R&D - Sierpinski's Triangle

Sierpinski's Triangle - What's is it?  I Googled it, still it's something I don't understand:-(

But, it looks pretty awesome in maille, don't you think?!

On one of those days when I had a serious case of mailler's block (like the kind I'm having right now, sadly....), I flipped through MAIL's weave library looking for inspiration when I came across an interesting triangle shape thingy created by ElementalDragon.  If you've not done any mailling, it may not be obvious to you, but achieving a straight line with round jump rings is not exactly straight forward (yes, pun intended!)

And triangles are made of 3 straight lines!  So how does this work?

Very carefully; like this!

These are tiny, at AR 2.3 for 18 swg rings.  Very hard to keep hold of.

How about with thicker wire?  Like this.

Then this.

Then back to the first photo on top:-)  

And from a different angle.  Interesting, don't you think?!

Oh, didn't mind the gaps; this is a just test:-)  But I see potentials in this!!  A dainty pendant, perhaps....  OK, will need to fire up my Ringinator to make some tight rings; AR 2.3 is not exactly common....

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Solar Eclipse Bracelet in Stainless Steel

Solar Eclipse is a weave I've wanted to make since back in 2010 when I first saw it on MWW.

Such a clever pattern, pleasant simplicity, and lots and lots of options when it comes ring sizes to use.

In choosing the big rings for this bracelet, I did go one size larger than what's in the weave description on MAIL.  And for this reason, I picked stainless steel which will offer a stable shape and firm hold on the kerf closures.

Speaking of closure, I did fuss over what type, what material, what shape, ... etc, etc.  Felt like the closure selection took longer than making the whole bracelet... oy!

As you can see, I finally settled on a simple, handmade (to be specific, "my hand", that is:-)) niobium toggle bar.  I think closures are just as important, if not more, as the main part of the jewelry.  They should take a stand on either being part of the overall presentation, or be the focal point.  In either case, it should not be an after thought; or in this case, I did think about it after I finished the chain, but to my defense, lots of thoughts were put into the final decision to make sure the bracelet looks good and wears well!!

For you DIYers who'd like to try their hands on this, here are my stats for this Solar Eclipse: 16swg, 7/16", 5/16", and 18swg, 3/16", all stainless steel, all saw cut.

Like this a lot but don't feel like DIY?  This bracelet is available for purchase thru my online studio DaisyKreates.com.  Hope to see you there!!

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Strangemaille

You know what people say about things they don't understand.....  "That's strange..."  Got your attention, didn't it? :-)  It did for me!

It looks a bit strange (duh!), but in a very attractive way:-)  Saw several gorgeous bracelets made in the weave, looked almost like fuzzy loops out of yarns.  I want one!

So last night, I set out for my first go at Strangemaille; I was aiming for a short test strip.  It was rather easy, to my surprise.  So I kept going.  Wow, this weave is additive!  I couldn't stop!  Went for nearly 4 inches when it happened again, my eternal nemesis:  Running out of rings!  Ugh!

So I broke off a section of the strip, counted a few multiples of 3 center rings, decided to connect it end to end for a finger ring, instant gratification, right?!  But ahh.....  (you may have guessed it) The connecting part took me longer than learning and making the 4-inch strip!!

Lucky for me, when I nearly decided to give up and call it a night, it clicked!  Like a zipper!!

Not exactly prim and proper, more funky and loopy, LOL!!

It definitely is not as thin as a Oops ring would feel, but still pretty comfy on the finger, about the size of a chunky pinkie ring.  I'm very happy with this:-)

This ring is now available for purchase in my online studio DaisyKreates.com.  Please come by a visit.

As to the rest of that test strip?  I put a pink drop bead on one end, a simple bail of triple rings on the other, and turned it into a funky little pendant!

More pictures of the pendant to come in my future blog entry.  Please stand by! :-)

(I noticed how many times I used the word "funky" here; it's either it really is very funky, or I should expand my vocabulary beyond "funky"....:-) )

Complete views of the "Strange" stuff, please visit my Picasa web album.

~~~~~ Credits ~~~~~

Strangemaille is a weave by lorenzo on M.A.I.L.  To learn how to make this weave, I followed this tutorial by hysteria101, an excellent article.  Several inspiring work there as well as on M.W.W.


up, down, middle, up, down, middle, up down, middle....


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