The Little Belfalas Tank is made by knitting a cable panel, grafting its ends together, then picking up and knitting the body from the panel sides. The body is worked in the round, gradually tapering, before it is separated at the underarms into two panels worked flat. At the neckline, front and back are worked differently, creating i-cords and applied i-cords until there are three i-cord straps at each shoulder. These are then braided and grafted to the shoulder directly behind them. Videos of the process are included.

Level: Intermediate
Most difficult skills utilized: picking up sts from a vertical edge, cabling, grafting with kitchener stitch (all are explained with written instructions and videos)

Sizes:
Newborn (3m, 6m, 12m, 18m, 24m)(2t, 4t, 6, 8, 10, 12)

Gauge: 16 sts and 22 rows in 4” (10.4cm) in stockinette, blocked.

Materials:
Yarn: 210 (225, 230, 240, 255, 265) (275, 295, 310, 330,
355, 375) or 230 (246, 252, 262, 279, 290) (301, 323, 339,
361, 388, 410) meters of Shiny Happy Cotton by Wool
and the Gang which is 155 yds (142m) per 100g ball.

If you are substituting yarn, look for a smooth, drapey yarn with good stitch definition that can be knit up into I-cord (some more rustic yarns do not perform well as I-cord). I do not recommend wool unless you are planning to use your tank as a winter layering piece.

Needles:
Size 8 (5.0mm) circular needles, able to accommodate both the hip circumference and the chest circumference.

Knitters whose flat knitting tends to be tighter than their circular knitting may wish to size up an additional needle size to work the cable panel.

Cable needle (wooden or with grooves to hold sts)

Tip: For ease of knitting i-cord, you may prefer DPNs, but you can use a regular needle by slipping the stitches purlwise from the right needle to the left needle. Alternatively, I like to use interchangeable needles and knit my I-cord with the tips only.

Notions:
Removable stitch marker
Fixed stitch marker
Tapestry needle
Waste yarn or yarn holder

If you get confused, feel free to email me your questions—no question is considered too “dumb”, and I’m happy to help!

Your shares on social media, reviews, and projects on Ravelry are so meaningful, important, and APPRECIATED! Use the hashtags #belfalastank or #littlebelfalas to share on social media!

Fellow small handmade shops are welcome to sell sweaters that you knit with this pattern, but I would appreciate credit for the design.