Knit Girl Summer is here! Come celebrate the change of the season with this perfect quick knit, customizable for not only all sizes, but all shapes as well!! There’s nothing better than feeling ultimately fabulous with a top knit just for your body!!

The top is knit bottom up in the round, and then separated for front and back. Choose either a basic I-cord-type tie for an everyday look, or glam things up with our special Bow-Tie!!!

Needles:

(Smaller needle) Body: US size 2 / 2.75 mm 16”-40”/40-100 cm circular needles to be worked in the round, depending on cord length needed.

(Larger needle) Body: US size 5 / 3.75 mm and 16”-40”/40-100 cm circular needle to be worked in the round, depending on cord length needed.
(Or needles to obtain gauge)

Please note: many knitters experience a difference in tension between stockinette knit in the round and knit flat. Please be sure to check that your gauge does not differ over the various sections of the pattern. You may need to change needle size to maintain gauge in the worked-flat sections.

Gauge: 37 sts and 31 rows over 4” / 10 cm worked in pattern in the Rnd/flat on Larger Body Needles.
Sizes: 1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Choosing Your Size:

Pick your size based off of your “to fit bust circumference” measurement. The size indicated by the “actual finished bust measurement” is the circumference of the garment, with the negative ease already taken into account.

If wanting to make the garment longer, this is not the measurement you will base your size off of. Please proceed to page 2 for more instructions.

To Fit Bust Circumference:
28 (32, 36, 40, 44, 48) 52, 56, 60, 64, 66”/71 (81.5, 91.5, 101.5, 112, 122) 132, 142, 152.5, 162.5, 172.5 cm

Actual Finished Bust Measurement:
15 (18.75, 22.5, 26.5, 30.5, 34.5) 38.5, 42.5, 46.5, 50.5, 54.25)“/38 (47.5, 57, 67.5, 77.5, 87.5) 98, 108, 118, 128.5, 138 cm

Recommended finished ease is 13.25” to 13.75” / 30 cm to 34.5 cm of negative ease. Sample shown is on a size 2, with 13.25” / 33.5 cm negative ease.

Yardage Used:

MC: 214 (268, 336, 399, 486, 558) 663, 743, 863, 950, 1073 yards/ 196 (245, 307, 365, 444, 510) 606, 679, 789, 868, 981 meters
Tie & Bow: 97 yards/ 89 meters

Yarn Used:
Dragon Hoard Yarn
Base: Myth Fingering in colorway: Spectral Lace.
436 yards/100 grams
www.dragonhoardyarnco.com

Notions:
Stitch markers (2 total; 1 unique for BOR); waste yarn for holding stitches; scissors; row counter (suggested); darning needle to weave in ends.

Notes:
This top is knit bottom up, starting with the bottom ribbing section, then knit in same ribbing pattern on larger needles until the front and back separation, using circular needles worked in the round. You will then work the garment flat after separating for the front and back. The straps will be a knit I-cord tie, with a bow section on each end to tie at the back, stringing through a top fold-over band. The straps will need to be strung through before you close each top front and top back section. You will be able to choose between a regular I-cord, or an i-cord bow option for the necktie.

Bust & Hip Adjustment Options
(Total yardage needed will not be estimated for any potential adjustments, as these will be determined by you. Please plan accordingly, as to not run out of yarn.)

If you want to lengthen the tank to longer than your natural waistline, you will need to alter the size you cast on. Choose the size based off of the circumference of the area you want the length of your tank to end, adding four inches/taking away four inches of negative ease. You will want less negative ease starting out, as movement from walking can cause the garment to ride up depending on body shape, and we don’t want that.

Example: 40” circumference hip measurement = cast on size 5/44” for a 30.5 circumference of the finished garment.

Shaping will start being calculated after the bottom hem ribbing section is complete. Measure from your underarm (where the line of a bra or tank would normally lay) to where your desired length will be. Subtract your bust measurement from your new hip circumference measurement.

With this new number, and the desired length of the garment, we will determine where to put decreases/increases throughout the pattern. For every decrease row you put in, that row will roughly take away ½” from the finished circumference of the garment.

Example: (working with the actual finished measurements, including the negative ease)
Bust Measurement: 34” = 18.75”
Hip Measurement: 40” = 30.5”
Inches to Decrease: 11.75”
Length to Decrease By: 12.5”

After the 1.5” of ribbing, we will be working with 12.5” in length until we need to separate front and back. This means that once I start the body section of the garment working with the established gauge, I will decrease 4 sts every 5th row 18 times, then knit until desired length. Roughly 8 sts for every 1” will be decreases for every inch as I knit the length.

This leaves us in the end with 72 sts decreased, 192 sts remaining, and a finished bust measurement of 20” with a finished hip measurement of 30.5”

Note: Before doing any decreases, place side seam marker at 72 (90, 108, 126, 147, 165) 186, 204, 225, 240, 258 sts.

Decreases:

(Depending on how many times you need to decrease to get to the shape you want. Continue in est. pattern until desired length after your final decrease.)

Rnd 1: k1, Dec 1 st, continue in est. pattern to 3 sts before m, Dec 1 st, p1; Repeat from once more. (4 sts dec)

When working the decreases, if one or both of the sts are purl sts, p2tog or ssp. If both the sts being decreased are knit stitches, k2tog or ssk.