Abstract expressionism is largely remembered in terms of the men who defined it, with the key exception of Helen Frankenthaler. With her 1952 work, Mountains and Sea, Helen’s invention of the color-stain technique – applying thin washes of paint to unprimed canvas – would inspire a generation of Color Field painters who would follow her footsteps in the 60s. She once said, “My pictures are full of climates, abstract climates … they’re not nature per se, but a feeling.” Our Helen Tank, with its own washes of color achieved through the intarsia technique, invoke the gesture and form of Helen’s visionary work.

Materials

• Approximately 225 (250, 275, 325, 350, 400) yards (205 (230, 250, 300, 320, 370) meters) of sport-weight yarn in Color A
• Approximately 170 (185, 200, 235, 260, 285) yards (155 (170, 185, 215, 240, 260) meters) in Color B
• Approximately 170 (185, 200, 235, 260, 285) yards (155 (170, 185, 215, 240, 260) meters) in Color C
• Berroco Quechua (60% extrafine Merino wool, 20% baby alpaca, 20% yak; 164 yards (150 meters) per 50g)
• 2 (2, 2, 2, 3, 3) skeins in Color A (shown in Raven 1370), 2 skeins in Color B (shown in Harmony 1314), 2 skeins in Color C (shown in Raffia 1303)

Needles

• One 24” (60 cm) circular or straight needle in US 3 (3.25 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge in stockinette stitch
• One 16” (40 cm) circular needle in US 2 (2.75 mm)

Gauge

31 stitches and 46 rows = 4” (10 cm) in stockinette stitch on US 3 (3.25 mm), after blocking

Finished Measurements

• Bust circumference: 32.5 (35.5, 40, 45.5, 51, 56)” / (82.5, 90, 102, 116, 130, 142 cm)
• Body length: 16 (16.5, 16.5, 18, 19.5, 20)” / (40.5, 42, 42, 46, 50, 51 cm)