The Little Projects blog has a nifty tutorial on how to make a hairpin lace loom out of stuff you have around the house. (By the way, this is a great site. She’s also got a crocheted felted clog pattern which I just bought–I’ve been eyeing the cool fiber trends clogs, but being able to crochet them seems like a big advantage to me). (Thanks to Amie for the link)

I’ve been promising myself to spend more time with hairpin lace this year (as well as tunisian and other fascinating crochet subsets). I have many looms, including a beautiful one Jennifer gave me when we shared a room at the Chain Link conference last year. Well, I suppose it won’t happen if I don’t put it on the schedule.

I got some lovely samples in the mail today from Darlene of Hand Jive, she’s the artist behind Nature’s Palette–she dyes all the yarns herself with plant dyes. They’re amazing. She has a fingering weight merino that’ s a favorite for socks, an organic wool and mohair which comes in generous 230 yard skeins (it’s a 2-ply and seems very soft), and a bulky thick and thin merino that feels like you’re touching clouds.

Today I’m crocheting with another favorite yarn, Malabrigo, while I usually knit with it, it seems to be lending itself well to crochet. I’m using a size K hook and a simple v stitch to make a prayer shawl for a friend. I’m headed to the bead store this morning because I was reading on another site a suggestion to add beads to the end, for meditation. I love that idea.

DIY Hairpin Lace Loom