Chainmaille Necklace!

I'm done with my copper/aluminum chainmaille necklace!  Saturday night with a brand new episode of Doctor Who in front of me, I finished my first piece of something-I-would-actually-wear jewelry, despite the episode being weird and random... but it had Mark Shepperd in it so everything will be okay in the end.

My necklace:

 

or in a coil:

Chainmaille Jewelry

So the good news is I've picked up a new craft and the bad news is that I've picked up a new craft.  I was just introduced to the art of chainmaille jewelry.  I am currently working with copper clad aluminum, a lightweight combo of metal that looks really pretty!  I'm using the saw cut links because they are cheaper (+) but good quality (+/-) while the machine cut ones are more expensive (-) and have a gap (-) but are very smooth (+).  The rings I'm using are 5/16" and have a 14 gauge.  The weave/pattern?  The Mobius Knot!  It's not too hard and is very pretty!  Right now I have a little under 4inches and 31 rings... so to make a 14.5in necklace I'm going to need a little more than 80 more rings.

Advice: This website also has a lot of weaves and patterns listed, advice on ring sizes, and a couple direction sets to get you hooked on the craft and buy their book... it might be working!  ^_^  For more patterns and advice this site is a good one too!  Lastly I was recommended to A. C. Moore as a craft store like JoAnn's and Michaels to get the basic materials, but if I get really addicted to this sort of expensive craft The Ring Lord is the only way to go; they have a great selection but it's ordering from Canada so the shipping costs are an expected downside.

Lastly, this little Etsy shop is AWESOME-check it out!