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Classic Chain Mail Jewelry: A treasury of weaves
Chain mail is a very hot topic, and those who enjoy the process are looking for new patterns and ideas to explore. Classic Chain Mail covers the basic weaves for beginners, but also adds unusual jump rings (twisted, oval), some crystals and beads, and unique patterns for intermediate beaders. These 35 projects create a classic, elegant look by using mostly silver, gold, and argentium jump rings. This book offers many different, unique patterns for jewelry makers who are interested in chain mail.
96 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 6, 2015
Here are the things that I really like about this book:
~It has instructions, including ring sizes, for graduated Byzantine and full Persian necklaces.
~It gets you thinking about using specialty rings. Rings made of square and twisted wire are used to add interest, and while it's not always to my taste, it's good to be reminded that the option is there.
~There are a couple of interesting weaves that don't show up everywhere, including a couple with orbital rings, one that is kind of half Byzantine/half 2-in-2, and one that incorporates metal beads.
Here is what I don't like about the book:
~This really isn't a book for beginners. It's been 2-3 years since I really read through it, so I don't remember all of the specifics, but I do know that one of my first thoughts when I got it was, "I can follow this now, but I wouldn't have been able to six months ago." I soooo don't have the time to go back and read the whole beginning portion again, but I seem to remember that there was something odd (incomplete? incorrect? convoluted?) about the explanation of aspect ratios.
~I know that there are a few places in the weave instructions where a photo or tip that would be useful/necessary for a beginner was left out, and some of the written instructions are worded a little strangely.
~The visual portion of the instructions are just straight photos: no color, highlight, or arrow to draw attention to the rings relevant to the current step. This is not a big deal in some cases, but on something like Turkish round mail, it's problematic.
Overall:
This book isn't bad per se, but it isn't the greatest, either. It definitely is not a good introductory book, but someone who knows what they're doing should be able to follow it. The main reason I bought it was that it has the ring sizes for making a graduated full Persian necklace, and that portion of it is perfect. So basically, the part that I actually planned to use gets 5 stars; the rest of the book is a solid 2.5-3.
~It has instructions, including ring sizes, for graduated Byzantine and full Persian necklaces.
~It gets you thinking about using specialty rings. Rings made of square and twisted wire are used to add interest, and while it's not always to my taste, it's good to be reminded that the option is there.
~There are a couple of interesting weaves that don't show up everywhere, including a couple with orbital rings, one that is kind of half Byzantine/half 2-in-2, and one that incorporates metal beads.
Here is what I don't like about the book:
~This really isn't a book for beginners. It's been 2-3 years since I really read through it, so I don't remember all of the specifics, but I do know that one of my first thoughts when I got it was, "I can follow this now, but I wouldn't have been able to six months ago." I soooo don't have the time to go back and read the whole beginning portion again, but I seem to remember that there was something odd (incomplete? incorrect? convoluted?) about the explanation of aspect ratios.
~I know that there are a few places in the weave instructions where a photo or tip that would be useful/necessary for a beginner was left out, and some of the written instructions are worded a little strangely.
~The visual portion of the instructions are just straight photos: no color, highlight, or arrow to draw attention to the rings relevant to the current step. This is not a big deal in some cases, but on something like Turkish round mail, it's problematic.
Overall:
This book isn't bad per se, but it isn't the greatest, either. It definitely is not a good introductory book, but someone who knows what they're doing should be able to follow it. The main reason I bought it was that it has the ring sizes for making a graduated full Persian necklace, and that portion of it is perfect. So basically, the part that I actually planned to use gets 5 stars; the rest of the book is a solid 2.5-3.
October 22, 2010
I absolutely can't WAIT to make some of these! The instructions appear to be very clear, but I won't actually know until I try to follow them, but I have every confidence they will be just fine.
April 7, 2013
Love it! Have already tried some of the patterns
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August 8, 2016vdsvsv
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews