to do, and they came out pretty nice!

The first thing I made was this bracelet. This is made using the trizantine weave (basically a variation on the byzantine weave). I used silver anodized aluminum for the tri-sections, and black for the connectors. I finished it off with one of my silver sun/moon/star toggle clasps.
This bracelet has looser rings on the outside, so it is a fun to fidget with.







Next, I tried a Kinged Vipera Berus weave with some colored anodized aluminum.
I originally intended to make a bracelet with this weave, but as I got into it, I realized that it is a little too stiff to make a comfortable bracelet. The rings I am using are ever-so-slightly smaller than the ideal size.
Since I had gotten most of the way through one rainbow already, I finished it up, and turned it into a keychain, instead! It works perfectly as a keychain, I must admit!

Here it is from the side:


Last, I got some pictures taken of a few necklaces that I have had finished for a while, but never took pictures of. 





On another note, I have noticed that a couple of the star charms on the red necklace are starting to turn black a bit. Oxidation? Corrosion? This is probably because I got these charms cheap, but I want to avoid any issues down the line with them. I love them!
Any suggestions on what I can do to prevent this with my other silver charms?

Friday, January 6, 2017

I made a chainmail scarf!

I recently got inspired to make a chainmail scarf! I saw one online and just knew I had to make one, myself (isn't that how it always goes?).
I did some research on what ring size I should use and what colors, and I made my order for supplies!
When they came in, I really didn't want to start it right away until I got some more work done on my purse (that I suspect will never get done). But then I realized that the main ring color I had ordered was a limited supply, so to make sure that I had enough while they were still available, I got started right away! (Or at least it sounded like a good enough justification to start a new project, anyway).

I started it last Saturday, and it has taken me less than a week to make. I actually had a lot of fun working on this, too! The wire size was slightly bigger than I am used to, so I had to stop sometimes to let my hands rest, but it still came together quickly.

Here it is!

This came out to 6 feet long! It's has a little weight to it (but it is made of a light aluminum), and the "fringe" makes a pleasant jingling noise when you move.
When I saw the turquoise rings, I knew immediately that was the color I wanted. I chose, then, to go with more peacock colors, and was going to choose a darker purple color to go with it, but as soon as I saw the lavender, I changed to it right away!

I am already making plans for another one (farther in the future, so I can save up for supplies). I'm thinking of maybe a chevron pattern, perhaps. Or even a Dr Who scarf! The possibilities are many!

I would love to get some feedback!