I get emails from time to time asking for advice about finding this-or-that in the chainmail world. I can usually point people in the right direction, or at least tell them who to ask next. When Michael (head of production for Hannah Martin jewellery) emailed me almost exactly a year ago, I thought it would… [Read More]
Venturing into Etsy…
In mid-2022 I created an Etsy page called JustJumpRings to sell itty-bitty quantities of a few select sizes of rings. I was curious to see what that different “ecosystem” of jump ring customers might be like. It’s been interesting! Not wildly profitable, but definitely fun – and different. And then I realized that Etsy might… [Read More]
No more Scott Plumlee kits
It was fun to host Scott’s kits, but business has been pretty slow here at Spiderchain and Scott has decided that he wants to find a different (higher volume) venue for his kits. You can check his site for updates about the new kit supplier. I do still have some of Scotts books in stock,… [Read More]
Order Delays – Coronavirus
Things have gotten a little odd here in California. The confirmed cases of COVID-19 are rising dramatically, and “hidden” cases are almost certainly much higher – we just don’t have enough tests to know what’s really going on. I can’t predict how the next few weeks/months will unfold, but I do know that it will… [Read More]
Changes for Spiderchain – Good, Bad, and Ugly
Update: January 2023 now, and Spiderchain is back on the front burner! This time I’m taking a hard focus on marketing and business-type stuff (not my native language!) and I’m hopeful about the future in my little corner of the chainmail world. The Good I really love what I’ve created with Spiderchain. I’m proud of… [Read More]
Jump Ring CPR
Every once in a while I come across a bad section of wire. Something went wrong at the wire mill, resulting in a few inches (or a few feet!) of wire that coils poorly. It cracks and shreds and throws out wire whiskers. Not OK. Luckily, bad wire is rare. We toss the affected coil(s)… [Read More]
Size-Graduated Necklaces
One of the easiest ways to turn a simple chain into an elegant necklace is by introducing a gradual size change – thicker in the center, thinner at the ends. Stick with the Spider Approved™ ring sizes, and use every wire gauge. The change from one size to the next will be subtle enough that… [Read More]
Stepping Stone Pendants
Liz is a chainmailler who loves color! She’s been collecting colorful glass pendants to use in gifts for her family, and she wanted to make niobium necklaces to to compliment each pendant, all the same pattern of chainmail. Color? Check. Clever idea? Check. Variations on a theme? Check. This is my kind of project! Liz planned to use… [Read More]
Rubber Rings
Please join me in welcoming rubber rings to the Spiderchain family. These are the rubber rings developed by Blue Buddha Boutique, and now that B3 is closing? The rubber rings needed a new home. I hope they’ll feel very welcome here! These brightly colored rings give a fun twist to chainmail. You can make stretchy… [Read More]
Are those real piles of rings?
Several people have asked how I made those material selection images on the jump ring shopping page. No, it’s not computer generated. Yes, I really did mix up a bunch of rings and dump them in a pile. (I chose sizes that were easy to sift out again later.) The sizes I used are all listed… [Read More]
Phaedra Kits!
I am pleased and proud to announce that I’ve been working with Karen Snyder of O. Sebastian Chainmaille Creations to develop goldfill kits for her popular Phaedra design – sparkling Swarovski rivoli stones captured in a secure chainmail setting. These kits are currently available in five different sizes, with two larger sizes currently in development…. [Read More]
Welcome to the new site!
Are you surprised to find yourself here? Were you expecting a no-frills black-background site? The world has changed out from under you (sorry about that), but it’s actually better. Welcome to the new and improved Spiderchain! I’ve reworked a bunch of stuff to make it easier for you to find what you need, and easily… [Read More]
Adventures of a Birthday Necklace
Sometimes a project gets away from me (usually in a good way). In this case, a gift for a friend somehow morphed into a mini-photoessay. This is where it all started… I was making a birthday present for a dear friend – my husband thought that the niobium color fade looked pretty, so he snapped… [Read More]
Joining European 6-in-1
This is a mini-lesson for joining ends of European 6-in-1. If you don’t already know how to make this weave, I recommend buying a copy of my first DVD which teaches European 6-in-1 plus six other weaves. Step 1 Make a strip of European 6-in-1, 3 rows wide. If you use the “mouse ears” method… [Read More]
Nazgul Lightsaber – Just Add Chainmail
I get a lot of emails. Most of them are the sorts of things you’d expect: requests for size recommendations; advice on designing pieces; making specific weaves; etc. But every once in a while I get something truly unique. Like when I received… “My name is Aaron and I make lightsabers.” *blink* OK, that wasn’t at… [Read More]
Charming Teapots
Gaylene emailed me from New Zealand about making a bracelet for her mother’s 60th birthday. Gaylene said “She really likes decorative teapots, but alas, no more room to add to her collection. So I thought of a teapot charm bracelet.” What a sweet idea! The only problem was that Gaylene wasn’t sure what weave to use and… [Read More]
Cloud Cover and 4Winds
Celeste emailed me about size recommendations for Cloud Cover. It was a new weave to me (which is always exciting!) so I decided to play a little bit. If you don’t already know how to make Cloud Cover, take a look at the nice tutorial on M.A.I.L., which also teaches Cloud Cover’s sister weave, 4Winds. I… [Read More]
Fairy Lights
I came across some glow-in-the-dark “rocks” while researching a concrete walkway project for my garden. It’s a neat concept: you set these chunks of (plastic) rocks into your concrete and it absorbs light all day so you have a gently glowing path at night. I eventually decided against using it for my path project, but I… [Read More]
Perfect Closures
Beautiful chainmail requires rings that are beautifully closed. Learn to recognize and correct the most common ring-closing errors. [Read More]
Reconstructing Vertebrae
When Mark crashed his bike (ow!) his bracelet got torn apart. He really wanted to repair the bracelet but couldn’t find all the pieces so he contacted me for help figuring out what sizes to use. In situations like this it’s much easier to have confidence in the size match if I can actually hold… [Read More]