Stainless Steel 4-in-1 Bracelet

Place 4 closed rings on an open ring and close the ring. Arrange the rings so they form a 2-1-2 pattern. With an open ring go through one of the sets of 2 rings, add 2 closed rings and close the ring. With an open ring go through the 2 rings you just added, add 2 closed rings, and close the ring. You now have a 2-1-2-1-2-1-2 chain. The length of this chain determines the width of the bracelet. To make the instructions easier I will number the columns from 1-7. None of the rings sit perfectly flat. Each ring has a raised end that sits higher. Notice in the red odd numbered columns that the rings have a raised edge at the top and in the blue even numbered columns the raised edge is at the bottom. Make sure your piece looks the same, if it doesn't just turn it around so it does.

To add a row take an open ring and go down into the bottom ring in column 1 and back out through the bottom ring in column 3, add 2 closed rings, and close the ring. Arrange the rings so that one is added to column 1 and one to column 3, making sure that the rings sit in the same way as the rings in the column above them.

To add the next ring the process changes slightly because a ring has already been added to column 3 in the last step. Take an open ring and go down through the middle of the bottom 2 rings in column 3 and back out through the bottom ring of column 5, add 1 closed ring, and close the ring. Take an open ring and go down into the bottom 2 rings of column 5 and back out through the bottom ring of column 7, add 1 closed ring, and close the ring. The rings on the edges in columns 1 and 7 can flip around so check that they are in their proper positions as you go.

Continue to add rows by repeating steps 2 and 3. For this bracelet the flat chain maille strip is 31 rows. The clasp and tapered rows take up about 0.5" (1.5cm) so subtract this length from the length you want the finished bracelet to be. This number is how long your chain maille strip needs to be. If you need additional rings, each row consists of 7 rings. 1 inch = 5 - 6 rows.

To taper the rows to attach the clasp add rings to columns 2 - 6 only. To do this repeat step 2 but this time only adding one ring. After you close the ring position the new ring in column 3. Repeat step 3 but this time when you take the open ring down through the 2 bottom rings of column 5 and up through the bottom ring of column 7, don't add the closed ring just close the original ring.

Turn the chain maille over so the 2 bottom rings now have the raised edges at the bottom - shown with red dots. Open the bottom ring that is in column 3 and take the left side of the ring through the first ring on the clasp and take the right side through the second ring on the clasp and close the ring. You may find this step easier using chain nose pliers. Now do the same with the bottom ring in column 5 but going through the 2nd and 3rd rings on the clasp. Do the same for the other side of the clasp, making sure that the 2 bottoms rings of the chain maille strip are sitting the right way before you start.