Free Knitting Patterns: Tank Top Edition

One of the winners of yesterday’s giveaway mentioned that she loves to knit herself a new lace tank top every summer. That sounds like a marvelous thing, and reminds me of the knit tank top languishing in my T-shirt drawer right now.

This is the Tiger Lily Tank from Lion Brand Yarn. Cute, isn’t it? (I tried to take a picture of myself wearing it, but honestly, it did not go well.) I really like this shirt, though it does show a little more cleavage than I normally do. Also, it came out a little shorter than I like, or than a woman who’s had a child and never exercises should wear. I need to pick up stitches behind the ruffle and work another ruffle to add a little more length, I think. (The yarn, buy the way is Nashua Handknits Natural Focus Ecologie Cotton, which apparently does not exist anymore, since their website doesn’t seem to be live anymore. The link is to my review at About.)

Thinking of tanks reminded me that Lion Brand shared a few more free tank top patterns in its newsletter recently, if you didn’t see it:

The Graceful Top has 2×2 ribbing on the bottom and a bodice of eyelets in diamond shapes
The Tranquil Green Tank Top is a deep V-neck with diagonal eyelets this time (still a 2×2 rib bottom)
The Shimmer Lace Top is a gorgeous top with allover eyelets that’s rated for the experienced knitter (and one commenter says she found the pattern impossible to piece together, so tread with caution)

Summer tops are great projects because they take less time than a sweater and, if it’s summer where you are, you can use them right away. Have a favorite summer top pattern? Spill it!

It feels like it’s too early to be thinking about back to school, but as I write this my daughter has just a couple of weeks of summer left! So let’s get in that school and fall knitting spirit by looking at some apple knitting projects.

If you have a 22 needle circular knitting machine, knitting an apple is one of the easiest things you can do. I have an apple pattern over at Our Daily Craft that will take you just a few minutes to knit and they’re a great addition to your fall decor.

Apple hats are a classic, and whether you want to knit a hat that looks like an apple or one with apples on it, we’ve got you covered. For hats that look like apples check out the rolled brim version from Emma Crochet Design 4 U, which uses worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes for kids of all ages; and the ribbed brim version from Hand Knit Hugs. This one also calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in four kids sizes. Both include a stem and leaf.

If you’d rather have apples on your hat, try the Red Apple Hat from Little Red Window. This one is sized from newborn to 2T and calls for four colors of worsted weight yarn.

How about apple socks? You’ll find Ariel Chang’s Apple Picnic Socks as a free download on Ravelry. These use three colors of sock yarn and come in three sizes. Stone Knits also a pair of stripey apple socks that show the inside of the apple. These also have three sizes but they use six colors total, with the main color being a self-striping yarn.

If you want a little apple accessory for the house, the apple potholder from Nifty Knitter Designs is cute and a great way to practice double knitting. It uses two colors and you’ll find the colors in the reverse on the other side. The pattern only uses about 50 yards of each color of worsted weight yarn, so it’s a great use for odd balls, too.

Once you’ve got your double knitting skills sorted you can also try the double knit apple scarf from Crow and Chai Shop. The Winter Apples scarf is shown in red and gold, but you can use whatever colors you like. There are apples, stars and random stitches in the design, which calls for DK weight yarn. There’s also a matching fingerless glove pattern.

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