Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Use Up Your Stash on the Stripey Turtle Tank

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The Stripey Turtle Tank by Emily Curtis isn’t a new knitting pattern but I saw someone sharing their finished object on Instagram the other day and it was so cute I just had to share it.

This project is the ideal way to use up lots of little balls of yarn left over from other projects, or if you have a stockpile of mini skeins you aren’t sure what to do with. The original pattern was worked in fingering weight yarn in one main and five contrasting colors, but you can always add more to make yours even more colorful.

It’s worked from the bottom up and was designed to be cropped and have 0 to 2 inches of negative ease. The pattern has 13 size options up to a 62 inch chest measurement and would be great as a summer top or worked with a little more ease to wear as a vest in the fall.

You can get the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Emily Curtis.]

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A Sweet Skater Dress to Knit

I know knitting a dress sounds like a major time commitment. And that’s before I even tell you that this particular dress, the Sixth Ave Skater Dress by Briana Luppino, is worked in light fingering weight yarn. 

But would you just take a moment to look at it and tell me if it doesn’t look like it would be worth all the time you would spend knitting it? And it’s miles of stockinette stitch so it’s actually beginner friendly and a great semi-mindless knit you can take with you on your travels this summer and wear when it is done. 

The dress is worked from the top down with tank straps, a scoop neck, waist shaping and a flowy skirt for a fun and comfortable fit. 

The pattern has 10 sizes, with finished bust measurements ranging from 28 to 64 inches, or 71.5 to 163 cm. The sample shown was worked with 4 inches/10 cm of negative ease at the bust, and the designer says most people like between 2 and 6 inches/5 to 15 cm of negative ease in the bust and around 10 inches/25.4 cm positive ease in the hips. 

(To refresh your memory, negative ease means the measurement of the garment is smaller than your actual body measurement, while positive ease is bigger than your body.)

To pick a size you’d work from the bust measurement because you can always add more or fewer decreases as you need to get your desired fit at the waist and hips. And because it’s worked from the top down you can try it on as often as you like to make sure it’s the perfect fit. 

The I-cord edgings give the dress a super casual feel, and I think this would be a great one to add to your summer rotation. (Yes, even with a wool blend yarn.)

You can see lots of cute finished versions and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Briana Luppino]

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