Category: Off da Hook

CROCHET BROOMSTICK LACE

by Leonardo A.

Broomstick Lace is the stitch that made me fall in love with crochet, while learning granny squares from my grandmother in my youth.

A unique crochet stitch: the design is made by using a crochet hook to pull tall loops of thread up on to a dowel (historically, a broomstick, which is where the name comes from). These loops are made left to right across the row. They are then looped together into clusters using single crochet stitches worked right to left back across the row of loops.

Personally, I always associated the broomstick eyelets with peacock eye feather, hence, another name Peacock Stitch.

Following is the handout I created for my El Segundo Slipt Stitchers Crochet Broomstick Lace Workshop.

MATERIALS

• • worsted weight yarn
  • an US H/9 or I/9 hook
  • an US 25-50 knitting needle or a broomstick.

STEP 1: FOUNDATION

While it’s not REQUIRED, it is good to have a solid foundation of single crochet. For purposes of this workshop, we will beging use 20 single crochet.

Crochet a starting chain of 21 (20 single crochet + 1 turning chaing for height). Single crochet into the second chain from hook – No, the loop on your hook does not count as a chain – and each chain across for a total of 20 single crochet.

STEP 2: BEGINNING BROOMSTICK LACE PATTERN

Extend the working loop/stitch and place onto your broomstick handle (handle pointing towards you); this counts as your first loop.

Draw up loops through all single crochets and place loops – in the same direction – on your broomstick handle. Knitters will knit or purl sts onto broomstick handle.At the end of either of these processes, your broomstick handle should look like the following…

STEP 3: COMPLETING THE BROOMSTICK LACE PATTERN  

Slide your hook forward through the first five loops on the broomstick handle and remove them, maintaining their height. Yarn over and still maintaining height, pull yarn through all four loops. (Fig. A) Yarn over and while maintaining height chain 1 (Fig. B Turning Chain). Single crochet five times, through the center of your loops, careful to maintain center (Fig. C).

REPEATING BROOMSTICK LACE 

Working back across the broomstick row from right to left, continue to slide off five loops at a time, securing them with single crochets.

At the end of this row, you should have 20 single crochets, securing five sets of 5 loops of broomstick lace beneath.

STEP 4: NEXT ROW OF BROOMSTICK LACE 

You will now repeat Steps 2 & 3 to create as many rows of broomstick lace as you want.