Blue Sky Fibers Girl's Skinny Tank Top Knitting Pattern

Blue Sky Fibers Girl's Skinny Tank

What Is Being Made

The Girl's Skinny Tank is a fitted sleeveless top designed for girls in sizes 2-3 through 10-12 years. This knitted garment features a close-fitting silhouette with shaping at the front and back, creating a tailored tank style suitable for layering or wearing alone. The design includes decorative color work options and a finished I-cord bind-off edge for a polished appearance.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting pattern employs several advanced shaping and finishing techniques. Wrap and Turn (W&T) is a key method used throughout the pattern to create short-row shaping, which allows the knitter to add depth and contour to specific areas without cutting the yarn. The pattern instructs knitters to bring yarn to the front of the work, slip the next stitch purlwise, bring yarn around the stitch to the back, and slip the stitch back to the left needle before turning to work in the opposite direction. When working subsequent rows, wraps are hidden by picking up the wrap from the front to back and knitting it together with the wrapped stitch, creating a seamless appearance.

The tank also features I-Cord bind-off as a finishing technique, which creates a decorative, rounded edge. This method involves knitting two stitches, knitting two together through the back loop, and slipping the three remaining stitches back to the left needle without turning, repeating this process across the row until all stitches are bound off. Additionally, the pattern uses I-Cord construction for accent details, created by knitting three stitches, slipping them back to the left needle without turning, and repeating until the cord reaches the desired length.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch throughout the Girl's Skinny Tank is stockinette stitch (St st), which creates a smooth, flat fabric ideal for a fitted garment. The pattern also incorporates garter stitch (knit every round) in specific sections, particularly for purl ridges at the lower edge that serve as visual markers and structural reference points.

For color work, the pattern features a 2-Color Vertical Stripe stitch pattern, which alternates knitting one stitch with one color and one stitch with a contrasting color around the round. This creates vertical stripes running the length of the tank. The pattern specifies working this color work for 6 to 10 rounds depending on size, allowing for customization of the striped section's prominence.

Materials and Yarn

The Girl's Skinny Tank offers flexibility in yarn choice, with two recommended options from Blue Sky Fibers. The primary option uses Blue Sky Skinny Dyed, a yarn that provides 150 yards per 65-gram hank. Depending on the child's size, the pattern requires 2 to 4 hanks of the main color (MC) plus 1 hank each of two contrasting colors (CC1 and CC2). Alternatively, knitters may choose Blue Sky Skinny Organic, which is made from 100% organically grown cotton and also yields 150 yards per 65-gram hank, requiring 1 hank of CC1 in addition to the dyed yarn quantities.

The pattern photo features specific color selections: Glacier #301 as the main color, Birch #30 as the first contrasting color, and Squash #306 as the second contrasting color, providing a reference for color coordination.

Needles and Notions

Construction requires a Size 6 (4 mm) circular needle measuring 20 inches or longer, or whatever size is necessary to obtain the correct gauge for the chosen yarn. Additional notions include 2 stitch markers (with one in the contrasting color to mark the beginning of the round for easy identification), and a tapestry needle for finishing and weaving in ends.

Sizing and Finished Dimensions

The pattern is available in five size ranges: 2-3 years, 4-5 years, 6-7 years, 8-9 years, and 10-12 years. Instructions are provided for the smallest size with larger sizes given in parentheses throughout the pattern. The finished tank measures approximately 9½ inches from the purl ridges at the lower edge for the smallest size, increasing to approximately 14 inches for the largest size, allowing for proper fit across the age range.

Pattern Structure and Shaping

The Girl's Skinny Tank is worked in the round from the bottom up, beginning with a cast-on and continuing in stockinette stitch with periodic shaping rounds. The pattern includes specific instructions for