Byzantine bracelet

My first attempt at the Byzantine pattern using sterling silver jump rings.

The first bracelet I made was a box pattern using too fine a gauge silver wire. It looked the part and was very light and slinky, but lacked durability, eventually catching on a desk and falling apart. Lesson learned - make sure the gauge is appropriate.

For this bracelet I followed instructions in Madeline Coles' book "Two-in-One Manual; Jewellery". The pages are cut in half horizontally; projects appear at the top of each page and techniques are demonstrated on the bottom half. By flipping the pages you can match up the project with the appropriate technique. I found this helpful as a beginner.

There are lots more chain maille designs on the internet - a fascinating and absorbing subject.

Knitting - stitch markers

Finally decided to abandon the tatty bits of yarn that currently serve as stitch markers. As I already have the raw materials - used in my earrings and necklaces - I produced these in a mix of silver plated and sterling silver wire, Swarovski crystals, cats' eyes and various glass beads.

Although the ones shown here have open rings, I'll solder some closed and test-drive to make sure they're a practical size/weight.

Ruffled wristwarmers

Alpaca and Kidsilk Haze ruffled wrist-warmers, courtesy of a free pattern by Brenda Dayne on the Knitty site. Made two pairs of these - one as a Christmas present for my sister, and one for me (of course).

Working in the round with Kidsilk yarn on a too-large circular needle wasn't a good idea. As I didn't have enough double-ended pins I opted for straight ones and a seam. I found it fiddly to incorporate the beads at cast-on (my problem, not the pattern's), so I crocheted the beads onto the cast-on row afterwards.

For the second pair, I abandoned the beads completely at cast-on to avoid the possibility of catching the yarn. Not as pretty, but practical for me. Easy to knit, and toasty warm.