A Boa Without the Novelty Yarn Price Tag

Dipping a toe in the water is for wimps. It's best to run off the end of the diving board at full speed. Without diving lessons. And so it was with today's scarf.

Browsing through an old version of The Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches (yup, reading charts and symbols for pleasure) I encountered the astrakhan. It immediately became the featured stitch for a t-shirt yarn (tarn) large rug project had been percolating.

What I like about this long, loopy stitch is that it's more secure than the common loop stitch and makes it possible to stitch up a boa-like creation usually reserved for novelty yarns. It adds excitement to a plain yarn, stability to a weaker core, and loop volume to a lighter weight yarn.

Click here to download the instructions and learn how to make your own...