Knitting In Technicolor

Pattern: Ojo De Dios Shawl

Yarn:  Queensland Collection Sunshine Coast

Needles:  size 8

In general, I choose calm colors when I knit.  Lots of earthy colors–grays, browns, tans. I love solid colors (purples and reds are favorites,) choosing to make stripes when I feel a little wild. But with this shawl I broke all my own rules for what I make.

For reasons I cannot explain when I chose yarn for this shawl, I went for the brightest rainbow colors of the possible choices. People at the retreat looked at my knitting....looked at me...and said, "Ummm....That's not the yarn I thought you would have used." Me, either. This much color is way out of my comfort zone. I could have made this shawl in grays or browns. But this time I took a leap into a rainbow!

If I'm honest, this is not a pattern that I would have chosen to make. But the shawl was a retreat project, which just means that all of us who attended the lake retreat in August started the same pattern with the same yarn–but in the color of our choice. The pattern is called Ojo De Dios, which translates as "eye of God."

The triangle design is based on the Ojo de Dio, the eye of God, an ancient symbol. The art is made of bright yarn that is woven around two crossed sticks. It dates back to the Huichol Indians of Mexico.

In Mexico, the central eye is made when a child was born. Each year after for five year more yarn is wraped around the sticks. It was a symbol of things not seen and the power to see those things hidden from the naked eye.

In Bolivia, “God’s Eyes” were made to be placed on an altar so that the gods could watch over the praying people and protect them.

Did you ever make a God's eye at camp? Cross two sticks, then wind yarn around them, changing colors so that there is a center "eye." Here's how to make a God's eye. It's a great craft for school age kids.

All of these little curled up triangles didn't look like much when they were done. But through the miracle of blocking (soaking in water, pinning out flat, letting dry) they turned into lovely, flat, smooth pieces of knitting that fit together perfectly when I stitched them up. I will say that knitting them was like eating potato chips...I kept wanting to do one more to see how the colors worked out. That's one reason I finished my shawl within two weeks.

At the retreat, we learned a few tips for making the 17 triangles that make up the border of the shawl. It was fun to see how each triangle was different. Yes. All the color changes are because the yarn is multicolored. The yarn does all the work creating these colorful triangles.

Retreat projects are always interesting. The first time I went to a retreat with a designated project, I was very skeptical about what we were making. I really didn't care for the shawl pattern. And on top of that it turned out to be a very challenging knit. But when that shawl was finished–a year later–I loved it. It's one I wear often. So I have learned to relax into the experience, regardless of my first thoughts about the pattern.

I know I'll learn something new. I know I'll have fun. And if it turns out that I really don't love the project, I am guaranteed that I will have had fun with the other knitters. This retreat was a total success, though. A fun weekend with knitting friends and a fun shawl that I'll enjoy wearing. Can't ask for more.