10 Reasons to Love Chain Maille

Charlene Anderson, who recently gave us 10 great reasons to love beading, now shares some equally convincing reasons for loving chain maille:

1. It takes very little equipment (2 pairs of pliers) and some jump rings to make beautiful jewelry.
2. Chain maille is easy to carry around and work on while watching TV, visiting family and friends, while waiting in the car, at the doctor, on lunch breaks—any time you have a few minutes.
3. Once you have learned the basics it is easy and fun to develop your own patterns. Chain maille is the perfect “what if?” art form.
4. There are always new patterns to learn if you don’t feel like experimenting on your own.
5. Chain maille is very much like knitting (which I love); knitting is one stitch at a time, chain maille is one ring at a time.
6. Trying weaves in different metals (copper, aluminum, silver, brass, etc.) is exciting as the same weave can look very different in a different metal.
7. Chain maille is not messy like painting or dyeing. I don’t like messy. Yes, rings get caught in the carpet but they don’t stain.
8. Chain maille can be masculine or feminine, depending on the pattern, ring size and material chosen to weave with.
9. Chain maille impresses people; many weaves look very intricate and that is always impressive.
10. Fewer people do chain maille than “mainstream” jewelry so it always attracts more attention at fairs and shows (and when you are wearing it).

And to cap off Charlene’s excellent list, I’ll add an 11th reason to love chain maille:

It looks fabulous on knights! 

What are your reasons?

Tagged as: 10-reasons, chain-maille, charlene-anderson