Something from the Maille of the House

Allan aka The Mailleman has been busy working on a wee project for himself. Can you guess what it is going to be?

I'm impressed, these rings are quite small, only 4mm (5/32") diameter in fact, and there are many of them...many many!
Did I mention they are small & that I don't know how he can see what he's doing because every time I peek over his shoulder all I see is blurry small things.

It's really quite wonderful to think where the art of linking rings, in order to form wearable items that were often protective, originated.
For that matter it is interesting to stop & think what purposes it is still being used for in providing protective items for divers, chefs & butchers. I wonder what other form of practical wear has endured, unchanged to a large extent, for this long.

While we are chattering on about old things... I rather like this.
A good insight into the English language, most of which I grew up with.

On Quoting Shakespeare

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me'', you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare;
if you act more in sorrow than in anger; if your wish is farther to the thought; if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare;
if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise -why, be that as it may, the more fool you , for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare;
if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare;
even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut tut! For goodness' sake! What the dickens! But me no buts! - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.

Bernard Levin

I'm Not In Love....

....so don't forget it
It's just a silly phase I'm going through.

Remember 10CC? No neither do I - I am far too young!!

Actually that song just popped into my head when I was thinking about where I live. I'm over it now though.

Mobius Unicus Deb

In fact I am in love. My honey (sorry ladies - even if we were married I would refuse to call him my DH, every time I read that I think 'Dick Head') makes Chainmaille. Now I probably havent said just how inordinately proud I am of this man for what he is doing.
This is the guy that encourages me. He will see a tiny bit of beauty even in my ugliest bead & tell me that I have talent, even in area's where I feel that I have none. This is also the same guy that say's he doesn't have an arty or crafty bone in his body, & when I have suggested that he tries something or other, he has said that he has no imagination.

Well something must have happened, or changed. His chainmaille is great & as far as I can see it is just continually getting better.

It has been a standing joke that I don't have a piece of said chainmaille, & being the silver ho that I unashamedly am - this is somewhat surprising. The poor man frequently shows me designs as he's always wanted to make something for me, but I have put him off by saying that I will know what I want when I see it.
A couple of weeks ago I saw what I wanted - well it was similar to what I thought I wanted,... of course I just had to change things a wee bit to make it more 'deblike' - so I wanted it bigger & with bronze rings as well as silver. The rings were ordered.

Now I play around a bit with some jewelry making & wirework. I have pliers - quite a few pairs of hobby/craft pliers in different styles, but I never seem to be completely happy with the results I get from some of them (althought that could be blamed on the user)- they marr the silver or such, do not meet properly where they should & they are not of a really good quality. So occassionally I borrow the chainmaillers pliers. These were bought ,after much reasearch on chainmaille forums, by said chainmailler specifically because they were box jointed & very precise. I like the chainmaillers pliers ....very much.
Often the chaimailler finds his pliers residing on my desk - oops!

So it was a wonderful surprise when the rings for my bracelet arrived & in with them were two pairs of pliers the same as his. Gotta love a man that buys his girl some tools & the means to make jewelry.

Come to me my precioussssss ...pliers

A lovely form

I'm trying to figure out a 'thumbnail' to use for the link to chainmaille on my website. I'd also like to be able to use the same props for jewelry & beads - to attain a sense of cohesiveness & flow throughout the main page of links.

I love the form of this photo - but will it be indicative enough of what lies beyond???

This Is Not Art…….

But it certainly spins my wheels!

I can’t blog about what I’d like to – for fear that the future recipients (my son & his lovely fiancé Kerry) see it.
What I can tell you is that I had an extremely wonderful offer yesterday from an absolutely fabulous lady. Having been at a total loss as to what to get the lovely couple when they swan down here next month for their engagement party – I had the PERFECT solution of the most perfect gift deposited right into my lap yesterday. This is something I looked at & immediately fell in love with about 6 weeks or so ago, & although I personally loved it – the second I saw it I thought of Kieran & Kerry. It was something that I would have purchased immediately had I had the means to do so – I didn’t & I still don’t. That is about all I can say for now though.

Over the years I come to believe that if something is meant for you than it shall be yours. If something you really desire for some reason doesn’t end up in your possession – then it was never meant to be.
Now I was just about to type “that still doesn’t explain my lost earring though” - & then had it pointed out to me that just maybe it does. For everything there is a purpose.

This is leading somewhere – even though I have left a rather loose end above. If you really want to know what it is I am getting & how it came about – email me & all shall be revealed! Sometimes having a son that is in Specialized Communications in the Army is a real bear! Lol!
I can just hear him saying “Mum – you can run, but you cannot hide “.

A classic example of things happening when they should do is the Tumbler that arrived from the USA this week. I had tried to get one brought back by a friend when she was visiting the USA in January – it just didn’t pan out, which I have to admit was quite disappointing at the time.

Thanks to some timely enablement by a certain person stateside & an equally timely cash injection from NZ’s beloved tax department I was able to procure one of these beauties at last! To those involved stateside in enabling, aiding & abetting & me – I am eternally grateful (well perhaps NOT the tax department – they were just giving what was mine, but late – as usual).

Now anyone who knows me – would know that tools do indeed spin my wheels.
Once I had managed to get the right power transformer the lovely Tumbler had it’s inaugural run &, Allan put some of his chainmaille pieces through. With a lack of steel shot on hand – we tried a suggestion he had found discussed by other chainmailler’s on a forum he belongs to…… Rice!


And it worked ...brilliantly!