Broomstick Lace

Broomstick lace originated in Croatia and dates to the early to mid 1800s, where it was widely used to accent the sleeves of the oplećak (woman’s blouse). Historically, broomstick lace has also been called Jiffy Lace (esp. in US), Peacock Stitch and Witchcraft Lace. In Sweden, it’s called Lattice Loop. Traditionally, a broomstick was used but since the mid 1900s, large knitting needles (often made of plastic) is used, most commonly modern US standard size 35 knitting needle (19mm). You can, of course, use any round object, such as a wooden dowel, if you don’t have a large knitting needle, and many report that using a long wooden dowel or actual broomstick is easier because you can tuck the end of the wood under your arm, holding it in place. Additionally, you can carve a grove at the working end of the wood bit wider than your crochet hook, making it even easier to hook the loops to make your crochet stitches!