Elegant Crochet Dreamcatchers to Charm Your Home and Protect You from Harm

Origins

    The Ojibwa was the first of the American Indian nations to produce dreamcatchers made by hand. Later on the practice was adopted by other tribes. According to tradition, such a devise protects people by filtering out bad dreams and nightmares. Meanwhile, as the disturbing visions become caught in the web, the good dreams pass through the small opening at the center. And so, infant cradles are adorned with dreamcatchers. While the babies find them colorful and fun to play with their mothers are assured that their tots are always protected from evil spirits. Native American children tend to keep the dreamcatchers they were given as infants until adulthood, to serve as charms that protect them throughout life. Members of the Ojibwa tribe also believe that these charms extend their protection to the afterlife. While the exact symbolism of the dream catcher varies from one Indian nation to another, it is universally regarded as charm against negative forces that roam the world unseen.

Dreamcatcher symbolism

    When you make a crochet dream catcher to give away to your friends and loved ones, you carefully follow the basic structure. This is in keeping with the tradition of the American Indian tribes that created them. While you may exercise freedom in the design, it is important to retain certain aspects of the dreamcatcher because every aspect of this wonderful ornament has a symbolism attached to it. To start, the circle represents a very important set of beliefs. For Native Americans, life and death are intertwined. The circular framework of the dreamcatcher represents their belief that life has no beginning and no end and that when the body dies the spirit lives on. Another important aspect of the dreamcatcher is the woven design that fills the circular framework. This in turn mimics and represents a spider?s web. In the basic design of the dreamcatcher, the spider that weaves the web is represented by one bead. Meanwhile, the dreams and nightmares trapped in the web are in the form of multiple beads embedded in the weave.

Beautiful to behold

    Now that you know what these parts of the dreamcatcher signify, then you can incorporate your own creative approach to create unique dreamcatchers for the enjoyment of the people close to you. Dream catchers are beautiful, eye-catching ornaments. Whether you share these traditional beliefs or not, dreamcatchers make for wonderful gifts to people you care about.

    Craft stores offer a myriad of raw materials, from embroidery rings to different colors of thread, and beads of many designs. If you?re trying it out for the first time, you can go online, watch video tutorials, and read on tips on how to keep the crochet piece in the middle of the circle as you go about your work.