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There is a family of weaves that is more intense than regular chainmail and might even be mistaken for a full braid, plait, or a Viking knit variation. They are collectively called loop-in-loop chains. The variations in link shape alone can keep one busy for a lifetime exploring all the possibilities. See my webpage or blog entry for more details.

Loop-in-loop is the next step in chain link jewelry. It is a rarity that will appeal the masses and then some, a product that can only be handmade. Though delicate-looking, these are among the strongest chains for their size due to the forged links.

One major difference from regular chainmail is the precision. There are additional steps, each one progressively more difficult with many places to introduce errors. It will be virtually impossible to accomplish the most basic weave here without rock-solid "good closures" in regular chainmaille.

Elongating the ring inevitably causes variations within a batch unless each is precisely done in a jig. Still, the rings have to be woven into place by hand. A crooked ring may cause troubles for five or more links (the weave will lack precision and symmetry).

After seeing how nice a finished 2S-1L and 2S-2L looked, it appeared that more sides and loops would also mean better aesthetics. So it seemed reasonable to make samples of 1S-1L to 4S-5L to find the magic spot. Adding some extras for variety meant nearly 20 test samples.

Having previously thought of double-digit aspect ratios in the abstract, a 46 A.R. was ludicrous. In the biggest oxymoron, the 0.5mm wire size makes it micromaille but the rings are nearly 1" in diameter! The lesson, which was clearly seen as early as the 4S-1L, was that a tightly woven 4-sided loop-in-loop is very stiff and begins to get in its own way.

When using a drawplate as often happens with these weaves, a loose weave works best. It evens out somewhat as it's repeatedly squeezed through smaller holes. Relying on the drawplate and a loose weave is not reassuring because it can only come out so good. They can remain raw and still look like they were made by the gods so drawplates are not always the answer.

Secretly I was hoping the 4S-5L loop-in-loop would prompt me to go even bigger. Fail. It was so tight it'd take a 10ft chain to make a circular loop, never mind any wearable jewelry. While more sides and more loops may not have been a resounding success for the test weave samples, I know an 8S-8L is possible if....

Posted by M: August 28, 2017

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