How to Knit or Crochet Chain Mail for Cosplay

Several years ago, I made a chain-mail hauberk for a Legend of Zelda cosplay. It was steel rings in a simple four-in-in weave, and it looked pretty dang good, if I can be allowed to pat myself on the back there. However, it also weighed 13 pounds, and wearing it was desperately uncomfortable even though I tried to add discreet padding to the costume. (Link, why aren’t you wearing a gambeson under there?!) It also took a long time and a fair amount of money to make, and spending hours at a time working to get it finished in time made my hands pretty sore. While there are options for materials lighter than steel to address the weight issue, the other considerations still apply.

One option for cosplay that involves chain mail armor is using knitted or crocheted fabric to spoof the look of mail. It’s regularly used in theater productions and even sometimes in feature films! (If you look closely, a lot of the chain mail in Monty Python and the Holy Grail is knitted fabric, painted metallic.) Knit chain mail is wonderfully lightweight, so your back and shoulders don’t ache after wearing it for a few hours. And yarn is fairly cheap, so your wallet doesn’t ache either! It admittedly is not without its own downsides; it can get warm in summer and does not look quite as good as actual metal-ring chain mail. However, if you are willing to make those tradeoffs, it’s a good option for folks looking for cosplay chain mail that fits their budget or physical constraints.

Your first decision when looking into knitted or crocheted chain mail is how to get the fabric. Do you thrift or buy a knitted garment that you then repurpose? Or do you knit or crochet the whole thing yourself? If you decide to make it yourself, what stitch do you use to make it look the most like chain mail? There are a few options for stitches, and it’s mostly up to your preference, your skill level, and how much it matches your reference images.

Garter stitch knitted on oversized needles (left, K. N. Hamann) and on recommended needle size (right, New Stitch A Day).

The garter stitch for knitting is the simplest option, and it looks fairly similar to chain mail rings, especially at a distance. The garter stitch only requires knowledge of the knit stitch and would be great for a beginner knitter. You can knit it using the recommended needle size for the yarn you’re using, or you can use needles several sizes larger in order to get a more open-loop look.

If you are already a skilled knitter, you can use something a little more complicated, like the armor stitch. This one requires using two different needle sizes—one small, one large—and both knitting and purling stitches.

Armor Stitch by Aabhar Creations.

For crochet, just a simple US double crochet gives you a decent chain-mail lookalike, though I’ve also seen people use US single and the trellis stitch to get effective results. If your reference image doesn’t quite match up with any of these mentioned stitches, you can also browse a stitch dictionary to sight-match something that looks right to you. Stitch dictionaries are frequently available as printed books (check your local library!), but I like the website New Stitch a Day, which has both crochet and knit stitch libraries. Also, don’t forget to check out pattern websites for full instructions on the armor pieces you want to make!

A quick search for crochet patterns for chain mail on Ravelry pulls up a few useful patterns. Searching other terms can also unearth a few more options.

The last thing you need to consider when crocheting or knitting chain mail is how to make the yarn look more like metal than fiber. There are metallic yarns out there that can give you a pretty good metal appearance, but they do tend to be a little more expensive than other yarn. The easiest option is to buy whatever acrylic yarn you prefer, make your armor, and then use metallic paint to finish the look. When painting, be aware that the more paint you use, the stiffer the yarn will be when it dries. You’ll want to pick a yarn that will look okay if it shows through (so maybe leave the neon pink behind) and apply the paint in thin layers until it looks okay.

In my opinion, part of the fun of cosplay is figuring out how to MacGyver your way to a finished costume. Character designs aren’t always made with comfort or feasibility in mind, yet sometimes you just really want to cosplay that specific character, dang it! Having a lot of tools in your toolbox, so to speak, can be helpful when problem-solving your way to a cool cosplay. I hope this little exploration into the possibilities helps you plan your cosplay chain mail.