This is a modern take on a traditional chain, and is ideal for keeping track of your rows, in groups of 10, or for tracking to help remind that you are on a plain / pattern or increase / not row as the links alternate hexagonal and round
Personally I can now manage to easily identify if the row I just worked was lace or not, but I'm not so good at remembering or identifying if it's one that requires increases (I've learned this the hard way through knitting toe up socks ;-) )
Final photo shows my persnal, prototype counter in action on a pair of socks*
10 hand crafted sterling jumprings, using a sturdy 1.2mm thick wire, coiled then sawn into circles, then soldered, smoothed and shaped. Each one is large enough to accommodate needles upto and including 5.5mm.
Larger diameters for bigger needles available on request, priced accordingly and made to order
I’ve created hexagons which I’ve hammered to give the Gilly Glimmer, alternating them with circles left untextured
I’m terrible at counting, so like to add a charm to one end of these, so I can easily see where I am with my progress. The two shown here have a freshwater pearl and a mother of pearl leaf. I can easily make yours with a different gemstone – just let me know what you’d like.
Chain measures 7-7.5cm, with the charm adding approximately another centimetre.
All my silver is now bought as certified recycled eco-silver, made from 100% scrap / recycled silver which has been fully refined to ensure it is of the same quality as traditional sterling, but of course without the environmental impact of mining it.
*Sock are the Tidal Socks by Perran Yarns
Knitting row counter / pattern tracker with charm; snag free
Sterling Silver will eventually oxidise or tarnish. It's a natural process that can be slowed down by regular wear and by keeping unworn items away from the atmosphere. If you leave your jewellery out on display, this oxidisation will be faster. You can polish up your items, with a soft cloth, some silver polish, or a buffing cloth such as Town Talk, which is readily available from any high street jewellers in the UK
Fine silver is 99.9% silver, and because of this the tarnish rate is much, much slower. Again, a buff should do the job for polishing it back up. If I have patinated your silver already, be gentle when buffing!
Each piece should stand up to regular wear, but , as with all jewellery, please remove it before washing, using chemicals or applying perfume etc
Apply body lotion and perfume a few minutes before putting on your jewellery to help slow down tarnish
The sterling silver used in these items was sold to me by my bullion dealer as certified recycled.
The gemstones I use have been sold to me by reputable dealers as untreated (unless stated specifically in the listing). They are a natural, organic creation from the earth and each one will be slightly different. You can see examples of this on my Facebook page.
I select the stones that I think go together best for each project, hence my comments that each item is individual.