2 new Omamori covers

Hello, Everyone,

Today is a beautiful, warm, sunny, Friday afternoon.  I feel good.  Flowers are blooming on the hillsides, the Jacaranda trees are crazy purple with blooms everywhere, the birds are twittering in the trees and there is a gentle breeze.  Isn't it great to be alive in San Diego in the spring time?

This is for you, Evelyn:  The other day I finished 2 cute little Omamori Gohonzon covers. These assume that you want to use the steel chain and white case that comes with the Omamori, and just use these covers for protection and cleanliness and to keep the plastic off the skin in the summer heat.  If you wanted to make these into an amulet bag you could add a cord or strap, or you could make the tie 30 inches long, so that even after tying the bow it would be long enough to go around your neck.  I have also done them that way for someone who no longer had the white case.  Just be sure whatever you do is secure and strong.  The long tie should be securely attached to the bag and then the top tied shut with the ends.

The Omamori cover on the right is crocheted with a # 1 hook out of beadspread cotton and the one on the left is knit on size 1 needles out of Skacel lace weight merino wool. Both with beads of course. The knit one looks small, but it really stretches.  I call it an "Omamori sock".   For those who want to make one, here is a "pithy" pattern, as EZ would say.   I have another knit one in work in dark teal, same beads as the white one.

 For the knit one I threaded some #11 randomly mixed brown, peach, gold, and yellow  beads onto a leftover bit of lace weight wool.  Then I CO 10 stitches with #1 needles, did 6 rows garter.  Gauge must be about 10 stitches per inch or a bit tighter.  Then I picked up around the sides and bottom of the garter patch, about 30 stitches total around.  I knit around up about 2 inches, some rows plain garter and some rows K1, P1 ribbing, beads whenever I felt like it.  I kind of mixed it up a bit to get a brambly texture.  Next the Eyelet row: *K1, K2tog, YO, repeat from * around for 10 eyelets.  Then a couple of rows garter and suspended bind off.  Crochet a tie (chain 10 inches and SC)  and lace through the eyelets.  Cute as a bug's ear!


The crochet one is made from bedspread cotton, thread on the beads, chain 17, 16 SC in the top of the chain, 16 SC in the bottom of the chain, in total 32 SC all around.  SC on around for about 2 inches, adding in beads as the spirit moved me. 

The beads will fall to the backside of the work, so either work in the usual way and turn it inside out when you are done, or work it "inside out" by crocheting on the far side of the bag sticking the hook from the inside outward.  Your choice.  

I started out 1 bead every 7 stitches and then beaded more and more frequently, so that I ended up with a bead in every stitch in the last couple of rows.  I was going for an ombre effect on the beads.  

Then 2 rounds plain SC.  1 round DC, end off.  Chain a tie and SC in each stitch, end off.  Thread the tie into the DC row and tie the ends in a bow.  Just for fun I used a different color for the tie, and #20 cotton thread.


Have fun making one...  They're like potato chips... Can't do just one...  I need to get some pink cotton and white pearls to make a girly one for a friend...


The workman is busy painting the house, making all kinds of banging noises, so Lilo is nowhere to be seen.  She'll turn up later after he leaves.


Gotta run.  Heading up to Orange County to see the grandson this afternoon.  Lucky me.

Love,
Julie