Breeze Tank

A simple, breezy worsted-weight tank with clean lines, garter borders, and easy square armholes and neckline. Designed for beginners who want a wearable summer layer or light year-round piece with minimal shaping and straightforward finishing.

Materials

• Worsted weight yarn (approx. 100 yd / 90 m per 50 g): 450 (500, 575, 650, 725) yd / 410 (455, 525, 595, 665) m
• US 8 / 5 mm circular needle, 24–32" / 60–80 cm (or size to obtain gauge)
• Spare needle or stitch holders
• Stitch markers
• Tapestry needle
• Scissors

Gauge

18 sts and 24 rows = 4" / 10 cm in stockinette stitch, blocked. Check gauge carefully — fit depends on it.

Sizes

XS (S, M, L, XL) Finished bust circumference: 32 (36, 40, 44, 48)" / 81.5 (91.5, 101.5, 112, 122) cm Designed to be worn with 0–2" / 0–5 cm positive ease. Shown with approx. 1" ease. To choose size, pick finished bust closest to your actual bust + desired ease.

Abbreviations (US)

• BO: bind off
• CO: cast on
• k: knit
• p: purl
• pm: place marker
• rnd(s): round(s)
• RS: right side
• sl m: slip marker
• st(s): stitch(es)
• St st: stockinette stitch (knit on RS, purl on WS; knit every rnd in the round)
• WS: wrong side

Pattern Notes

• Body is worked bottom-up in the round to the underarms, then front and back are worked flat separately.
• Garter stitch borders (knit every row/rnd) give a tidy, non-rolling edge.
• Armholes and neck use simple bind-offs — no fancy decreases required.
• Straps are worked as extensions of the front and joined to the back (or seamed).
• When instructions read “0 (1, 0, 1, 0)” work the number that corresponds to your size; a zero means skip that action for your size.
• Inline counts are confirmed with ✓ so you can track stitches as you go.

Instructions

Body

With circular needle, CO 144 (162, 180, 198, 216) sts. Pm for beginning of rnd and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist.

Garter hem Rnd 1: Knit. Rnd 2: Purl. Repeat Rnds 1–2 three more times (8 rnds total).

Change to St st (knit every rnd). Work even until piece measures 12 (12.5, 13, 13.5, 14)" / 30.5 (32, 33, 34.5, 35.5) cm from CO edge, or desired length to underarm.

Divide for Front and Back

Next rnd: K72 (81, 90, 99, 108), place remaining 72 (81, 90, 99, 108) sts on holder or spare needle for Front. You will now work the Back flat on the first 72 (81, 90, 99, 108) sts only. (Split equal ✓)

Back

Working flat on Back sts only:

Shape armholes Row 1 (RS): BO 4 (5, 6, 7, 8) sts, knit to end. 68 (76, 84, 92, 100) sts. Row 2 (WS): BO 4 (5, 6, 7, 8) sts, purl to end. 64 (71, 78, 85, 92) sts. (Armhole BO each side ✓)

Work even in St st (k on RS, p on WS) until armhole measures 5.5 (6, 6.5, 7, 7.5)" / 14 (15, 16.5, 18, 19) cm from armhole BO, ending after a WS row.

Shape back neck and straps Row 1 (RS): K16 (18, 20, 22, 24), BO center 32 (35, 38, 41, 44) sts, k16 (18, 20, 22, 24). (You now have two sets of 16 (18, 20, 22, 24) strap sts. Place right strap sts on holder. Work left strap only.)

Left back strap Work even in St st on remaining 16 (18, 20, 22, 24) sts for 2" / 5 cm (approx. 12 rows), ending after a WS row. Place sts on holder. Break yarn, leaving a 12" / 30 cm tail for joining.

Right back strap With RS facing, rejoin yarn to right strap sts. Work even in St st for 2" / 5 cm to match left strap. Place sts on holder. Break yarn, leaving a 12" / 30 cm tail.

Front

Return held Front 72 (81, 90, 99, 108) sts to needle. With RS facing, rejoin yarn.

Shape armholes Row 1 (RS): BO 4 (5, 6, 7, 8) sts, knit to end. 68 (76, 84, 92, 100) sts. Row 2 (WS): BO 4 (5, 6, 7, 8) sts, purl to end. 64 (71, 78, 85, 92) sts. (Matches Back ✓)

Work even in St st until armhole measures 3.5 (4, 4.5, 5, 5.5)" / 9 (10, 11.5, 12.5, 14) cm from armhole BO, ending after a WS row. (Front neck begins lower than back for comfortable fit.)

Shape front neck and straps Row 1 (RS): K16 (18, 20, 22, 24), BO center 32 (35, 38, 41, 44) sts, k16 (18, 20, 22, 24). Place right strap sts on holder. Work left strap only on 16 (18, 20, 22, 24) sts.

Left front strap Work even in St st until strap measures same total armhole depth as Back (5.5 (6, 6.5, 7, 7.5)" / 14 (15, 16.5, 18, 19) cm from original armhole BO), ending after a WS row. Do not break yarn if you plan to join live; otherwise leave a long tail and place sts on holder.

Right front strap With RS facing, rejoin yarn to right strap sts and work to match left front strap. Place sts on holder.

Join Straps

Option A (recommended, seamless): Using tapestry needle and Kitchener stitch (or 3-needle BO with RS together), join each front strap to corresponding back strap. 16 (18, 20, 22, 24) sts joined each side ✓

Option B (beginner-friendly seam): BO all strap sts. Seam front straps to back straps with mattress stitch, matching edges neatly.

Finishing

• Weave in all ends securely on WS.
• Wet-block or steam-block to finished measurements:
  • Bust: 32 (36, 40, 44, 48)" / 81.5 (91.5, 101.5, 112, 122) cm
  • Total length (hem to shoulder): approx. 19.5 (20.5, 21.5, 22.5, 23.5)" / 49.5 (52, 54.5, 57, 59.5) cm
  • Armhole depth: 5.5 (6, 6.5, 7, 7.5)" / 14 (15, 16.5, 18, 19) cm
• Optional: Work a clean round of slip-stitch or single crochet around armholes and neckline with same yarn for a polished edge (not required).
• Let dry completely before wearing.

Tips for Beginners

• Use a different color marker for beginning of round.
• Count stitches after every bind-off section.
• Try the tank on before joining straps (use waste yarn or safety pins to hold straps) and adjust strap length if needed.
• If your row gauge differs, measure armhole depth in inches rather than relying only on row counts.

Enjoy your Breeze Tank!