Patternum Novum: Aquae Tank

Somehow, amidst the home renovation management, the sanding (and Oona - we are definitely wearing masks!), the smoothing, and the priming, I managed to design something and write up a pattern for it.  Well, I know how it happened -- I moved from a place with no summer to a place with a very hot summer, all money is going into the house, and I have absolutely nothing to wear.  Never underestimate the force of my motivation when I want to enhance my closet.  And now, thanks to some lovely bamboo yarn and a very simple shape, I have one more item to throw on when I'm not covered in dust.

Aquae Tank - $5.50 on Ravelry (no account required)

The yarn for Aquae was purchased during our unforgettable trip to South Africa last summer, hand dyed in South Africa itself, from a neat little shop in Stellenbosch.  The lovely aquatic colors reminded me of the waters surrounding the Cape, and the bamboo yarn knits up into a practically liquid form, which is even cool to the touch.  (Happily, the same yarn is available in the US and from many online vendors, packaged under the Be Sweet label.)

The Aquae Tank has a simple A-line shape - under the arms, the tank nips in just a bit, then slowly flares out to fall fluidly around the hips with positive ease.  And the back sports a subtle racerback.

The tank is knit from the top down, starting with the back. The front straps are picked up from the cast on edge of the back, then knit down until you join them into one front piece (I've included an increase chart to help you keep track of where the neck and armhole shaping are happening.)  Then, the front joins to the back at the underarms and the whole thing is knit in the round.  The top-down, join-as-you-go construction means there is no seaming at the end at all.

However, I did work in some faux seams at the sides, to mask the color changes at the beginning of each stripe.

Aquae is a great piece for layering, either over another tank (as shown here), or under a light cardi.  Having a tank in a knit fabric like this just adds a little bit of oomph, and you can't beat the gorgeous handpainted variations in those stripes.

The specs...

Sizes:   Finished bust - 28.25 (32, 36.25, 40, 44.25, 48, 52.25, 56, 60.25)” / 72 (81.5, 92, 101.5, 112.5, 122, 132.5, 142, 153) cm

Finished length from back neck to hem - 23 (23.5, 24.25, 24.5, 25, 25, 26.25, 26.5, 26.5)” / 58.5 (59.5, 61.5, 62, 63.5, 63.5, 66.5, 67.5, 67.5) cm

Sample shown in size S with 1”/ 2.5 cm of negative ease.

Yarn:  Be Sweet Bamboo: 3 (3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6) balls of #609 Sea Green (MC) and 2 (2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4) balls of #608 Turquoise (CC)

or...

440 (500, 565, 625, 690, 750, 815, 875, 940) yds / 400 (460, 515, 575, 630, 685, 745, 800, 860) m of a DK weight bamboo or silk yarn (actually, you could use anything -- wool would make for a cute vest! -- but bamboo or silk will give the same slinky drape of the original):
265 (300, 340, 375, 415, 450, 490, 525, 565) yds / 240 (275, 310, 345, 380, 410, 450, 480, 515) m of MC and 175 (200, 225, 250, 275, 300, 325, 350, 375) yds / 160 (185, 205, 230, 250, 275, 295, 320, 345) m of CC

Needles:  US 5 (3.75 mm) circular needle, 24-60” / 60-150 cm long (depending on size made), or size needed to obtain gauge 

and same size needles preferred for working a small circumference in the round (e.g. circular long enough for Magic Loop, dpns)

Gauge:  19 sts & 26 rows = 4" / 10cm in Stockinette Stitch


For more information, you can check out the Aquae Tank on Ravelry here.