"Ronja Thin Stripe Tank" - Top Knitting Pattern For Girls in MillaMia Naturally Soft Cotton

Ronja Thin Stripe Tank – Girls' Knitting Pattern by Helena Rosen for MillaMia

The Ronja Thin Stripe Tank is a charming, colourful sleeveless vest designed for girls, created by designer Helena Rosen and published by MillaMia. Available as a downloadable PDF, this beginner-level knitting pattern produces a fun striped tank top sized to fit girls aged 2–3, 3–4, 4–5, 5–6, and 6–7 years, with actual chest measurements ranging from 62 cm to 72 cm (24½ in to 28½ in) and underarm lengths from 20 cm to 28 cm (7¾ in to 11 in).

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a striped sleeveless vest (tank top) for children, featuring a ribbed hem for a secure, stay-in-place fit during active play. The design includes adjustable button straps with up to three buttonhole positions each, allowing the garment to grow with the child and extend its wearable life. The overall aesthetic is bright and playful, making use of bold, contrasting stripe colours.

Construction Techniques

• Bottom-up construction: The vest is worked from the hem upward, a straightforward approach well suited to beginner knitters.
• Worked flat: Pieces are knitted back and forth in rows on straight needles rather than in the round, producing separate front and back panels.
• Seamed finishing: The flat-knitted pieces are joined together using seaming, a classic construction method that gives the garment structure and clean edges.
• Stripe pattern: Thin stripes are created by alternating between multiple yarn colours. The pattern instructs knitters to carry yarn not in use loosely up the side of the work, avoiding the need to cut and rejoin yarn at every stripe change — a practical tip that keeps floats tidy and speeds up construction.
• Buttonhole straps: The shoulder straps incorporate multiple buttonhole positions, adding a functional and growth-friendly design detail.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (stockinette stitch): The main body fabric is worked in stocking stitch — knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows — creating a smooth, flat surface that showcases the stripe sequence beautifully.
• Rib stitch: A ribbed hem is worked at the lower edge of the vest, providing elasticity and helping the garment sit neatly against the body.
• Garter stitch (g-st): Referenced in the abbreviations, garter stitch may appear in finishing details or strap sections.
• Standard increases and decreases: Techniques including k2tog (knit two stitches together) and m1 (make one stitch by picking up the loop before the next stitch and knitting into the back of it) are used for shaping the armholes and neckline.

Materials

The pattern is written for MillaMia Naturally Soft Cotton, a sport-weight yarn available exclusively through loveknitting.com. For all sizes, one 50 g / 1¾ oz ball of each of the following five colours is required:

• French Navy (320) — Colour A
• Off White (311) — Colour B
• Bright Green (330) — Colour C
• Flamingo (341) — Colour D
• Lemon Yellow (333) — Colour E

Two pairs of straight knitting needles are required: 2.75 mm (US 2) needles for the ribbed hem and 3.25 mm (US 3) needles for the main body. The recommended tension is 25 stitches and 34 rows to a 10 cm / 4 in square over stocking stitch on 3.25 mm needles. Additionally,