It's the Eleventh Day of Christmas and of course we have another fabulous FREE project for you! If you're looking for a last minute gift idea, or even a fun accessory to make for yourself, you're going to love what Kara is teaching us today! Here she is, enjoy:
I have always loved the look of broomstick lace crochet, but for the longest time I was scared to try it. I thought that because of the intricate look it would be very complicated, or that I would need some kind of special hook to do it. As it turns out neither of those things is true! It’s actually a really easy method of crochet- if you can do a chain and a single crochet then you can make broomstick lace!
This type of stich is called “broomstick” lace because originally the stiches were worked on and off of the handle of a broom. In this our modern age we don’t need to use a broom; you can use anything that you have handy around the house as long as it is easy for you to slide the stitches on and off. You can use oversize knitting needles, or a large crochet hook, if you’re using a really thin yarn like crochet thread or cord you can even use something as small as a Sharpie! The size of your “broomstick” determines how big the loops are in your work, so have fun playing around with different sizes to see all the different looks you can achieve!
Materials Needed:
Worsted Weight yarn
Size 4.0mm/H crochet hook
“broomstick”- for this tutorial I am using a size Q crochet hook
Three ½" buttons
Needle and Thread
Step 1: Chain 15
Step 2: Pull the loop on your hook so that it is a large loop, then place your broomstick inside the loop.
Step 3: Insert your hook into the next chain then yarn over and pull the loop through. Then place the loop on the broomstick like you did in step 2.
Step 4: Repeat Step 3 until you have worked down your chain and have 15 loops on your broomstick. 1 for every chain that you started with.
Step 5: Insert your hook at the bottom of the loops while they are still on the broomstick. You will place 5 loops on your hook. Move your hook up to the top of the broomstick, yarn over and pull the loop through, then yarn over and pull through again making a slip stitch. You will only make this slip stich at the beginning of each row- it helps to keep the stitches that you are about to make secure.
Step 6: Insert your hook back through the 5 loops you just made the slip stitch though and complete a single crochet, repeat this until you have completed 5 single crochets. Then take this 5 loop section of work and slide it off the end of your broomstick.
Step 7: Insert your hook at the bottom of your work, and place then next 5 loops on your hook. Complete 5 single crochet again, just as you did with the previous section. Then take this section and slide it off your broomstick as you did in the prior step.
Step 8: Repeat step 7
Step 9: Pull your loop up so it is a large loop as you did in Step 2, and keep working your stitches on and off your broomstick in this pattern until your work is long enough to fit around your wrist, then break your yarn and weave in your ends.
Step 10: Place your three buttons on one end of your bracelet, and sew them in place.
Your bracelet is now complete! How easy was that? If you have trouble following along with the steps and the photos, I did make a video tutorial that shows how to work the stiches off and on your broomstick, and it will be posted very soon. I hope you enjoy your new bracelet, and have a Happy Christmas! ~ Kara
