A Cross

A Cross I have always wanted to make a cross in Chain Maille. I've seen many different patterns and never found a good one. So, when I saw a kit from Scott David Plumlee for a nice one, I decided to try it. I started with the center. Here is a picture of the start. Now, what you don't see is how many times I started. You, also, can't see the center rings. Two, one on top of the other. The instructions were not complete enough for me. The assembly order could go several ways and of course, I chose the wrong/probably hard way. Thus the restarts. This picture shows the longer length addition. The kit included small blue beads to be added at the crossing. Here are the blue beads added There is a reason for the blue beads being added. (See below) , While I liked the finished cross, I wasn't pleased with the look of the blue beads. The contrast was too much and seemed to overpower the cross. In addition to that, I really prefer silver. Plus, I would like it a bit bigger. Truth be told, I've made one just like this awhile ago, in a larger gauge, but it didn't look good.  Here is what my version looked like.   Droopy! The pattern is Byzantine and normally in a bracelet the looseness/droop is a plus but not in this case. In the kit, by adding the blue beads, the cross arms are tightened up and the droop is eliminated. The larger gauge rings I chose makes a larger piece. So, I thought I would add beads to mine but use beads with less color contrast. I settled on crystal bicones. It is almost impossible to see the crystal bicones, even in person. So you could say that I accomplished my goal of making the cross prominent. Here is the finished piece. The crystals are added, the bottom has been lengthened and strung on a black cord. What do you think? Any suggestions? Do you prefer the silver? Send me an email. with any questions or suggestions. I love to hear from you. Until next time, Bev PS, did  you notice it is late Tuesday? (I usually send this out at 5 AM on Tuesday). My computer got a pretty bad virus Monday and put a crimp in my schedule. Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as it seemed and I was able to have our great computer repair man fix it quickly. He even wiped off the finger prints on the cover.  :-) Website:  www.ringbyringdesigns.com also available at Easton Shovel Town Cultural District Art/Gallery Co-op 50 Main Street Building 9 North Easton, MA Saturday and Sunday 11 AM - 3 PM