Pretty Tank Top Knitting Patterns to Keep You Cool

I’ve been writing about knitting online for a long time, and a lot of things have changed. But one good thing I think has changed over the years is that fewer people see knitting as a seasonal activity. Most people don’t seem to think anymore that there’s a time when it’s too hot to knit or too hot to wear knits.

I don’t know if the proliferation of knit tank top patterns caused that shift or is the result of it, but either way, summer knitters and knitwear-wearers are the beneficiaries, and every year there seem to be more great tank top knitting patterns to share.

How about the super cute Fleur Cami from Woolbirdx on Etsy? This sweet V-neck with thin straps features vertical panels of eyelets and ribbing. It’s worked from the bottom up in the round and is available in nine sizes. It calls for super fine yarn.

Or there’s the knitted lace V-neck top from Exotic Works Hub. This one has lace panels on the front at the center and is otherwise worked mostly in stockinette stitch. It’s worked from the bottom up in fingering weight yarn and comes in six sizes.

The Mixed Rib Cami from Florence Miller is another on that caught my eye. Worked in light fingering weight yarn, it is worked from the top down using twisted rib stitches and optional waist shaping. It’s finished with I-cord edges for a super clean look. The pattern has nine sizes available and you can find it on Ravelry.

Stine HoelgaardJohansen’s Golden Girl top is a cute sport weight top with a round neckline that’s deeper in the back, and worked from the bottom up in broken rib. There are nine size options (and six languages) and you can grab it for free on Ravelry.

Prefer a sporty look? Andrea Gaughan’s Sumac tank is worked in fingering weight yarn from the top down with contrasting edges. The pattern has 10 sizes and two fit profiles, graded to a traditionally masculine or feminine frame respectively. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Even more than normal this year I’ve been trying to use yarn that I already have. I’m doing lots of odd ball projects, scrappy things and small projects, but it’s also nice sometimes to be able to use a whole skein, and just a single skein, on a project for yourself or for a gift.

The Sunburst Shawl by Jem Arrowsmith is a great option if you have a single skein of sock yarn (100 grams or 400-425 meters, which is around 437 to 465 yards) that you don’t want to make socks out of.

The design includes a section of stockinette with blocks of simple lace mesh offset to make a zig-zag design across the shawl that looks sort of like the rays on a drawing of the sun.

The lace is just yarn over, knit 2 together repeating, so this would be a great first lace knitting project if you haven’t tried that before. The designer also has a video tutorial on their website if you need more help with the technique.

You can use any sock yarn you have on hand, but this one is especially fun with the brightly colored, variegated, speckly and sparkly yarns that you might not otherwise know what to do with. The solid section lets the colors play uninterrupted, while the lace part adds a bit of texture and gives a different look to the yarn.

This asymmetrical triangle shawl measures about 73 inches or 185 cm in wingspan and is 18 inches/45.5 cm deep.

There are several completed projects on Ravelry already so you can see who the design looks in different colors and types of yarn, from self stripping to more solid and tonal options.

The pattern is available for free on Ravelry (note: on the designer’s website it says the pattern is free through Aug. 31, 2026, so I’m not sure if it will be free after that on Ravelry), and if you don’t happen to have the perfect skein of yarn to make this project, the designer also offers kits on their website that include the yarn, pattern and a stitch marker.

[Photo: Jem Arrowsmith]

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