#1216 Mesa verde - Top Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Westhampton by Valley Yarns

Pattern Summary: #1216 Mesa Verde – Women's Knitted Tank Top by Julie Turjoman

About This Pattern

The #1216 Mesa Verde is a beautifully designed women's tank top knitting pattern created by Julie Turjoman and published by Valley Yarns. This pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and is rated Advanced Beginner in difficulty, making it an ideal stepping stone for newer knitters who are ready to explore lace and eyelet techniques for the first time. At the same time, the thoughtful design details — including A-line shaping, a scoop neckline, and eyelet accents — offer enough interest to keep more experienced knitters engaged throughout the project.

The Mesa Verde tank is designed with warm-weather wearability in mind, but its elegant drape and clean lines also make it a versatile layering piece for cooler days. Wide shoulder straps are specifically designed to conceal bra straps, adding a practical and polished touch to this wardrobe staple.

Design Details and Fit

The Mesa Verde tank features a scoop neck, drapey A-line shaping, and eyelet accents that give it a light, feminine aesthetic without overwhelming the knitter with complex construction. The A-line silhouette is flattering across a wide range of body types and is achieved through careful shaping worked flat in separate pieces before seaming.

• Sizes available: XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, and 4XL
• Finished Bust Measurement: 34 (38, 42, 46, 50) (54, 58, 62) inches
• Finished Hip Measurement: 38 (42, 46, 50, 54) (58, 62, 66) inches
• Length from hem to underarm: 16 (16, 16, 17, 17) (17, 18, 18) inches
• Ease: Designed to fit with 2–4 inches of positive ease
• The tank can be made longer than the stated measurements, though additional yarn will be required

The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in Size S, giving knitters a clear reference point when selecting their size. The wide range of sizes — from XS through 4XL — makes this an inclusive pattern suitable for a broad spectrum of body measurements.

Techniques Used

This pattern is worked using the seamed construction method, meaning the front and back pieces are worked flat separately and then joined together. This is a traditional approach to garment knitting that produces clean, structured edges and is particularly well-suited to knitters who are comfortable with basic flat knitting but are not yet ready to tackle complex seamless or in-the-round constructions.

• Worked flat: Each garment piece is knitted back and forth in rows rather than in the round
• Seamed construction: Finished pieces are joined using seaming techniques, giving the garment structure and durability
• Eyelet lace: Decorative eyelet accents are incorporated into the design, providing an introduction to lace knitting in a manageable and approachable format
• A-line shaping: Gradual increases or decreases are used to create the flowing A-line silhouette from hip to bust
• Neckline and armhole shaping: Standard bind-off and decrease shaping techniques are used to form the scoop neck and wide shoulder straps

Eyelet lace knitting involves creating small, decorative holes in the fabric by pairing a yarn over with a corresponding decrease stitch. This technique adds visual texture and a delicate, airy quality to knitted fabric without significantly altering the overall structure of the piece. For newer knitters, the Mesa Verde pattern offers a gentle and confidence-building introduction to this skill.

Stitches Used

While the full stitch list is detailed within the downloadable PDF, the Mesa Verde tank incorporates a combination of fundamental and slightly more advanced knitting stitches appropriate for an Advanced Beginner skill level:

• Knit and purl stitches — the foundational building blocks