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Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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How-to: Chainmaille 101 & Chainmaille Earrings

February 18, 2013 Leave a Comment

How-to: Chainmaille 101 & Chainmaille Earrings | HandsOccupied.com

A couple weeks ago, I decided to sit down and learn how to do chaimaille. My friend Darlene is a chainmaille artist with an Etsy shop, and I’ve had the privilege of watching her work on some chainmaille projects in person. Watching her work is what sparked my interest in trying chainmaille for myself. It’s a fascinating art that can be challenging, but the results are beautiful. Today, I want to share some basic tips with you and show you how to make a very easy set of earrings. Even beginners can make these in just a few minutes!

Chainmaille 101

How to properly open a jump ring

How-to: Chainmaille 101 & Chainmaille Earrings | HandsOccupied.com

The first and biggest lesson to learn if you’re new to chainmaille (or jump rings) is that you’re not trying to break out of prison. You want to bend the ring as little as possible and in the directions shown above. If you open your ring horizontally, or perpendicular to the way shown, you’re weakening the metal of your ring. The more metal is bent, the weaker it gets. Keep that in mind on any chainmaille project. You can also check out more chainmaille tips and tricks here.

Easy Chainmaille Earrings

Supplies

2 earwires
6 large jump rings
8 small jump rings
two chainmaille pliers, available here

How-to: Chainmaille 101 & Chainmaille Earrings | HandsOccupied.com

Directions

Begin by opening all six of your large rings. Grab one large, open ring and place two small rings and an ear wire onto it, as shown. Close the large ring.

How-to: Chainmaille 101 & Chainmaille Earrings | HandsOccupied.com

Attach another large, open ring to the two small rings.

How-to: Chainmaille 101 & Chainmaille Earrings | HandsOccupied.com

Holding your project as shown, pinching the first two small rings, add two more small rings to the open ring and close it.

How-to: Chainmaille 101 & Chainmaille Earrings | HandsOccupied.com

Hook a final large ring onto the last two small rings and close it. One earring down! Repeat the whole process for your second earring.

How-to: Chainmaille 101 & Chainmaille Earrings | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Chainmaille 101 & Chainmaille Earrings | HandsOccupied.com

I want to give a shout out to Chicago’s Blue Buddha Boutique, who provided the supplies and its founder, Rebecca Mojica, who shared her design for this project with us. Tune in Wednesday for more chainmaille goodness! 

Filed Under: DIY Style, How-to Tagged With: 101, blue buddha boutique, chainmaille, chicago, diy, do bats eat cats, earrings, jewelry, jump rings, style

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is an artist, author and crafts designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame. In addition to running the Hands Occupied Blog and Pattern Shop, you can find her making videos & co-hosting the Very Serious Crafts podcast.

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

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knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s ab There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s about how I’m going to take the next 2 weeks off to rest & recharge. ☺️🧶 No new content for y’all means I can also take a moment to zoom out & plan what’s next. Link is in bio. 
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A note on Very Serious Crafts: In the post I discuss stepping away from the @seriouscrafts podcast to give myself more time to devote to some minor medical issues. Don’t you worry - my health will be fine, & @molliejohanson @redhandledscissors and I are still pals, and after a short break of their own, the podcast will be back! Just sans moi. 💁🏼‍♀️😆 
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See you in a couple weeks! ✌🏻#handsoccupied #knitdesign #craftdesign #sofadedsweater
Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it shoul Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it should be. ☺️🎄The past few days have been filled with a lot of catching up on festive zoom calls & raising toasts to the camera. 🥂 Connecting with people has been a welcome change of pace! Now I’m feeling ready to meet my inevitable end-of-year deadlines. 😆
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Warmest wishes for the season, my friends! ❤️💛💙
Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker beh Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker behind Hands Occupied! 👋🏻 I’ve been enjoying making Reels a lot lately, but I wanted to bop in to share a regular photo & say hello. 🤓 
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rather than giving you my bio right now, I have a question. I just got this new sweater & I can’t stop imaging how funny it would be to wear this to a knitting class ... is that bad? 🤣🤣🤣
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Pictured: a blond woman with glasses wearing a sweater that reads “all your sweaters are ugly” standing in front of a Christmas tree.
Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is o Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is one of the most common methods for finishing a knitting project and helping ensure its final size and shape. Learn basic blocking for absolute beginners in an easy-to-follow (non-Reel!) video tutorial! Catch the tutorial on YouTube or the Hands Occupied Blog, link is in bio. 🧶 #handsoccupied #stopswatchandblockit #KPAmbassadorsDec20 #sponsored
Had to share this perfect capture of one of my fav Had to share this perfect capture of one of my favorite weird homemade Christmas ornaments: a simple macramé Santa face with beads for the eyes and nose! My Great-Grandma made it too. 🎄
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Might have to try making a quickie Reel tutorial for this guy - I think it’s the perfect project for it, don’t you? 🎅🏼 #handsoccupied #macrame
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