Knit a Simple Tank Top for Summer

Over the weekend I finished knitting the body (though I still have some edging and seaming to do) of a super simple tank top I got in a kit from We Are Knitters, which I will actually tell you all abut next week, but I am certainly feeling a summer top jag coming on. All I want to do is knit little tees for the girl and me, or a loose-gauge boxy sweater to wear on cool nights, or little raglan shrugs.

If you’d like to get some simple summer knitting done, too, check out this pattern idea for an easy knit tank from Mama in a Stitch.

It’s worked in Garter and Stockinette in flat pieces. The back is a square, and all you need to know for the shaping on the front is how to bind off and knit two together. And it looks really cute for a first garment project.

Hers is a small/medium size, but because these pieces are worked flat, if you know your gauge with the yarn you want to use you can easily calculate how many stitches you need to cast on.

It’s also a pattern you could easily jazz up by working stripes or throwing in a different pattern stitch if you wanted, but it’s totally cute as it is, too.

Are you doing any summer knitting? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via Mama in a Stitch.]

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long.

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders.

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well.

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn.

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table.

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter.

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.

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