New in Shop: The Fool

As I discussed when I introduced my Alienmaille bracelet, I love Euro 4-1. This necklace is yet another example of why I love the classic Euro 4-1 chain maille weave so much: all of the variations that can be made with it as a base. Simply by altering the amount of jump rings in each row of the necklace, dags (or daggers) are created. The dags in this necklace remind me of the typical court jester's costume, thus the name The Fool.

The Fool measures 19 1/2" including a 1 1/2" extender chain to vary the length of the necklace. The dags alternate in length from 1 1/8" to 1 1/4" from the top of the necklace collar to the bottom of the dag. The Fool was made using bright aluminum jump rings which are extremely light and so shiny that it is typically confused with sterling silver.

The Fool is available in Athena's Armoury's Artfire Studio and Etsy Shop.

Three Happy Surprise Features!

I just very happily discovered that Athena's Armoury is featured in not one, not two, but three different places over the course of the last few days!

First, I received a notice through Blog Catalog from FishHawk informing me that I was featured in his Five for Friday feature. FishHawk says: "FIVE FOR FRIDAY is a weekly feature on this blog that is meant for the SOLE purpose of calling attention unto sites that I think that many would find interesting." He featured my Euro 4-1 stainless steel bracelet with lovely lavender glass dangles:

Thank you FishHawk!!

I was just scrolling through the referring URL's of people who visited my blog and noticed that quite a few people were coming from two different places over the course of the last few days: Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories and The Scarlett Rose Garden.


The Scarlett Rose Garden is a totally charming blog featuring (among other things) fantastic vintage clothing. Nikki at Scarlett featured my blog post on Rosie the Riveter for her "How to look Rosie for the 4th!" blog post.

Thank you Scarlett Rose Garden!!

And lastly, Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories did a fantastic tutorial on how to make your own DIY d12 Handbag (of Holding) . In their intro, they linked back to my blog post featuring the alternative use of my Chain Maille Dice Bag as an evening purse.

Thank you Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories!!

Summertime Lull

This blog entry is a part of the Blog Carnival for the EtsyBloggers Street Team.

Summer is notoriously slow for theatre. That said, we are able to do some prep work for the coming season and some maintenance that there wasn't time for while we're 'in season.' But we also spend a lot of time hanging out, drinking coffee, surfing the internet, and hiding from the folks in the Ivory Tower. I personally am lucky enough to have an office, so I plan on closing my door for a little while in the morning and then again in the afternoon so I can play with pliers. I'm hoping that the summertime lull will be a good time for me to continue building up my inventory as I prepare for ren faires! I was starting to think about the amount of goods I want to have in my booth. I plan on having a good selection of one of a kind items, some stuff that needs to be ordered (armor and clothing), as well as piles of production line kind of stuff. I thought that something like 100 Euro 4-1 bracelets would be a good start. This is the weave, but the pile o' pretty will not include the dangles:
I plan on making a variety of ring sizes as well different thickness; and also using a variety of metals. Hmmmm. . . maybe 100 won't be enough. . .

Also, with the slower summer season, Scott will be around a bit more often, too. Unfortunately for him, that means he's got to catch up on all of the house fixes he's been putting off.

Athena's Armoury Featured on NeatoStuff.com

Very cool news: Athena's Armoury has been featured on the homepage of a shopping guide website called NeatoStuff.com! It's a ring called Finger Armour. It was made using the Euro 4-1 chain maille weave which is the very same weave used to make armor for centuries. I've been told that the ring will be on their homepage for a full week and then be available in their archives for forever and ever. You can go directly to their listing here.

If you click through on the picture on that last page it will actually bring you to the ring section of my shop, so it shows that I have other ring options available, too. Yay!

Check Out Athena's Armoury in TWO Places!

I'm pleased to share with you that three items from Athena's Armoury are being featured in the Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team's Spring Fever Exhibition! There are all kinds of fun goodies included in the exhibition, such as: artwork, jewelry, ritual oil, dolls, sculpture, accessories, housewares, masks, and more. Items from the Armoury include:

Napkin Armour for that spring picnic:

A Beaded Daisies Bracelet to wear to the picnic:


And the Katie Collar for your pup:


Athena's Armoury has also been featured at MyFairyBabies, a blog run by Hyla with the Etsy shop of the same name. This shop contains all kinds of fun kiddie items, fairy dolls, and dragon ornaments. I actually love Hyla's other shop: Steampunk Box Books. It is thanks to her that I was introduced to this fabulous genre. And finally, Faewood Creations houses her fingerless gloves, tote bags, and jewelry. She's a busy lady!

Maille is More Than Just Jewelry

I realize that not everyone knows what chain maille is. What I find to be a continuous source of amusement, however, is that many of the people who have heard of it think that it can only be jewelry. Friends, a good portion of the maillers out there today do, in fact, make jewelry using these centuries old weaves. However, when these weaves originated (as early as the 4th century BCE) they were used to make armour. It wasn't until the 14th century that plate armour began to supplement chain maille.

Modern uses of this ancient armour continue to include protective clothing for people such as butchers, scuba divers and animal control officers, as well as splatter masks used by tank crews in WWI (see left). Maille remained in use as a decorative and possibly high-status symbol with military overtones long after its practical usefulness had passed.


It is only recent trends in chain maille artwork that has allowed for it to be adapted for decorative use in sculpture, jewelry, headdresses, Christmas ornaments, and chess sets. It is thanks to these non-traditional uses and the ingenuity of maillesmiths the world over that hundreds of new weaves have been invented.

In the spirit of using the ancient Euro 4-1 chain maille weave for a modern use, I'd like to introduce a new item in Athena's Armoury:

Napkin Armour

Now available at Athena's Armoury

Trying to add a touch of class to the bawdy great hall? These napkin rings will do the trick! They won't break if a brawl breaks out nor will they rust if a bit of wine spills on them. They were made using extremely strong and durable stainless steel rings; stainless steel is also corrosion and rust resistant. Lovely blue glass beads, reminiscent of sea glass, adorn them with little rosettes on either side. With regular use, stainless steel will remain quite shiny. However, if you notice that they are dulling, just wash them with some hot, soapy water and they'll be shiny once again. 1 1/2" diameter.

Bags, Bags Everywhere

I'm excited to announce the addition of more styles of Dice Bags in my Etsy shop: Athena's Armoury. During December, I was in a Dice Bag making frenzy: both standard as well as some custom orders.

My standard Dice Bag was quite the craze as a Christmas present to many a geeky significant other (I say that with lots of love since I have one of my own: self-proclaimed no less!).

One of the custom orders I did was for the same size as my standard bag, but with copper cinch rings instead.

When someone saw me working on a Dice Bag at work, I got a custom order for a Crown Royal size Dice Bag.

All of these styles are now available at Athena's Armoury!

Please note that the two standard size style bags both ship within three business days of payment, however, the Uber Dice Bag (Crown Royal size) will be made when I receive your payment and will ship out in approximately two weeks. If time is a concern, contact me first.

Cat and Coif

Not cat in coif (although I've seen that before), but updates on the cat and the coif.

Okay, the coif first. I keep forgetting to post these pictures. While Scott and I were still in the apartment, his sister and her kids (who live overseas) were in town visiting. They all so sweetly made a fuss about my coif and we managed to get pic's of two out of three of the kids wearing it and holding Scott's Gandalf sword from The Lord of the Rings Collection. Check 'em out. Don't they look awesome?

Okay, now the cat. After much stress of deciding what to do with her, I finally decided to go with my instinct of getting her inside. With no claws, it's just not right for her to be outside: no way of getting food, no way of defending herself, even no way for escape by climbing up a tree. So, I stopped by PetSmart on the way home intending to pick up only the very basics, just in case "Lost Cat" signs get posted over the weekend. I came home and I saw her across the street. I made the "psst, psst, psst" sound that attracts her attention and, I kid you not, she galloped across the street to me. I took out one of the toys (I had to get her her something fun, not just kitty litter) and played with her for a little bit. I opened the door, went in and left the door open and let her decide what she wanted to do. I didn't try to entice her or anything and she came in. I let her check out things for a little bit and when she didn't make any move to head back for the door, I closed it. I gave her some food and she just scarfed it down. Looking at me and meowing, I kind of got the hint that she was still hungry so gave her some more. It was a fairly uneventful night with the exception of when I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. I guess she thought I was up and it was time to play, because she followed me back to bed and started purring and nudging my hand. She's also a fairly good wake up call. The second my alarm went off this morning, she meowed from down the hall and came running in and started purring and nudging me again. She had another whole bowl of food for breakfast and successfully used the litter box during the night. I think she's still a little confused about where she is, but she seems content.

The Coif is Complete

In attempting to actually accomplish the goals I set out for myself, I'm finally giving an update on my coif (which I just listed at Etsy, by the way). I first started working on this coif way back in May and blogged about it here in the beginning of June when I had only the beanie portion of it done.

After the beanie was complete, the neck covering of the hood was added to make it into a standard coif (head and neck protection). Unfortunately, it had to be put on the back burner while I waited to receive more rings. I decided not to coil and cut my own rings for this project because I knew there would be so many and I had much rather spend my time actually weaving this time. I actually love the look of the standard coif: it reminds me of the kind of bob-like haircut you may see fashioned on Cleopatra. I plan on getting some enameled or anodized rings in maybe magenta to make it into a wig style for club wear. =)


Last, I added the mantle which adds protection for the throat and upper chest. The mantle, like the beanie portion is more expanding rows of Euro 4-1. It was so much fun to do this project. I loved making fabric out of metal, it felt so cool in my hands. It's also such an amazing dichotomy for metal to feel so fluid.


Historical methods of weaving were used in the creation of this coif, including expanding Euro 4-1. This piece represents countless hours of work with approximately 6000 bright aluminum rings all hand woven by me with seamless closures. Because it was made using bright aluminum (which is 1/3 the weight of steel), it weighs just shy of 2 lbs. Bright aluminum rings, 16 gauge, 1/4" ID: These rings are a good strength for use in combat grade armour and will work for SCA armour. Maille will protect against an edge of a weapon, however padding should be worn underneath for additional protection and a helmet is also commonly worn.

Dice Bags!!

I'm excited to be adding Dice Bags to Athena's Armoury! They are so fun to make. Don't get me wrong, I love the shiny metal jewelry, but I also really enjoy working on a decent sized project, too. I love the way the metal feels in my hands as I weave it with my pliers. With a project like this the metal turns into a mesh fabric, a feeling you would never expect from metal.

These wondrously versatile little pouches aren't just for dice, either! Going out for a night on the town? Throw your essentials into the pouch, tie it to your belt loop, and watch everyone stare at the shiny metal sparkling from your hip.

Guys: don't feel like loading up your pockets or carrying a man purse? Check this baby out: room for your wallet, cell phone, keys.

But, I can't forget you gamer geeks out there since my man is one, too. Of course this bag is for you and your dice for your next D&D session!!

Etsy Bloggers Street Team Theme: Orange

I've been racking my brain trying to think of a fantastic project I can do using orange jump rings or O-rings, but not having any in stock at the moment put a serious damper on that! But then, I realized that I already have some orange already in both of my shops! I've got some orange pendants in my original Etsy shop, Beach Bum Creations.

But, even more exciting than supplies is something that I've made. Although, not really orange, copper's as close as I've got! You can find this Mobiused Rosette Bracelet in Athena's Armoury, my new shop for chain maille.

That's probably one of my all time favorite bracelets. I made one for myself and always get compliments on it. It was made using 18 gauge copper rings with, I believe, 1/4" inner diameter. It's a variation on the classic Euro 4-1 chain maille weave (most commonly seen in armour).

Cleaning Copper
I've had mine for quite some time now and it's starting to get a little dull, but that's easily fixed. Just mix together some lemon juice and salt, add bracelet, then slosh around a little bit. However, you must make sure you rinse it off!! The salt will make the bracelet crusty if you let it sit and the acid in the lemon juice will eat away at the metal. If you want to make extra certain it's clean of the lemon juice solution and perhaps keep the shine a bit longer, you can make a paste with baking powder and water and rub it on the copper. This will neutralize the acid. Then, of course, rinse again and dry. Beautiful, shiny copper once again!