November 2008

God's Eyes (also known as Ojos De Dios) are colorful and very simple to make. They work well as ornaments on trees and garlands, as accents on gift-wrapped packages, or as the gift itself. And they are a great way to use up those little bits of yarn we all accumulate because they are just too pretty to throw away.

I learned to make God's Eyes when I was 10 years old during a craft class at Girl Scout Camp. We actually used twigs we had gathered in the forest, but these days I use dowels. But, if you prefer, you can get a very primitive look using sticks that are not quite straight!

You will need:

- Yarns of several different colors. Novelty yarns or yarns that are stretchy or loosely woven are not a good choice. Stick to standard 4 ply wool or synthetic yarns. You may wish to experiment with other types of yarn once you have made a few. I have some lovely weaving yarns from the 70's that I plan to experiment with.

- 2 dowels: 3/16" or 1/4" in diamater are a good choice for God's Eyes that will be about 6" to 10" across. 1/8" diameter dowels are perfect for tiny God's Eyes - like the small one pictured above, which is only 1" across. (Diane made this one for my advent calendar.)

- Scissors

How to Make:

Tie a half-hitch (or other simple knot) at the mid-point of one of the dowels. Place the center of the second dowel over the center of the first dowel, at a right angle. Secure the two together by criss crossing the yarn around both dowels 2 or 3 times in each direction.

Now, start the "weaving" by bringing the yarn up over the front of the vertical dowel. Wind it all the way around the dowel and then bring it back up over the front.

Take the yarn over to the horizontal dowel on your left, wrapping it over the top, around the back of the dowel, and then back over the top. Moving counter-clockwise, continue the process until you have made the trip around all four dowels twice. Your work may not look perfect this close to the center, but just keep going. it will smooth out soon.

Now that your center is completed, we're going to change our technique a little. From this point forward, begin wrapping the yarn around the four dowel arms in the same way as you have been, EXCEPT: instead of wrapping the yarn around the dowel only once, wrap it around each dowel twice before advancing to the next dowel. Always keep a fairly good tension on your yarn as you work.

This double wrap is the key to a successful God's Eye. It not only creates even spacing between yarns, but it also secures the yarn in place and prevents it from warping and stretching out of shape.

When you are ready to change to a new color, cut the yarn you have been working with to a length of about 3". Join the new yarn to the old with a knot at the back of the dowel. Trim the ends of yarn after tying the knot. Hint: Before changing to your new color, be sure to count the number of yarn strands in each section of your God's Eye to make sure they are the same.

Begin wrapping the yarn just as before with your new color.

Continue wrapping, changing colors when you wish. Stop wrapping about 1/4" from the end of the dowel, and tie a knot at the back to secure the end of the yarn.

You can leave the ends of the dowels uncovered, or, once you get the hang of the weaving, you can finish the dowel ends by wrapping them with yarn. You could even paint the ends of the dowels before adding the yarn. And if you feel really adventurous, try weaving on three or four dowells (six or eight arms!)

For some real God's Eye inspiration, check out the beautiful work of Jay Mohler.

Here is a six sided "snowflake" I have been playing with. I am trying to combine punched tin, and beading with the weaving. Try all kinds of emblishments! Embroidery! Stringing beads! Have fun expressing yourself and making God's Eyes your very own.

You have all heard the advice... bake ahead and freeze. Sound advice to be sure, but if you do that, you will miss all the heady smells of holiday baking when you are IN the holiday mood...right? I have a solution that might make your holiday baking easier and less stressful during the busy days right before Christmas.

I schedule a day in late November to chop, toast, grind and measure the ingredients that I plan to prepare during December: nuts, dried fruits, chocolate, coconut, dry ingredients - anything that will not spoil or deteriorate.

These are the dried fruits I use in my Stollen. I chop a mixture of dried pineapple, apricots, rasins, cranberries, and cherries.

The chopped fruit for that recipe is then placed in a baggie, sealed and identified with a Sharpie, and set aside in the pantry until baking day.

It is a huge help to have these time-consuming tasks already completed. And, it reduces the number of dishes, tools and cutting boards that clutter up my kitchen while I'm baking. Lebkuchen is my husband's favorite holiday cookie, but I really dislike chopping the crystallized ginger. I am so happy on baking day to know that it is done ahead!

And chopping and toasting nuts - another task I get done ahead of time, storing the chopped and toasted nuts in separate bags for each recipe.

I love making (and eating) Biscotti and it really shortens the preparation time when all my cranberries and pistachios are chopped and measured ahead of time.

Shortbread is especially delicious when it is drizzled with or dipped in chocolate. Chocolate for holiday recipes is chopped, bagged and marked. (Keeping my husband out of them is the real challenge. Those are perfect bite-size pieces.)

Powdered sugar can be so messy! I sift, pre-measure and bag ALL the powdered sugar I will be needing for glazing, frosting or dusting. I only have to suffer the mess once!

Most breads, cookies, and other holiday treats call for a number of "dry ingredients" which are usually mixed in one bowl and then added to the "wet ingredients" at some point in the process. It saves time during baking and clean-up to sift, measure, combine and bag the dry ingredients for each of the recipes I plan to use.

Speculaas call for flour, soda and several "warm" spices.  I use a whisk to mix them thoroughly before storing. Most spices will be fine for a couple weeks, but if you prefer, you can store the bag of pre-measured, mixed ingredients in the freezer.

Take out a few minutes soon. Make some tea or cider, get out your cookbooks and recipe files and decide what goodies you want to bake this season. Then make a list for shopping day of all the ingredients you will need to have on hand. Schedule a day to chop, toast, grind, measure, sift.... Just think how good you will feel when you have a bunch of bags in YOUR pantry that look like this!!

Come back and visit...lots of yummy holiday goodness coming soon! After all, there are only 37 days left til Christmas!

Punched "tin" light shields catch, reflect and amplify the lights on trees and garlands.

Design possibilities are endless and making them is a very simple process. If you need inspiration for designs, check out these Mexican tin ornaments offered through La Fuente; but basic star, or flower cookie cutters about 3" diameter work great as patterns.

Inspiration for this project came from punched tin light shields made in Mexico that have been on our family tree since the early 50's. They were made using flattened tin cans - the product name is still on the backs!!

The shields were designed to be used with the bulbs used on Christmas trees at that time. We would unscrew the bulb, insert the base of the bulb through the opening in the center of the shield, and screw the bulb back into the socket. There may be fire safety issues to consider when using them with this size bulb nowadays - I don't suggest you try it.

I use mine on twinkle lights. You will love how beautiful they are on your tree!

HERE IS HOW TO MAKE THEM

You will need: -Tin in thin sheets, which is available here, or aluminum roof flashing (silver on both sides) which can be found at Home Depot or Lowes. Your local store may not have exactly the brand shown, but the picture gives you an idea of what you are looking for. The aluminum is a good stand-in for the tin although i prefer the appearance of the tin.

-Standard framing nail about 2" long

-Lightweight hammer

-Tin snips and embroidery or heavy duty nail scissors

-Sharpie with a fine point

-Acetone & cotton balls (or rubbing alcohol can also be used instead of acetone)

Also have on hand for safety in handling: gloves, goggles, metal file, and 12"x12"x1" piece of wood

You are ready to begin

1. Cut a square from the metal a little larger than the item you plan to make. Most of my light shields are about 3" in diameter. Wear those gloves for this step. Both tin and aluminum are sharp and MUST be handled carefully both while you are making the shields and later when you are decorating with them. This is not a craft for young children.

2. Draw your design on the metal with the Sharpie. You can draw freehand, trace around an object or pattern as I am doing in the photograph (cookie cutters work well), or place carbon paper on the metal square and then trace a pattern that has been placed over the carbon paper. Marks left from the carbon will be light - you may wish to go over them with the Sharpie so they are easier to see as you work.

3. Once the outline is completed, draw freehand a few simple designs within the outline as shown. Nothing needs to be perfect. Once the shield is completed, the imperfections disappear. It's magic!

4. Place the foil square on the wood to protect your work surface. Hold the nail on any point of the outline and gently tap with the hammer once or twice. Try not to go through the tin if you can help it - but expect that sometimes you will do so. Not a problem.

5. Continue tapping nail indentations along the lines you have drawn until the design is completed. Hint: At times the tin will tend to curve, which can be very annoying as you are working. To flatten it back out, flip the tin square over and gently tap all over the surface with your hammer. Flip it back over and continue working.

6. Wearing gloves and safety glasses, cut out the shape using the tin snips. Cut just outside the line of nail holes that mark the outline. The small sissors are very useful for tight areas of the design. Tiny pieces of metal can go flying, so please do wear the safety goggles. I mean it - wear the goggles.

7. Using the small scissors, cut a small hole in the center - not more than 1/2" diameter so that it just fits over your twinkle lights. Start the hole by punching right through the metal with a nail. Place the tip of the sissors into the hole and begin cutting along the line you drew for the center opening. You may also use a heavy-duty hole punch if you prefer. I have yet to get a perfectly clean cut here. If you know of a way to get one, please let me know.

8. Using the file, smooth any rough or jagged edges, either in the hole or along the outside edges. A file won't completely make the edges smooth, but it is useful to smooth out jagged spots which can really deliver a nasty cut. Again, always handle with care and attention to the fact that the edges and points can be very sharp. I am not trying to scare you off! I have made many, many of these over the years without incident. I just want you to be aware.

9. Using an acetone (or rubbing alcohol)-soaked cotton square, rub over the surface area to remove the guide lines.

10. Place your finished shield over your light bulb so that the metal rests on the base, not the bulb or wires.

11. If you prefer to use your shield as an ornament, eliminate step 7 and after cleaning off the guidelines, punch a small hole near the top with the nail and insert an ornament hook. You can even embellish with tiny gems, mirrors, buttons......let your crafty nature go wild!

And for beautiful light shields crafted from tea light holders, visit Sister Diane's tutorial on diyalert.com to learn just how to make her version. Because they are made from tea light holders, they are a little smaller than mine, but work perfectly on twinkle lights. I am saving up tea light holders as I write this! I am thinking my seasonal tree needs these right away... well, maybe after Christmas. I have my hands full with this blog!

This wheat spiral has been on my tree over 35 years and the star and snowflake almost that long. OUCH!;

My eyes and heart fell in love with wheat weaving a long time ago. So...this past Spring I decided that now that I have the whole internet world at my finger tips, I would learn more about it and maybe try my hand at making a few simple ornaments. And here are two of them.

And here is another. Objects and decorations have been made from wheat since the earliest human communities, and were associated with prosperty and fertility. Read more about wheat weaving on Wikipedia and on the World Wide Wheat Weavers site. And see photos of several examples of beautiful straw projects by Grethe Jensen here. Get a cup of cocoa or coffee and visit the World Wide Wheat Weavers Gallery, and spend some time wandering. Be sure not to miss Atie Nijenhuis-Britting who was a weaver from the Netherlands, Judy Laird's Straw Angels, Donna Hall's Nutcracker and Angel, and visit Martha and Marie Voth, wheat weaving twins who recreate historical buildings with wheat. Like I said - a cup of cocoa! Maybe two!

These lovlies were made by wheat weaver Dale Scott. I ordered them last Spring for my tree this Christmas, but I have had them on display since the day they arrived on my door step. I couldn't bear to put them away. Dale offers christmas ornaments, woven hearts, and woven crosses for sale on her site. Her pricing is very fair and her work is beautiful.

She also has several free projects posted on the site, including a star, snowflake and braided heart. Pictured is the star I tried. I added the bow because, well...... I need a LOT more practice!

I ordered this one from her because, as I said, I need a lot more practice!!. The instructions are here. She also offers wheat starter kits.

Blackbeardsis a great source for ordering wheat for wheat weaving projects. Did you know that wheat could look like this black bearded variety or this dakota blackberries all black variety?

Blackbeards offers complete kits like these that have everything you will need - wheat, floss, ribbon and embellishments. They are easy and fun, and you get enough wheat to make several. Great Christmas gifts! You can even get how-to books on the site to get your creative juices stirred up.

Scandinavian countries form wheat into animals or other shapes to use as holiday decorations. I have no idea why, but I get a huge kick out of the Swedish Yule Goats. And here is a story at Wikipedia about a giant yule goat made in Sweden every year. Actually, there are two constructed each year and one of them is 47 feet high.!

And finally, this snowflake I found at IKEA last year. If you have one near you, they usually carry a few straw ornaments this time of year. Visit soon because the supply sells out early in the season.

I hope you are inspired to include wheat weaving in some way in your holiday celebrations this year and for years to come. Happy Jule.