I love lace so much, I couldn't resist this opportunity to work up a sample for you all! I picked a project that would appeal to beginners and long-time lace addicts alike. My thoughts immediately turned to Kimberly McAlindin's Moss Fern Wrap, from the Fall 2009 issue of Interweave Crochet. The pattern calls for a laceweight mohair blend yarn and a 4 mm hook, but I chose a fingering weight sock yarn and a 3.5 mm hook. This alteration will make my lace a little more solid, making up for the fact that I don't have the fuzzy mohair to fill in any of the openness of the lace. I also began with significantly fewer stitches, since the heavier yarn would make my stitches bigger, and I wanted a smaller shawl altogether. Once I had my adjustments in mind, it was just chains, single crochets, and double crochets. You know how to do those!

Here's my lace right now. You may notice it looks a bit scrunched. That is because it isn't finished yet and still awaits the final step of lace making: blocking. The picture of it stretched gives a better idea of what it will look like when it's blocked. See my blog at CrochetMe.com next week for my adventures in blocking this shawl! I will also link to Marcy's blocking extravaganza with her laceweight version of the Moss Fern Wrap (we're big fans of this shawl around here). We used two different methods of blocking.

So, whether you've been crocheting a week or a lifetime, you're ready to crochet lace! Check out the patterns at the bottom of the page for some places to get started. If you run into any snags, check out the CrochetMe forums for tips and tricks from your fellow crocheters, and don't forget to post your pictures in the Galleries! I'll be there too, hook in hand!

Marcy's Moss Fern Wrap, unblocked