Complicated?

Complicated?

 

We often watch "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" while we eat lunch. Well, really almost everyday. Today one of the questions was very interesting. Paraphrased  -

 

 

Given these choices,  which one means "Complicated"

 

1) Macedonian, 2) Assyrian, 3) Byzantine, or 4) Caledonian ?

 

I suppose because I'm the one asking, the answer is easy.

It is 3) Byzantine.

 

I checked with a dictionary and found, though it was the 3rd meaning:

 

Byzantine - highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious... complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts;

 

Byzantine is one of my favorite patterns of Chain Maille. It looks complicated but it really isn't (when you know how). I have a book that has lots of variations of Byzantine and I was asked to teach one of them. It is called "Side Knot Design" by Scott David Plumlee.

 

 

 

 

So, I ordered the appropriate rings and started to make a bracelet. New designs usually present a problem getting started but this one ... The easy part was the Byzantine sections. The complicated part was the Side Knot. Byzantine, indeed!

 

I even asked for help from by buddy Scott at pflora beads. It was just trying to understand the instructions while holding what I had put together already without the rungs falling out of order or dropping rings etc. Many times just another pair of eyes helps and it did.

 

Now, I understand and it is not as Byzantine as it seemed in the beginning.

 

Here is a close up picture of the Side Knot.

 

 

 

All of which proves how hard it is to get a good picture of shiny silver rings. The paper clips are just aids to keep the pattern together until more rings can be added. It does lend a bit of size comparison though.

 

 

The finished bracelet really looks nice.

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think of the new design? I think I should add it to my website. This one is made with Argentium sterling Silver (as I usually do - for tarnish resistance)

Bev