This is a short and simple little vee-necked tank top that even the newest beginner to crocheting can create with ease. It's worked vertically, from the waistline up to the shoulder straps then back down again, in four identical panels that are joined together as you crochet, so the only seams to be sewn are the tops of the shoulders. (I love crocheting but I hate sewing the pieces together, so you'll run into this trend often in my patterns.) The underarm seams are smooth; there are crocheted joining seams down the center front and center back.

In this pattern, I'll refer several times to Stacie Naczelnik's excellent Hub on "How to Crochet," because she gave such clear instructions, with photos and videos, that I can't hope to improve on them. Here's a link that should open her Hub in a new window, so you can refer to it should you need help: http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Crochet

Yarn choices

Because I live near Houston, where the heat index has already topped 100 before summer has officially begun, I wanted to make this shirt with cotton yarn for coolness and tough wearability. But that very toughness makes cotton yarn difficult to work with. Cotton does not stretch, so keeping taut tension for good, tight stitches can raise blisters on soft fingers. It's tough enough to snap plastic crochet hooks, but the strands that comprise cotton yarn are often loosely twined about each other, so metal crochet hooks "grab" stray strands in passing and have me ripping out my hair.

So I compromised with a yarn that's a combination of cotton and acrylic, called Lion Brand Cotton Ease. The cotton keeps apparel cool and comfortable to wear, while the blended acrylic makes the yarn softer and more stretchy for happy crocheting and comfy wearing.

But this pattern can be worked with any worsted weight yarn of your choice, so long as you achieve the right gauge as described below. If worked with acrylic yarn, the finished shirt won't be as cool, but it will be more form-fitting, and there's a never-ending selection of colors to choose from. If worked with straight cotton, however, remember that it won't stretch and has to be crocheted large enough to fit comfortably. This pattern would also work for the tape or ribbon yarns currently popular, again, with the correct gauge.

A note on the color pattern: I like vertical stripes (someone once told me they're slimming and I never got over it) and I like the "suspenders" look, but I understand that not everyone's a fan thereof. This shirt could be worked in one solid color or in variegated yarn, or in the striped color pattern as described. I'm not hung up on this, so have fun, please your own tastes, and let's crochet.

Materials

• Lion Brand Cotton Ease yarn or worsted weight of your choice
• 3 skeins main color (I used purple, but I'm not certain they make this color any longer.)
• 1 skein each of two contrasting colors (I used hot pink and green. Again, I don't believe they still make these.)
• size I plastic crochet hook or whatever size is necessary to achieve the correct gauge
• tapestry needle (one with a large eye)

This tank top is designed for a 36 inch chest. Partway through and at the end, I'll discuss ways of making it smaller or larger, the better to fit you, my dear.

Gauge

16 stitches = 4 inches and 14 rows = 4 inches in hdc

Stitches used: ch, sc, hdc

Gauge swatch

Beginners, this is very important. If your gauge isn't correct, your finished shirt won't fit properly. If your gauge is too large, the shirt will be, too; if your gauge is too small, ditto. So take the time before you begin to ensure you'll be able to wear the shirt you crochet by preparing what's called a gauge or tension swatch.

Chain (ch) 17. Half-double crochet (hdc) in the third ch from the hook and in each ch across for a total of 16 hdc. (The two skipped chains at the start of a row, in this pattern, always count as the first hdc. Remember Stacie talked about that.) At the end of the row, ch 2 and turn. Because these first two chains count as the first stitch, hdc in the second stitch and in each one across, putting the last stitch in the top of the "turning chain." Ch 2 and turn again. Repeat this pattern for a total of 14 rows and fasten off as Stacie describes in her Hub.

The crocheted swatch should measure four inches by four inches. If it's too small, take it out and try again with a larger crochet hook; if it's bigger than four inches, try a smaller hook. Keep working at this until you get it just right.

Because gauge is achieved through a combination of a particular yarn with a particular hook as used by a particular crocheter, it's different, not only for each person, but whenever each person changes to a different yarn or even a different type or brand of hook. No, they're not all the same, and this is why I own not only both plastic and metal crochet hooks, but hooks made by Boye (regular as well as their Baleen variety), Lion Brand, Red Heart, Susan Bates, and other manufacturers. (It's not only an indulgence; somebody explain that to my husband, who clutches up whenever I wander too near a craft store.) I find Lion Brand hooks tend to be smaller than the others, and Boye larger. Experiment for yourself and find what works for you and your own particular style.

First panel

Start the tank top at the underarm waistline with the main color of yarn. Ch 41, then hdc in the third ch from the hook and in each ch across for a total of 40 hdc stitches. (Remember, the two skipped chains at the front count as the first stitch.) At the end of this first row, ch 2 and turn.

Again, the turning chain counts as the first stitch of this second row, so hdc in the second stitch and in each stitch across to the end. The final hdc goes in the top of that turning chain, then ch 2 and turn again.

Work up and down evenly, 40 stitches to each row, for five rows. Ch 2 and turn.

Increase row: At the start of row 6, ch 2 and turn as usual, but place the first stitch of this row, not in the second stitch of the row beneath, but in the first one. This adds an additional stitch to this row, making it slightly longer at 41 stitches when you've put the final hdc in the turning chain of the row beneath. Ch 2 and turn.

Row 7 is worked evenly at 41 stitches, letting the turning chain count as the first stitch and putting the final hdc in the turning chain of the increased row beneath.

Repeat rows 6 and 7 twice more, increasing on rows 8 and 10 while working rows 9 and 11 evenly. This gives you a total of 43 hdc stitches at the end of row 11, with a straight hemline at the waist of the shirt and a gentle bulge upwards at the line of the armhole.

At the end of row 11, ch 28 and turn. For row 12, hdc in the third ch from the hook and in each ch across, then hdc in each stitch of the row beneath for a total of 70 hdc. This extends the panel up from the underarm to the shoulder strap.

At the end of row 12, if you're working the vertical stripe pattern, cut the main color. This should be at the waistline edge.

Attach your second color (I chose pink). Do this by sticking the crochet hook through the first stitch, yarn over with the new color, and pull through a loop. Ch 2, then hdc two rows evenly at 70 stitches each row (rows 13 and 14). Cut second color.

Attach your third color (I used green), ch 2, then hdc four rows evenly at 70 stitches each row (rows 15 through 18, inclusive.) Cut second color.

For row 19, re-attach main color, ch 2, then hdc one row evenly at 70 stitches to the top of the shoulder strap. Cut main color and fasten off, leaving a five or six inch tail.

The shoulder strap is now complete and it's time to form the vee-neck. For row 20, turn the panel and re-attach your main color in the 12th stitch across, so the vee-neck starts several inches down from the top of the shoulder. Ch 2, then hdc in the next stitch and in each stitch across, including the turning chain of the row beneath, for 59 hdc. Ch 2 and turn.

Decrease row: Work row 21 evenly until you reach the last two stitches and the turning chain of the row beneath. Work a decrease hdc stitch (yarn over hook, insert hook in first stitch, yarn over, draw up a loop, yarn over hook a third time, insert hook in second stitch, yarn over again, draw up a loop, then yarn over hook a final time and draw through all the loops on the hook). This joins those last two stitches of the row beneath into one stitch on this row, decreasing the row by one stitch. For this row, skip the turning chain of the row beneath, so after working the decrease hdc stitch, there will be 57 hdc stitches in this row. Ch 2 and turn.

Work row 22 evenly, with the turning chain counting as the first stitch. Hdc in the second stitch and each stitch across for 57 hdc stitches. Ch 2, turn.

Repeat rows 21 and 22 four more times, decreasing two stitches on the odd-numbered rows and working the even-numbered rows, well, evenly. Rows 23 and 24 will have 55 stitches, rows 25 and 26 = 53, rows 27 and 28 = 51, and rows 29 and 30 = 49 stitches.

Your first panel is complete. Cut yarn and fasten off, again leaving a tail of yarn. This panel should measure 9 inches wide and about 17.5 inches from waistline to the top of the shoulder strap. When four of these panels are joined together, the shirt should be 36 inches around.

Second panel

Go back to the first row of the first panel, where you worked 40 hdc stitches into the foundation chain. Attach your main color yarn at the free loop of the first stitch at the waistline edge, ch 2, then hdc in the second free loop and in each loop across for 40 hdc stitches. Ch2, turn.

Work the remainder of the second panel exactly like the first. Fasten off in the same way.

You now have one-half of your shirt, either the right or left side (it really doesn't matter) joined at the underarm. I don't suggest you wear it in public that way, but you might try on this section before continuing, to ensure the fit is what you want. If it's going to be too tight and you're not using a stretchy yarn, you can add on another row at this point; if it's looking like it will hang, you can take off a row. Just make certain you do the same to both panels and remember to work the next two the same way, or the shirt will be skewed.

Third panel

Work exactly like the first panel, beginning with ch 41. When you reach the end (row 29, 30, or 31, depending upon how you sized it in the preceding section), instead of fastening off, ch 1 and turn.

Match up the working edge of this panel with the ending edge of one of the previous two panels that are joined at the underarm seam (it doesn't really matter which). Working through both layers, single crochet (sc) in the second stitch and in each stitch to the end of the row. If you're working from the waistline to the neckline, skip the turning chain at the end of the row, which will deepen the vee of the neck. If you added or subtracted a row in the previous section, then keep the waistline even by putting the final sc into the turning chains of both pieces. Fasten off.

Fourth panel

Work exactly like the second panel, beginning with attaching your main color yarn to the free loop of the first hdc stitch. When you reach the end, instead of fastening off, ch 1 and turn.

Match up this working edge with the other ending edge of the first half of the shirt, making certain that both seams will be on the same face of the shirt when it's complete, rather than one seam inside and one outside. (Yes, I've done that. Don't laugh, it could happen to anybody who wasn't paying attention.) Again, sc through both panels to the end. Fasten off.

Finishing

One by one, thread the tapestry needle with the tails of yarn left over from completing the panels and shoulder straps. Weave the tails into your finished crochet stitches in several short, diagonal seams, actually working through the strands of yarn, to hide the ends and tuck them away. Done carefully, you'll never see them again.

Then thread the tapestry needle with about twelve inches of yarn. With the shirt inside out, match up the ends of the shoulder straps, remembering that the vee-neck and the seam are in the center and the square part is the underarm. Whipstitch the ends together with a one-eighth inch seam or smaller, working through the crochet stitches rather than through the holes between them.

This pattern creates a shirt with rather neatly finished edges. But some purists still prefer to work a round of single crochet along every open edge-the neckline, the arms, and the waist-using a hook one size smaller than that used for crocheting the panels (e.g., if you crocheted the panels with a size I, use a size H for the trim). Doing so gives the shirt a more hemmed-up look; leaving it unfinished gives it a casual appearance. Decide for yourself.

If, after trying your finished shirt on, you decide the short length is just not you, add six or eight rows of single crochet to the bottom edge. This gives the shirt more of a waistline as well as lengthening it.

And you're done! Feel free to email photos of your finished work; I'd love to include them in the Hub!