Hi everyone! I’m Chenoa from jellyKNITTING, and I want to share a little piece of who I am with all of you today.
Do you ever find yourself with a full closet, but nothing to wear? Nothing that makes you feel really good about yourself when you put it on? This past winter, I kept looking at all the crappy clothes in my closet thinking to myself, “Why?” Why do I keep buying new things that I don’t need? Why do half of the things I buy not even fit me well? Why do I keep supporting this industry?
With all of those “whys” in my head, I decided to change my habits.
I’ve decided to dive into designing, and to create my own clothes. I wanted things that fit me well, that were comfortable, and that would make people take a second look. Slowly but surely, I’m filling my closet with hand-made garments and accessories. It’s slow going, since I work full-time and am working on a Master’s degree in biology, but I love wearing something that makes me feel both beautiful and proud.
I’m not one to open up to the world about my life, but I (somewhat accidentally) give people a sneak peak of the inner me in my designs. Creating garments is art, and there is something deeply personal about the things I create and the level of detail I put into my designs. The Hilo Swell Tank is a glimpse into my soul - I have literally been dreaming of the design for months, testing different stitch patterns over and over again to get it absolutely perfect.
This top reminds me of my honeymoon, of long and lazy days in Hawaii with my husband. The colors make me think of the turquoise waters in the morning, before the trade winds can start to stir everything up. The ripples bring me back to the sight of the swell out past the breakers, the feel of the breeze on your skin, and the sound of the ocean.
When I step back and think about it, I think that’s part of what keeps me falling in love with yarn again and again - everyone who crafts puts their heart and soul into their projects. Each and every project, big or small, is a labor of love. Every thing you make has a little piece of you in it.
With that in mind, here is a piece of my soul <3
Sizing: Stitch counts, row counts, and other relevant information is noted as follows: (XS/S, M, L, XL, XXL)
Supply List:
- (3, 4, 4, 4, 5) balls of Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton in Main Color (MC) and 1 ball of Contrast Color (CC)
- Alternative yarn works for this pattern as well, but it may not look exactly the same.
- This yarn shrinks slightly the first time you wash it, so the fit of your garment will change slightly when washed (recommended before first wear).
- 6.5 mm crochet hook (OR size needed to obtain gauge
- Gauge - approximately 17 stitches and 16 rows to 4” in moss stitch
- Darning needle (for finishing)
Key:
Stitch (st)
Chain (ch)
Skip stitch (sk)
Slip stitch (slst)
Single crochet (sc)
Half double crochet (hdc)
Double crochet (dc)
Triple crochet (tr)
Main color (MC)
Contrast color (CC)
Yarn over (YO)
Right side (RS)
Wrong side (WS)
Hilo Swell Tank Pattern
Notes:
- When changing colors, complete the row as you typically would, but use the new color to pull your final YO through the final stitch of the row. This way, your turning chain for the new row will be in the new color, rather than changing after the first stitch of the turning chain.
- I also recommend you break yarn and knot together when changing colors. With mercerized cotton, the yarn can be slick, and simply weaving in your ends is not usually adequate to secure color changes.
- If your gauge is off, your size will be off! Make sure to do a gauge swatch, and change hook size as needed to obtain gauge.
- There is a right side (RS) and wrong side (WS) of the upper portion of tank. The RS is worked on even rows, and the odd rows are your WS. See pictures below - when the RS is facing you, the difference between your MC and CC is more significant and cleaner.
- Make sure your gauge matches, adjusting your hook size if necessary.
Wrong side
Right side:
Work these directions twice for the front and back of the tank:
TOP PORTION OF TANK:
- See chart below for help (rows alternate colors) - MC is indicated in aqua, and CC is a dark blue
- FOUNDATION (MC): Leave ~ 8 inches to 1 foot of yarn before your slip knot for seaming later. Using your 6.5 mm hook, ch (37, 45, 53, 61, 69).
- ROW 1 (MC): ch 1 to turn, sk first ch, then sc into each stitch across the row (37, 45, 53, 61, 69).
- ROW 2 (CC): ch 2 to turn (this does not count as your first stitch), *hdc, dc, tr, dc, hdc, sc, slst, sc*. Continue directions within * * until you have one stitch remaining (your last repeat will only be 4 sts instead of 8 - this is OK) - then finish the row with a hdc stitch (37, 45, 53, 61, 69).
- ROW 3 (MC): repeat ROW 1.
- ROW 4 (CC): ch 2 to turn (this does not count as your first stitch), now, you are going to reverse your stitches: *hdc, sc, slst, sc, hdc, dc, tr, dc*. Continue directions within * * until you have one stitch remaining (your last repeat will only be 4 sts instead of 8 - this is ok) - then finish the row with a hdc stitch.
- Repeat rows 1-4 until you have completed (14, 16, 18, 20, 22) rows, remembering to work odd rows in your MC and even rows in your CC. Rows 2 and 4 should always start and end with a hdc stitch - if they don’t, you have an error!
- Complete one final row of sc in MC, then start ROW 1 of LOWER PORTION below.
LOWER PORTION OF TANK (MC):
- See chart below for help - bottom aqua row is your final row of sc in MC from top portion of tank. Entire bottom portion is worked in MC, but row colors change to help you visualize the pattern. ROW 1 is indicated on the chart in black, and ROW 2 is in dark blue.
- ROW 1: To begin the row, ch2 and sc into the first st of the previous row. Then, *ch 1, sc* into every stitch across the row. This is your increase row - do not skip over any stitches. You will have doubled your stitch count after this row, and you should be getting a ruffle.
- ROW 2: You will now begin working in moss stitch (see chart below). Ch 2. Then, sc into the first ch space from the row below (sk the sc stitch you ended your previous row with). *Ch 1 and sc into the next ch space.*. Continue directions within * * until you have finished the row with a sc into a ch 2 space.
- Repeat ROW 2 until you have (45, 51, 57, 63, 69) total rows of moss stitch.
- Note: if you want your tank to be longer or shorter, simply increase or decrease the number of rows worked in moss stitch!
- Leave your yarn attached, and hold your last stitch on each side with a safety pin or scrap of yarn. You are going to continue seaming the sides with your yarn after you have finished both sides of the tank and seamed the shoulders.
- If you break your yarn, you will have to reattach it to seam the sides of your tank.
Once you have completed the front and back, weave in all your ends (excluding the live end with the ball still attached and the starting tail on each piece) before seaming the shoulders or the sides. Ends can be hidden in the WS of the work.
Seaming:SHOULDERS:
- Lay your front and back out. Determine which is the RS and WS for each piece.
- Lay pieces on top of one another, with the RS facing out on both (as if you were going to wear it)
- Using your sewing needle, graft the first (3, 4, 9, 9, 9) stitches together at the top of each shoulder, using your prefered seaming stitch (such as whip stitch). You can adjust these number of stitches you seam here to have wider or narrower shoulders on your top.
- Tie off, sew in the ends you just used to seam the shoulders.
SIDES:
- Before starting, try on the tank. Use stitch markers to mark approximately where you want the arm hole to be in all 4 places (right and left of front and back of the tank). Make sure you have the same number of rows on each side! You will likely be leaving the top 6-15 rows of moss stitch unworked on each side.
- You will be working the sides of the tank from the bottom up, one side at a time. Repeat these directions twice to seam both sides. The different pieces are referenced as side A (facing you) and side B (behind side A) for the rest of these directions. Work into each side with the tank held as it will be when you wear it: with the RS of side A facing you and the WS of side B is facing you.
- STEP 1: Pick back up the stitch you marked at the bottom of your tank and ch 1 on piece A.
- STEP 2: Slip stitch to attach the bottom of piece A to piece B.
- STEP 3: Ch 1. Find the lowermost ch 2 space on side A that you have not yet worked into, and sc into that space (see picture below for assistance)
- STEP 4: Ch 1. Find the lowermost ch 2 space on side B that you have not yet worked into, and sc into that space.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you reach your first stitch marker, essentially crocheting into every other row on each side of the tank.
- Once you have reached your stitch marker, ch 1, and slst into the space where your second stitch marker is (this will not be a ch 2 space, that’s OK).
- Tie off, sew in ends.
You’re done! Wash, block if desired, and enjoy!
I cannot wait to see what you all create! I hope that this pattern speaks to you, and that you get to put a little bit of your soul into a garment for yourself or a loved one. Please tag me on Instagram or Facebook with your progress pictures and finished products. I would love if you could also tag your photos with #HiloSwell and #jellyKNITTING. You can also always send me a message directly!
If you would like a fully-formatted PDF of this pattern, it will be available on my Ravelry and Etsy on August 10, 2018.
