How-Tuesday_ Weaving a Complex Ojo de Dios _ the Etsy Blog

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How-Tuesday: Weaving a Complex Ojo de Dios

Maybe youve made a gods eye with a couple popsicle sticks at

camp one summer in the hazy past, but have you considered the

beautifully vast possibilities of this art form?

South Carolina-based tsy artist!ay Mohlerhas found a calling

making "#os de $ios%a&k&a& gods eyes' with up to si( sticks,

twelve sides, and undulating intricate woven patterns& )is

creations are constructed from the very same humble materials

that many of us associate with a camp craft * colorful yarn and

sticks * plus, a healthy dose of ingenuity and a deep interest in

+ibetan and )uichol artifacts and mandalas& or this weeks

)ow-+uesday, !ay has teamed up with local tsy

photographermily Munnto create a how-to designed to coach

you through the process of crafting your own singular "#o de $ios, transforming raw

TweetPhoto by EmilyMunnPhotographyLike 796

Story byjayfroggy

Published on Sept 13, 2011 in Make

Tuesday: Weaving a Complex Ojo de Dios | The Etsy Blog http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/how-tuesday-weaving-a-comp

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materials into a harmonious artwork&

Ojos de Dios, which is Spanish fo !"yes of

#od,$ ae made fom yan and s%ic&s 'y

na%ive peoples of (exico and Sou%h )meica*

+a%ive )meicans of %he Sou%hwes%en ni%ed

S%a%es adop%ed %he caf% moe ecen%ly, and

%he eigh% sided mandala of %he +avajo is %he

'asic pa%%en %ha% .ve mos% of%en used in my

own wo&*

These ins%uc%ions ae no% in%ended %o %each

you how %o cons%uc% one pa%icula ojo, 'u%

a%he %o demons%a%e %echni/ues %ha% you can

use %o impovise and cea%e you own uni/ue design* 0e%.s ge% s%a%ed1

Supplies Youll Need:S%ic&s 2 use doweling, availa'le a% 'uilding supply places and hadwae s%oes* 3ou

can use 4567 fo up %o 487, 95487 fo up 7 Ojo de Dios, and ;57 Ojo de Dios*

3an

Scissos sui%a'le fo cu%%ing yan


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) yan needle 2 ) lage needle wi%h an eye lage enough fo yan %o fi% %hough i%, and

a 'lun% end whee o%he needles ae shap*

Directions:

4* Planning Your Ojos de Dios:?o an eigh%-sided ojo, conside %he oveall pa%%en %o 'e

%wo fou-sided ojos joined %oge%he* "ach se% of s%ic&s fo %hese %wo pa%s ae no%ched in %he

middle, a'ou% 456 %he %hic&ness of %he s%ic&s, so %he %wo s%ic&s fi% and s%ac& closely %oge%he*@eeping yan %igh% is a po'lem, so .ll ma&e small no%ches, wi%h a file o poc&e% &nife, evey

inch Aclose on a smalle %han 4 inch ojoB all along %he doweling* esides holding %he yan

fom slipping in %owads %he cen%e, %he no%ches ac% as guides fo &eeping %he pa%%en even*

"/ually impo%an% as %he pa%%en %ha% you weave in an ojo, ae %he colo com'ina%ions %ha%

you choose* (yself, %end %o s%ic& wi%h colos fom %he )meican Sou%hwes%* ecommend

choosing colo com'ina%ions %ha% you find especially 'eau%iful in na%ue* Thee ae also colo

wheel si%es online %ha% migh% 'e useful in ma%ching up hamonious colos Asuch as

CO0OlovesB, al%hough .ve always gone 'y in%ui%ion and schemes fom na%ue myself,

and dawn inspia%ion fom o%he a%is%s*

* Start Weaving:S%a% wi%h %he %wo s%ic&s %ha% will 'e %he %op %wo of %he even%ual


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again, wap aound %he nex% s%ic&, and so on, %o 'uild up you cen%al diamond pa%%en*

?om %he vey 'eginning, wa%ch %o &eep %he pa%%en even* 0oo& a% 'o%h %he space 'e%ween

s%ands of yan, and %he amoun% %he diamond pa%%en has expanded along each s%ic&* f

you.e no% sa%isfied, s%a% ove* "os ae easy enough %o coec% when caugh% ealy*

;*Add New Colors:To add %o %his, cu% %he old colo %o whee a one inch %ail is lef%, and

simply %wis% %he new colo %o %he old, leaving %he %ails unning along %he s%ic&* )f%e a couple

waps have secuely held %he new colo in place, you can snip %he %ails sho%e, so %hey won.%

ge% in %he way la%e*


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6* Prepare the Second Set of Stics:When you ae finished wi%h you cen%al diamond,

cu% %he colo yan you ae wo&ing wi%h, leaving enough %ail %o %uc& unde i%self %o hold i%

%empoaily in place* Eepae you second se% of s%ic&s in %he same manne* )f%e finishing

%he cen%al diamond, pepae a second se% of s%ic&s wi%h a solid colo diamond, %o 'e used

'ehind %he cen%al diamond* always ma&e %his second diamond sligh%ly lage %han %he

fis%, so i% shows up well in %he finished ojo*


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9*Attach the !wo Sets of Stics: +ow comes %he %ic&ies% pa%* (os% commonly use a

dagge pa%%en a% %his poin% %o hold %he %wo se%s of s%ic&s %oge%he* Choosing my nex% colo

yan, s%a% %he new colo 'y secuing i% ove %he %ails of %he las% colo one %wis% unde i%self,

leaving a %ail unning down 'eside %he ealie colo* +ow, holding %he se%s of s%ic&s %oge%he

wi%h %hum' and foefinge, use my o%he hand %o 'ing %he yan undenea%h 'o%h fom

whee s%a%ed, as illus%a%ed*

This s%age, so nea %he 'eginning of %he pojec%, is %he mos% difficul% s%age, so %a&e you %ime

wi%h i%, and don.% 'e afaid %o unwind and s%a% ove again if %he dagge pa%%en you ae

cea%ing %o hold %he se%s %oge%he doesn.% loo& /ui%e igh%* emem'e, once you have %his

s%age down, evey%hing else will 'e ela%ively easy-going*

Supisingly, wi%h jus% one s%and of yan unning undenea%h, and wapped %wice aound

%he opposi%e end of you s%a%ing s%ic&, you ojo is aleady s%udy enough %ha% you can now

%wil %he ojo %o con%inue wapping* n %his case wen% 'ac& and fo%h fou %imes, %hen did %he

same %empoay %ie as when ending %he diamond, 'y %uc&ing %he cu% end undenea%h i%self

once, leaving a %ail long enough %o s%a% a new colo la%e* e caeful %o &eep %hings cen%eed,

and emem'e, al%hough %he ojo a% %his poin% may seem hoi'ly wo''ly and unwieldy, i% will

now gow s%onge wi%h evey wap of yan %ha% s%ings undenea%h %he %wo se%s, holding i% all

%oge%he wi%h moe and moe s%ands of yan as %he pa%%en gows*


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8* Continue Weaving:)s you wo&, use you fingenails %o push %he s%ands of yan in%o a

nice even pa%%en* Thoughou% any ojo cea%e, .m cons%an%ly ma&ing %iny li%%le adjus%men%s

wi%h my fingenails, 'o%h on %he fon% and 'ac& sides* e sue %o &eep adjus%ing %he s%ic&s %o

'e evenly dis%anced fom each o%he, as well as evenly 'alanced on %op of each o%he* Wi%h

pac%ice, ma&ing all %hese li%%le, 'u% necessay, adjus%men%s, will 'ecome au%oma%ic*

Wi%h %his ojo in %he illus%a%ions, .ve decided %o do wha% call a &aleidoscope pa%%en, whee

swi%ch colos fe/uen%ly, al%ena%ing 'e%ween %he %wo oiginal se%s of s%ic&s wi%h in%ewoven

diamonds* ?is% wove %he oange, %hen %he gold added wi%h %he yan, in %he way almos%

invaia'ly add on%o a pa%%en, unning undenea%h %he ealie colo* These 'eginning

diamonds have %hee ows of yan each, wapping %wice aound each s%ic&, unless adjus%

how fa along %he s%ic& %he pa%%en is gowing, 'y ei%he wapping once, o pehaps even

%hee %imes* Occasionally .ll use my %hum'nail %o gen%ly push a pa%%en in%o a moe

ageea'le loo&ing place*

) challenge fo me wi%h %his %ype of ojo, is %o %y and avoid any pa% of %he pa%%en loo&ing li&e

a 'oing s/uae, o 'ox, si%%ing fla%* We see all %oo much of %ha% &ind of shape in ou lives:

walls, 'uildings, TFs, and so much moe1 %hin& %ha% cicles and in%eloc&ing diamonds ae

so much moe ageea'le %o %he eye in an ojo* The o%he main challenge is %o use colos in a

hamonious and pleasing way* e sue %hee is enough con%as% 'e%ween adjoining colos, so

%ha% %hey don.% 'lend %oo easily in%o each o%he and cea%e a &ind of uneasy 'luing of %he

line 'e%ween %hem* )lso, %hough, %y had no% %o have %wo adjoining colos clash shaply*


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=* "eeping Color in #ind: %.s impo%an%, 'esides following %he well &nown guides of %he

colo wheel Aseach fo online help if neededB %o 'e awae of how colo %ypes fi% %oge%he:

pimay colosG pas%el colos, jewel %ones, and ea%h %one colos* Some people would say no%

%o mix %hese diffeen% %ypes* say, mix caefully, and 'e awae of %he effec% %ha% %he diffeen%

%ypes have* of%en mix in a couple jewel %ones wi%h a mainly ea%h-%oned ojo, using %he jewel

%ones fo highligh%s* li&e %ha% &ind of effec% a lo%* Eas%el %ones can also 'e used fo highligh%s

agains% a 'ac&gound of ea%h %ones*

.ll s%a% cea%ing an ojo wi%h as many as fif%een o %wen%y 'alls of yan 'eside me %o choose

fom, 'u% usually naow %he colos down %o seven, o may'e nine, fo an ojo of %his sie* ?o

one of my much lage ojos, migh% ac%ually use fif%een colos* .ve found %ha% i%.s geneally a

good idea, once you have used a ce%ain colo, %o epea% i% again la%e in you design, a%he

%han have any one colo s%and alone* )lso, i%.s of%en 'es% %o pic& ou% one o %wo colos %o 'e

you dominan% colo %heme, and le% all o%he colos play lesse oles* Howeve, any and all

geneali%ies a'ou% colo .ve made hee, .ve 'o&en many %imes in my own cea%ions, so

neve feel 'ound 'y ules, 'u% a%he %y %o le% in%ui%ion lead you %o %he highes% of a%is%ic

cea%ivi%y, if a% all possi'le1


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+ex%, weave %o evey %hid s%ic&, and wapping aound %he s%ic&s %wice on aveage, ma&e

an eigh% poin%ed s%a pa%%en* Wi%h %his pa%%en, %he angle %o and fom each s%ic& is vey

shap, and you can easily wap %hee %imes aound each s%ic& wi%hou% you yan 'unching up

a% all* )lso, i%s a good %ime %o eally even up you pa%%en, as %hee is moe flexi'ili%y %han a%

o%he poin%s in %he pocess %o wap %he yan moe %imes, o fewe %imes, aound each s%ic&

and s%ill no% show %oo much of ei%he sepaa%ion 'e%ween %he s%ands of yan o %o have %he

yan 'unch up %oo closely %oge%he*


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I* Creating a $order:?inally add %he 'ode, wapping on aveage once pe s%ic&* On

%he las% %ime aound, migh% give some ex%a waps %o %he s%ic& endsG %he las% chance %o

ma&e %he pa%%en come ou% even* When ge% 'ac& %o %he s%a%ing s%ic& fo %he las% %ime, cu%

a %ail %wo o %hee inches long, and wap %hee o fou %imes aound %he s%ic&, %uc&ing %he end

of %he yan undenea%h i%self once on each %un aound %he s%ic&* The %ail lef% a% %he vey end

cu% %o a'ou% one inch in leng%h, and %uc&ed i% in 'e%ween %he wapped s%ic& and ojo 'ode,

on %he 'ac& side*


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4>*Adding %&'ellish&ents: The ojo could 'e declaed finished igh% hee, 'u% usually

add some em'oidey %o %he 'ode, using a yan needle* n %his ojo .ve chosen %o em'oide

a faily complex cicula design* When cuve 'ac& a% %he %wo ends of such a design, find

i%.s 'es% %o un %he yan undenea%h %he 'ac& s%ands of %ha% sec%ion of %he design, %o hold %he

las% s%i%ch popely in place*


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"xpeimen% a 'i% as you ma&e %his %ype of design, and %y and find a 'alance 'e%ween %he

design made 'y %he yan, and %he spaces cea%ed in 'e%ween %he design elemen%s*

encouage eveyone %o %y adding needlewo& %o you ojos* The design possi'ili%ies ae

endless, and you can %uly ma&e an ojo you own wi%h a new and uni/ue 'i% of needlewo&*

Designs can also 'e added %o pa%s of %he ojo 'efoe %he

'ode, and can even 'e used %o pull %he yan of an ojo in%o a new posi%ion* )f%e ge%%ing %he

wo&ing end of %he needlewo& yan 'ac& %o %he s%a%ing posi%ion, %ie %he %wo ends %oge%he

wi%h a s/uae &no%*


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44* (inishing: The final s%ep is %o add a loop %o %he 'ac&side fo hanging %he ojo*

3ou can find many examples of Ojo de Dios possi'ili%ies in my "%sy shop, and also in a

?ace'oo& goup s%a%ed, Ojos de Dios, 3an (andalas of %he Wold, whee weaves fom

many coun%ies aound %he glo'e have showcased %hei wo&* Happy weaving %o you1

f you make your own "#o de $ios, share a photo with us in thetsy .abs lickr group&

#ore !hings to #ae) Ojos de Dios on %ts*

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How-Tuesday_ Weaving a Complex Ojo de Dios _ the Etsy Blog

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