Twofer, Technically

 Look what's finished and being worn!

Pattern: Twofer Tank (Ravelry link) by Heidi Kirrmaier, size M1 (36.5 in. bust)
Yarn: Knit Picks CotLin (70% cotton/30% linen) in Pistachio, 4.82 skeins used (approximately 593 yards)
Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm)
Started/Completed: August 1/August 11
Mods: added length to the back; didn't decrease or go down in needle size for bottom hem

I think it's fairly obvious from the start and finish dates that this was a very fast knit. Really, the fiddly bits are all at the beginning, and even those are fast because you're working with smaller numbers of stitches. This top is worked top down, starting with the straps. I did a provisional cast on for mine, which enabled me to pick up live stitches when I was ready to start the back portion. I also wove in ends as I went, and as the edgings are worked as you're working the whole piece, there was little finishing to be done when I finished the bind-off.

But let me back up a bit. The reason this is called the Twofer Tank is that it's intended to be reversible, so you get two looks in one garment -- a V-neck and a square neckline. I knew I'd always want to wear the V-neck at the front, though, and I made some adjustments that mean this top definitely has a front and a back and I won't be reversing it. The main modification was that I added a series of short rows to the back to make a subtle high-low hem. One of my main annoyances with tops that aren't long enough is that when I bend or crouch down, they expose that bit of my lower back. Having just a bit of extra fabric in this spot helps to eliminate the possibility of that happening.

The other major modification I made was to the bottom hem. The pattern calls for doing a series of decreases just before switching to the textured stitch pattern as well as for going down a needle size. If you look at the pattern photos, you'll see this has a big of a blousing effect, and for someone who is already sensitive about her stomach area, I didn't want my garment to make my stomach look larger than it is. I actually increased one stitch (because the textured pattern requires an even stitch count) and continued to knit with the same needle I used for the rest of the garment. The result is a very slight A-line shape that I think is very flattering.

I finished the knitting of this top last Thursday, and on Friday, I tossed it into the washer and dryer with a load of darks. I know some of you may have just gasped, especially because I did not wash and dry a swatch beforehand to know how much it might shrink. But it was a calculated risk. I knew it probably would shrink up a bit, and I did add some length to the body to counteract that. I also knew that machine washing and drying is how I planned to care for this top, so I figured that if it didn't make it through the first wash, it wasn't going to be a useful garment to me anyway. The yarn was not that expensive and I didn't spend so much time on it that it would be devastating if it didn't survive. But it turned out just fine. Yes, it did shrink up a tiny bit, but I gave it a steam press afterwards to coax the edgings to lie flat and it gained back a bit. I think it will also grow as I wear it, and it will likely need that shrinking to get it back to size. The fabric was also much improved by not treating it so gently. It evened out nicely and got even softer.

I have to say that I was really pleasantly surprised by this yarn. Normally cotton hurts my hands, but the blend with the linen makes it a lot nicer to work with. And it's really soft and comfortable to wear. I could definitely see myself using it for future warm-weather wear -- just as I could see myself knitting another one of these tanks! The size I knit has about four inches of positive ease, and I could see the next size down (about 1.5 inches of positive ease) and being perfectly comfortable. I can absolutely vouch for the quality of the pattern and appreciate the many nice touches it has that make it engaging to knit and attractive to wear. I can already tell that I'm going to be wearing the heck out of this top while the nice weather lasts and will be packing it for Florida in December!