It’s hard to believe it’s taken me so long to share with you how to make a simple ojo de dios (‘eye of god’) considering I’ve made tons myself and even taught workshops in Sydney on how to make them. Traditionally, an ojo de dios is made by the Huichol Indians of Mexico-the father of the family makes one when a baby is born and adds onto it for the next five years of the child’s life (this is a complex ojo de dios which I can also show you how to make one day) to ensure a child a happy and healthy existence. You may have already made one when you were younger at school, so consider this a refresher course- it will mostly likely all come back to you as you start weaving. It seems a bit tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, making ojos de dios is quite simple…therapeutic even and a fun family activity *kids really get into it!
1)Start with two sticks- the straighter the better. Place them across one another in the shape of a cross or plus sign. I like to use found sticks from outside, but you can try popsicle sticks or something less organic from your local craft store.
2)Place the end of your wool in the cross-section and start wrapping around the two sticks so that they eventually are held together in place with the wool. You can do this for quite awhile to get extra sturdiness and make sure to go in between both sides of the cross.
3)Once your cross is in place, start wrapping around each individual stick. Cross in front of one stick. Loop behind same stick.
4)Cross in front of the next closest stick. Loop behind same stick.
5)Cross in front, loop behind. Repeat, repeat, repeat. You will eventually notice a diamond shape forming out of your wool.
6)When you are ready to switch colors, simply cut the end of the yarn you were using and tie on a new color to your original or current strand.
7)Continue weaving and you will notice the new color forming a diamond around the previous color.
8)Do this for as long as you want and with as many different colors as you’d like until you are happy or run out of stick length.
9)To finish, make a loop with your wool at the back of your design and tie a knot as tight and as close as you can to the stick. Do this a couple of times for extra security. *I like to add a dab of glue to my knot just to make sure.
9)You can make a loop for hanging or simply leave some extra wool length when you cut after knotting so that you have something to use to hang your ojo de dios.
10) Hang them in a window at home, place on the wall or on the mantle orrrr…go crazy and hang a bunch like this. Give one as a gift; I like to think that they make extra special baby gifts considering their history.
Will you be making one this weekend? All you need are some sticks and some wool (and a bit of patience at first ;) ) Once you get the hang of it, you can add sequins, beads, pom-poms…the possibilities are endless!
{Project by Nicole Valentine Don for Justina Blakeney est. 1979.}
For more Nicole, visit her blog and follow her on instagram.
Photos by: Dara Tippapart
Omg. I used to make these all the time when I was little. I actually forgot about it until I read your post. I’ll have to look tomorrow to see if I still have a couple of them.
That’s awesome- I thought it might remind some of you of when you were little!
Wow! This post brought back childhood memories of my sibs and I sitting at the kitchen table making ‘eye of the god’ ornaments. We had a ton of them around our house. My mom still has some she puts on the tree at the holiday time. Thanks for sharing.
I’m a sucker for nostalgia, so I’m so happy to hear that this has struck that chord with you. What a cute idea to put them on the tree for the holidays!
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Eu precisava disto de assunto e não sabia a quem perguntar.
That’s so beautifully done and looks great
Wow! great blog post! this is interesting I’m glad I’ve been drop here, such a very good blog you have I hope u post more! keep posting.