Zinnia Tank

Zinnia Tank by Angela Hahn

What Is Being Made

The Zinnia Tank is a knitted sleeveless garment designed by Angela Hahn, featuring a boldly colored floral yoke as its focal point. This intermediate-level knitting project combines traditional Fair Isle colorwork with optional duplicate stitch embellishment to create a striking botanical design across the upper body of the tank.

Craft and Primary Technique

This project is created using knitting as the primary craft. The garment showcases Fair Isle stranded colorwork, a traditional knitting technique in which two colors are worked simultaneously on each round to create intricate patterned designs. Although four different colors are used throughout the yoke, only two colors are actively worked in any given round, keeping the stranded floats manageable. The design also incorporates duplicate stitch (also called Swiss darning) as an optional finishing technique, used to accent the center of each flower motif on the front of the garment for added visual depth and detail.

Stitches and Construction Methods

The Zinnia Tank is constructed using circular needle knitting, which allows for seamless in-the-round construction. The garment is worked from the top down, beginning with the yoke. After the Fair Isle patterned yoke is completed, stitches are picked up around the bottom edge to continue working the body of the tank. This top-down construction method provides flexibility for fit adjustments and allows the colorwork focal point to be established before completing the remainder of the garment.

Needles and Tools

• US 7/4.5 mm circular needle in 24–40"/60–100 cm length for working the body, with size adjusted based on the selected garment size
• 24"/60 cm circular needle for the yoke colorwork section
• 16–20"/40–50 cm circular needle or double pointed needles (dpn) for armhole edgings
• Needle size may be adjusted if necessary to obtain the correct gauge
• Notions: stitch markers and stitch holders for managing stitches during construction

Yarn and Materials

The Zinnia Tank is designed to be worked in worsted weight (#4 medium weight) yarn. The pattern is shown in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, a blend of 80% cotton and 20% merino wool that provides breathability and comfort suitable for a sleeveless tank top. This yarn is available in 215 yards (197 meters) per 3.5 ounce (100 gram) skein.

Yardage requirements by size: Color A requires 540 yards (500 meters) for the smallest size, increasing to 1,020 yards (940 meters) for the largest size, with intermediate yardages of 620, 690, 760, 830, and 920 yards for the remaining sizes. The specific color shown is Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Jubilant Jade (color code CW-452), with skeins required ranging from 3 to 5 depending on the selected size.

Difficulty Level

This project is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters with some experience who are comfortable working with circular needles, reading colorwork charts, and managing multiple colors in stranded Fair Isle technique.