In case you were wondering, the Spiderman party post is turning into a series of about 5 posts! Stay tuned for those posts. But in the meantime, here's something else I've been working on.
Raksha bandhan is a day in the Indian traditional that celebrates the bond of love and affection between brothers and sisters. Think of it as Mothers Day or Fathers Day, but for brothers and sisters! :-) It's traditional for a sister to tie an auspicious thread, called a "rakhi", on the right hand wrist of her brother (or a cousin or someone that she considers a brother figure) and pray for his well-being. The brother, in turn, pledges to protect and defend her.
...cut to the 20th century and, yes, most Indian people still carry out this ritual (even those of us that have never lived in India)! In our hectic modern lives, it provides a reason to make time to catch up with siblings and cousins and reconnect. I'm not a fan, however, of the store-bought rakhis and cards (which, quite honestly, haven't caught up with modern times!) So, as usual, I made my own cards and rakhis for my brothers! Take a look (and read on for instructions on how to make the rakhi).
To make the rakhi:
1. Cut 3 pieces of thin, gold yarn (each one about 12 inches in length).
2. Thread one piece of yarn through a beading needle (use a beading needle with a collapsible head--making sure that the head is small enough to fit through the bead).
2. Thread on beads in your desired arrangement and move them to the middle of the yarn. Tie a knot on either end of the beads.
3. Fold the second piece of yarn in half to make two segments of your braid. Using the yarn on one side of the beads as your 3rd segment, braid all 3 segments of yarn together. Tie a knot about one inch from the end.
4. Repeat step 4 using the 3rd piece of yarn to create two segments and the yarn on the other side of the beads to create the third segment of your braid.
5. You're done! Easy!
I am working on mine right now as well, hopefully they will be mailed out by Monday.
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