Tank & Kimono, A Very Knitty Post

Last year my my lovely wife knitted me a kimono (http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2011/11/kimono-for-me-or-what-my-wife-knitted.html).  I loved the garment and I decided it needed a tank to go with it.  I found a wonderful pattern, in Knit Kimono Too  by Vicki Square called the Ao Tank.  I worked on the tank through the last thros of winter and most of spring.  I finally finished it at the end of May just in time to wear it to a wedding receptions.  I looked great in it and got lots of compliments, but there was a problem.

I will admit freely that I don't always swatch, but when it comes to clothing items I do.  I was so careful and checked gauge and followed the pattern.  I was so good about everything, and then I came to the end and followed the pattern for the neckline and the castoff.  I was about a third of the way through the castoff and realized, I had forgotten something very important.  Though I am plus sized and ample in the chest area, I have very small, rounded shoulders.  The tank kept sliding off my shoulders.  My mother always said it was very tacky to see a woman's bra straps, here I was walking around being tacky.

After some thought and putting my problem solving skills to the test, I came up with adding straps to the tank.  I followed the stitch pattern I used on the neckline and viola, bra straps covered.  Learning to knit has helped me on so many levels.  My hand and eye coordination has approved, I have learned advanced knitting techniques, and I can recognize most fibers on sight.  But my probelm solving abilities have improved so much I can fix my own droppy neckline, yay me.