I don’t even have the inkle loom weaving out of the starting block yet and someone starts asking about chainmail classes! Geesh! The date is set for the 21st of April from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at the Cherry Hills Library. I will post that to the homeschool forums – please, feel free to cross-post this information!
So what would I teach these homeschool kiddos? Well I don’t think I will force them into a full hour of cutting rings . . . maybe it would give them a true sense of how much work is involved in getting ready to “weave” mail . . . but I have a hunch that most of them would revolt long before the hour was up. Maybe five minutes at cutting rings will be sufficient. Of course, that means that I will be cutting rings for hours so that I have enough to teach the little darlings. That’s ok . . . I’m a glutton for punishment and I’ve been told that I have more patience then some saints. I probably will start them out with some nice, soft aluminum rings . . . easy to manipulate so as to avoid early frustration. We can move on to some good ol’ galvanized steel 16 guage rings . . . and I’ll have some 14 guage around just in case some of them are feeling like a challenge.
Every young lady should have a European 4-in-1 vest in her wardrobe!!!
As 14th century England is our Medieval focus, I would think European 4-in-1 would be the primary pattern for us to work on. Of course, having a few samples of European 6-in-1 and king’s mail will help to show some of the basic variations, along with a few of the “Japanese” patterns.
So . . . I don’t consider myself a sexist by any means, but I try to be aware of the sensitivities of the young ladies who might be in the class . . . and bending big rings of wire to make some silly armor pieces may not be of much interest. For them, I will offer a few chainmail-inspired jewelry projects to work on. While not Medieval in any shape or form, the projects would still teach the basics of chainmail weaving . . . and they might be alot more fun! Anyone who knows me also knows that I’ve probably produced a few hundered chainmail jewelry items over the years . . . so a few more won’t hurt! Actually, there’s a little gothic shop down the street – I’m hoping to convince them that chainmail jewelry might be something worth having in their display cases – Raven Blackwood. Once I get the first inkle loom class out of the way, I will spend a little more energy making some jewelry and cutting rings for the class. If you’re not doing anything, drop me a line . . . I’ll give you a ring-cutting assignment!!! I’m serious . . . if you’ve ever cut rings, you know what I’m facing . . . any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!
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