To Broomstick or not to broomstick..

So I discovered Broomstick Lace, Peacock's Eye Crochet, or 'Jiffy Lace' as they called it in the '70s. Even though I have the most basic of basic crochet skills, it was pretty easy for me to pick up. I need to practice a bit more, as this this was my very first attempt. I think I will rip it out and try again. I need to practice my tension as well as my uniformity. But I can see why people are drawn to Broomstick Lace... it's so fast and relatively easy (it has to be if I picked it up this quickly). I'm just using a US size 35 knitting needle, a Crochet hook size "J," and some leftover worsted weight yarn I had in my stash. I think the pattern would be much prettier with a finer yarn, smaller needle (US size 19 or so), and smaller hook size. This was just cheapy acrylic yarn I had taking up space in my yarn bin - so it was perfect to practice.

I found some great tutorials from Stitch Diva:
Quick and Dirty Broomstick Lace
Intro to Broomstick Lace
Intro to Broomstick Lace, Part 2
Working in the Round with Broomstick Lace
Shaping with Broomstick Lace 1 - Decreasing
Shaping with Broomstick Lace 2 - Increasing

And another good one from The Art of Crochet...Teresa


Crochet Cabana and Gritty Knits have good written tutorials on Broomstick Lace. If you need a quick tutorial on single crochet (sc), double crochet (dc), or even how to get started with crochet.. Nexstitch has amazing video tutorials!

So get out there and make some neat Broomstick Lace scarves, wraps, afghan squares, and afghans!!

To Broomstick or not to broomstick..