I might as well tell you now, there is no surprise, well maybe some of you will be surprised. I don't know.
I am at a loss for subject matter today, and as I sit here and stare at the blank screen, mocking me, and urging me to type something, I got nothing.
As many of you know I am just mad about Maille, Chainmaille that is. Spelled properly, Chain Mail is the process of connecting metal rings to each other to create clothing or other items, commonly referred to as Armor. Although Chain Mail is the accepted spelling many Maillers use the spelling maille, as do I, to separate the terms from the mail you receive at home or "Chain Letters". Some are attempting to have the word changed to "Maille" in the dictionary.
So what does that have to do with anything? Absolutely nothing, just a neat piece of information.
Some of you are aware that I am in the process of attempting to fulfill an invitation / request to create an on-line or e-book about Maille, "In Chains". In my research and trying out different weaves, I made a mistake in a pattern, and thought it looked kind of neat. I continued playing with the position of the rings until I came up with a short length of chain seven units long with individual links that resemble an eye or lace.
Nicknamed "Odin's Eye", until I can come up with something better, this weave is from the European 4-in-1 family. The "Helm" weave, of which Odin's Eye is a variation, consists of two outer rings connected to each other, supporting an orbital or floating ring that is sandwiched between them. This weave is thought to originate in Scandinavia. This sample below is Mini or Micro Maille, with an AR of 4.8 and 2.9 for large and small rings, I cannot manage to get the same twist to occur with larger scale rings.
 |
| "Odin's Eye" |
This variation turns the pattern inside out, with the floating rings connected and capturing the inside chain with smaller rings on the outside and twisted, knotted, or mobiused through each other, creating an X or crossed shape at the edges. This gives each individual unit the appearance of an eye. Created from hand-spun and antiqued Copper wire.
 | |
| "Odin's Eye" a Helm Weave variation |
There are similar patterns to this one, and after a little more research I will be submitting this to M.A.I.L. (Maille Artisans International League) as a weave variation for their gallery.
 |
| "Odin's Eye" - Twist may be formed to left or right |
Thank you for stopping in and having a look.
The Alchemists Vessel would like to wish you a pleasant day.
No comments:
Post a Comment