Matilde Tank in Adriafil New York - Downloadable PDF

Matilde Tank in Adriafil New York – Free Knitting Pattern (Downloadable PDF)

The Matilde Tank is a stylish, relaxed-fit sleeveless top designed for knitters who enjoy combining classic knitted construction with decorative crochet finishing details. This free downloadable PDF pattern uses Adriafil New York yarn, a chunky-weight yarn, to create a garment with beautiful texture and a flattering silhouette. The design features subtle waist shaping, clean armhole lines, and an elegant neckline border enriched with crochet bobbles and decorative rings — making it a rewarding project for knitters with some experience in both knitting and basic crochet techniques.

What Is Being Made

The Matilde Tank is a women's sleeveless tank top knitted flat in two main pieces — a back and a front — which are then seamed together. The design includes narrow shoulder straps, shaped armholes, and both a front and back neckline. Decorative crocheted rings and a crochet border are added as finishing elements, giving the garment a distinctive handcrafted detail. The pattern is sized for a 42 (44–46) fit, making it suitable for a range of adult women's sizes.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Adriafil New York in colour no. 83 — 400 g total. This is a chunky-weight yarn, ideal for achieving the recommended gauge and the relaxed drape of the tank top.
• Knitting needles: Size no. 5 (metric), used for all main knitted sections.
• Crochet hook: Size no. 4.5, used for the decorative crochet rings and neckline border finishing.
• Tapestry needle: Required for seaming and weaving in ends.

Gauge

The pattern specifies a gauge of 15 stitches and 21 rows over 10 × 10 cm, worked in knit stitch on size no. 5 needles. Achieving the correct gauge is important for ensuring the finished tank top matches the intended sizing, so a swatch is strongly recommended before beginning.

Knitting Techniques Used

The body of the Matilde Tank is worked flat using straightforward knitting techniques. The construction involves:

• Casting on and casting off for beginning and ending sections, including armhole and neckline shaping.
• Waist shaping through decreases and increases worked at the ends of rows — specifically, decreasing 1 stitch at each end every 8 rows three times, followed by increases, creating a gently fitted silhouette.
• Armhole shaping by casting off 7 stitches at each end when the work reaches the required total length.
• Neckline shaping on both the back and front, with centre stitches cast off and the two shoulder sections worked separately with further decreases to create a smooth, curved neckline edge.
• Garter stitch edge stitches worked consistently along the sides to keep the fabric neat and prevent curling at the selvedges.

Stitches Used — Knitting

• Knit stitch: The primary stitch used for the main body of both the back and front panels, creating a smooth stockinette-style fabric.
• Purl stitch: Used for the lower border — 2 rows of purl stitch form a neat, approximately 1 cm border at the cast-on edge of both pieces.
• Garter stitch: Used as edge stitches along the sides of the main body panels to stabilise the selvedges throughout construction.

Crochet Techniques and Stitches Used

A key feature of the Matilde Tank is its crochet finishing, which adds decorative texture and visual interest to the neckline and as ornamental rings. The crochet elements require familiarity with the following stitches: