How to Make God's Eyes Crafts

Yarn creates God's eyes

God's eyes are woven with yarn and sticks. The Huichol people of Mexico believe these woven ornaments protect children. Simple God's eyes can be expanded to create more complex patterns. Start with a basic eye and then see where imagination leads you in fashioning a larger version of this beautiful, simple folk art tradition.

Things You'll Need

• 2 sticks, 6 inches long
• 2 skeins yarn, different colors
• Scissors

Instructions

Basic eye

1. Tie two sticks together at the center. Do not cut the yarn after knotting.
   Sticks may be barbecue skewers, straight branches or ice cream sticks.

2. Move one stick out from the center to form a cross. Hold this shape in place while you begin the weaving.

3. Take the yarn and go over and around any stick.

4. Move to the next stick and wind the yarn under and around this stick. It does not matter what direction you go, just keep following the simple weave that you began with, over and around, then under and around.

5. Stop when the weaving has formed a diamond shape that is 1 inch from the center on all arms. Cut the yarn.

6. Tie a different color of yarn onto the end of the first color.

7. Continue weaving until the pattern extends on all arms to 1 inch from the tips. You may change colors as often as you desire.

8. Cut the yarn and knot. Leave 1 inch of yarn and tie this tail back into the weave along one of the sticks.

Craft Variations

1. Use longer sticks to begin this construction.

2. Weave the center God's eye to a point that is half way out on each of the cross arms.

3. Take a smaller stick that is one quarter the length of the original sticks and tie it to one arm. Make a knot in the center of the unwoven portion of the original arm and around the newly added smaller stick.

4. Form these two smaller sticks into another diminutive God's eye.

5. Continue in this manner of adding smaller God's eyes on all remaining long arms. This will give you an original eye in the center with four smaller eyes radiating out from it.

Tips & Warnings

• Make expanded versions of the God's eyes with more complex and intricately expanding patterns.

• Bells may be added to the completed God's eyes.

References

• The Caron Collection: "God's Eyes"
• Exciting Scout Crafts: Eye of God (Ojo de Dios)
• Arte del Pueblo: Huichol Eye of God~Ojo de Dios Jalisco Mexico (Rare)