Long Fair Isle Tank Top

Apparently Fair Isle is best worked in the round. So I gave it a try. This tank is traditional in terms of the patterns, but not so much in terms of the colours or the length. I love it. In the photo it’s modelled by my sister Bethan.

Materials

No.9 circular knitting needle

Pair of straight no.9 needles

Pair of straight no.11 needles

Yarn darning needle

200g of 4-ply oatmeal (a)

50g 4-ply purply-pink (b)

25g 4-ply blue (c)

25g 4-ply pale pink (d)

25g 4-ply lilac (e)

25g 4-ply white (f)

25g 4-ply yellow (g)

25g 4-ply turquoise (h)

25g 4-ply burgundy (i)

25g 4-ply mustard (j)

25g 4-ply purple (k)

25g 4-ply grey (l)

25g 4-ply dark grey (m)

25g 4-ply peach (n)

Body

Note: in this pattern, I use ‘to end’ loosely. Just do your best, and hope. Same for the pattern repeats in the charts.

Bottom welt:

Using yarn (a), cast on 280 sts.

Round One: (K2, P2) to end. Join.

Work in rib as set until 20 rounds complete.

Work three rows in st.st. Then work from chart a, doing the repeats, obviously.

Decrease round, k8, K2tog, to end

Work from chart b

Increase round, k19, M1, to end

Work from chart c

Go straight! For the armholes

Knit half of the sts. (133) onto a straight needle, and then work each half separately

Back:

Work from chart

Front:

Work from chart

Making Up

Sew the shoulders together

Using no.11 needles and yarn (a), pick up and k into all the sts. along one side of an armhole, then work 6 rows in 2×2 rib. Do the same for the other side.

Do the same for the other armhole.

Do the same for the neck, but start at the point of the ‘V’, and dec. 1 st. at every row where the ‘V’ is.