Desert Queen

For a long time I didn’t really ‘see’ the top in this picture because of all of the the armpit action. I advise you take a good, long look at the armpit, really get your fill of armpittiness. Look at the gorgeous woman’s impressively exfoliated underarm until you don’t see it any more, and then take in the tank top. The top is pretty too, it deserves some love. The lines are simple and flattering, the eyelet detail is lovely without being overwrought, and the finish around the neck and armholes give it a really polish (try out the technique, you might end up adapting it and using it in other projects).

The Pattern

Desert Queen is a basic tank, worked from the bottom up in pieces (old skool). The back features a garter border and A-line shaping. The shoulders are elegantly shaped with short rows and then joined with a 3 needle bind-off. The only seaming is through the sides, which is among the easier stitching in knitting. Stitches are picked up at the neck and armholes, one round is worked, and then stitches are bound off to create a clean edge.

• Kelbourne has also included free tutorials for some techniques that newer knitters might be less familiar with (see links below).
• You can see the rest of the patterns from the Mojave Collection HERE.

The Yarn

Kelbourne Mojave is a super soft and light blend of cotton & linen. It comes in some really beautiful muted colours and also some awesomely bright colours – I’m especially fond of Seafoam Green and Flamingo Pink (it’s really peach). The more neutral colours tend to be nuanced, the type of colour that’s constantly changing based on the light.

Size

• 34 (38, 42, 46, 50, 54, 58)” 86.5 (96.5, 107, 117, 127, 137, 147.5) cm bust.
• Sweater is designed to be worn with 2” (5 cm) of positive ease.

Materials

• Kelbourne Mojave: 3 (3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6) skeins (shown in 025 slate grey)
• 3.25mm/US3 – 16” (40 cm) circular needles
• 3.25mm/US3 – 29” (80 cm) circular needles
• 3.5mm/US – 29” (80 cm) circular needles
• 4 locking stitch markers
• darning needle
• Pattern

Tutorials

• Working from charts, visit Kelbourne’s Tips and Tricks here.
• Short row shaping, visit Kelbourne’s Tips and Tricks here.
• Mattress stitch, visit Kelbourne’s Tips and Tricks here.
• Picking up stitches, visit Kelbourne’s Tips and Tricks here.
• Three Needle Bind-Off, visit Kelbourne’s Tips and Tricks here.