I recently volunteered to test crochet a Broomstick Lace shawl. As I’ve never even tried this stitch, I thought I should work up a swatch to test the difficulty. I consider myself somewhat coordinated and I’m seldom intimidated by advanced stitches. Boy howdy! The first go was like trying to juggle cats! My dowel was too large and too long, yarn too thin and hook, well just not right. After a few adjustments, it started looking better. As I get into a rhythm (loosely described), I couldn’t help but wonder…who on earth thought of using a broom handle to make these pretty loops? The ingenuity of our ancestors never ceases to amaze me. There’s not a lot of history on the stitch. Who knows, it may be one of my favorite pieces once it’s finished. But I think after this project, I’ll stick to using my broom for it’s intended purpose.