What is it? – Scarves, shawls and wraps. Sometimes it seems as if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. But every now and then you see one that is somehow different. Really different. Seems to be made of endless flowing lace. It’s incredibly beautiful with a lacey, open design. And then we ask ourselves, is it knitting or crochet? Well, the easy answer is no and yes, respectively. But it’s only a “sort of” on the yes. It’s actually an old crochet technique that has been made modern with evolving creative application.  Hairpin lace, that’s what it’s called. Since a crochet hook is an essential part of the process it is sometimes called hairpin crochet. For many years it was used primarily to create beautiful trims, inserts, edgings and collars as well as independent shapes used to compliment home décor projects or edges on upscale fashion accessories. With modern creative brilliance, however, hairpin crochet is now used to devise entire articles of clothing such as skirts and sweaters as well as home décor items like throws and afghans. In its finished form, hairpin lace is a beautiful and unique variation on standard crochet in which you can combine a standard crochet hook with a very specific loom to create lacy openwork designs. From the finest laces to garments to fashion accessories to home décor, your creative potential using an incredible variety of available yarn textures, colors and sizes is virtually unlimited. Using Clover’s Hairpin Lace Tool, we can create strips of lace that will later be joined together in any number of ways producing various textures and patterns. The creative content of these strips and the manner in which we join them is up to us. Possible combinations are unlimited. We can go with our own designs or access those already existing online.

What does it do? – Hairpin lace is a technique using a crochet hook and a special loom. Clover’s Hairpin Lace Tool is designed to match all of the requirements that you might encounter in achieving your own creative vision. The tool itself consists of two parallel metal rods held at the top and bottom by removable connecting bridges. These parallel bridges also allow us to easily and precisely adjust the lateral position of these rods and therefore the width of our lace. The hairpin lace technique is to crochet around these two vertical rods. A third metal rod is provided and can be inserted if desired as a guide to ensure the consistent placement of each crochet knot. Set the width according to the pattern instructions or by your own creative whim. As you rotate the loom to add loops you crochet them together in the center. The result is lace strips of a specific creative design that are subsequently joined together to form our finished project. The novelty associated with hairpin lace is how those strips are connected. That’s how we achieve the different look. Many patterns are available commercially or you can create your own. Up to you. Regardless, you’ll see that the dramatic appearance of hairpin lace is unique and easy to identify.

How do I share it? – Crochet has a monster following. Everyone loves it and all of those interested in this type of fiber artistry are involved with crochet to some extent. Hairpin lace is merely a very clever variation on crochet. And who isn’t looking for something new that builds on something familiar? Classes or in-store demonstrations will spark that creative quest in knitters and crocheters alike. Display several different patterns and finished projects to show the range of possibilities. That’s all it will take to create the enthusiasm and buzz needed to capture their interest. It’s fun, it’s fast and it’s creative.