Nicole Tank Top in Adriafil Swing and Cheope - Downloadable PDF

Nicole Tank Top in Adriafil Swing and Cheope – Free Knitting Pattern (Downloadable PDF)

The Nicole Tank Top is a stylish, feminine sleeveless top designed for knitters who enjoy combining knitting and crochet finishing techniques. This free downloadable PDF pattern is published using Adriafil yarns and produces a flattering tank top with elegant shoulder straps, a shaped neckline, and delicate decorative edging. The design is sized for a Size 40, with the working instructions also referencing graduated stitch counts that suggest adaptability across a small size range.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a knitted tank top — a sleeveless, fitted garment worked in two main pieces (a back and a front). The front features a deep V-shaped or central neckline split, shaped armholes, and long, narrow shoulder straps that extend well above the body of the garment. The back is simpler in construction, with gentle shaping at the sides and a straight upper edge finished with a crochet border. The overall silhouette is close-fitting and elegant, making it suitable as a warm-weather top or a layering piece.

Yarn and Materials

• Adriafil Swing – 150 g in colour no. 83; this is the primary yarn used throughout the knitted body of the tank top. Swing is an Aran-weight yarn that provides the structure and drape of the garment.
• Adriafil Cheope – several strands in lawn green no. 33; this DK-weight yarn is used as a decorative accent, particularly for the crochet edging and trim details that finish the neckline and upper back border.
• Knitting needles size 4.5 mm (no. 4½) – used for the main knitted fabric.
• Crochet hooks size 2 mm and 3 mm (nos. 2 and 3) – used for the decorative finishing rows.
• Tapestry needle – for seaming and weaving in ends.

Tension and Gauge

The pattern specifies a gauge of 18 stitches and 24 rows over 10 × 10 cm, worked in knit stitch on 4.5 mm needles using Adriafil Swing yarn. Achieving this gauge is important for ensuring the tank top fits correctly at the intended size. Knitters are encouraged to work a swatch and adjust needle size if necessary before beginning the main pieces.

Knitting Techniques Used

The Nicole Tank Top is primarily worked in flat knitting, producing two separate panels that are later seamed together. Key knitting techniques include:

• Casting on and binding off – standard techniques used to begin each piece and to shape armholes and shoulders.
• Side shaping via decreases and increases – the back and front are both shaped at the sides, with decreases worked at specific row intervals to create a waist, followed by increases to restore width at the hip. This creates a subtle hourglass silhouette.
• Armhole shaping – on the front, armholes are formed by casting off stitches at each end, then working paired decreases every two rows to create a smooth, curved armhole edge.
• Neckline shaping – the two centre stitches are bound off simultaneously with the armhole shaping, and the work is then divided and continued over two separate halves. Decreases are worked centrewise every two rows to form the neckline.
• Shoulder strap construction – after the main body shaping is complete, the remaining stitches are continued as long, narrow straps with further decreases worked at intervals over an extended length before the final stitches are cast off.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch – the entire body of both the back and front panels is worked in knit stitch, creating a smooth, uniform fabric texture.
• Chain stitch – a basic crochet stitch referenced in the pattern's stitch glossary, used as part of the crochet finishing work.