SMMART ART: Huichol Gods Eye

Another yarn craft from the Huichol people of Mexico is called a "God's Eye".  You may remember making these at summer camps.

"A God's eye is a yarn weaving and a Huichol spiritual object.
The Ojo de Dios or God's eye is a ritual tool, magical object, and cultural symbol evoking the weaving motif and its spiritual associations. For the Huichol peoples of western Mexico, the God's Eye is symbolic of the power of seeing and understanding that which is unknown and unknowable, The Mystery. The four points represent the elemental processes earth, fire, air, and water.
The Ojo de Dios, or God's Eye, is a simple or complex weaving made across two or more sticks and is thought to have originated with the Huichol Indians of Jalisco, Mexico. The Huichol call their God's eyes Sikuli, which means "the power to see and understand things unknown." When a child is born, the central eye is woven by the father, then one eye is added for every year of the child's life until the child reaches the age of five." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God%27s_eye)

You need two sticks or popsicle sticks.  I think that using actual sticks seems more indiginous and authentic.  Wrap the sticks with yarn to secure them before you have your child start yarn wrapping...this will save a lot of frustrated little hands.

Wrap over stick 1, under stick 2, over stick 3 and under stick 4...continue wrapping in the same motion.  Make sure the yarn is wrapped beside previous row so the yarn spreads out flat.  When you run out of one color, you can tie another color and continue.  You can use a multicolored yarn for an easy way to get a variety of colors.

Another way I used to do...Wrap all the way around stick 1, then drag the yarn to stick 2 and wrap all the way around stick 2...then all the way around stick 3, then all the way around stick 4....so you have a full wrap around each stick...it doesn't bunch up as much this way.

Shimmer yarn is always fun to use or try some pastels for the Spring!