Please note, as of the time of this blog posting, none of the following links are affiliate links and so no commission or the like provided, this is my thoughts on the pattern & yarn mentioned below.
The main deets....
Pattern: Maui Sunset Tank
Designer: Bonnie Mackay, BonBonBlackSheep
Where to get the pattern: Maui Sunset Tank Pattern at Fair Isle Yarn
How much the pattern costs: FREE!!
Ravelry link: Maui Sunset Tank on Ravelry
Where to find the designer: Instagram @bonbonblacksheep, wwww.bonbonblacksheep.com & on Ravelry
Yarn I used: Fair Isle Harbor
Yarn colors used: Lavender, Platinum, & Vivid Blue
Yarn bought from: Fair Isle Harbor website
Yarn Fiber: 50%Cotton 50%Viscose
Yarn Weight: Fine (2)
Yarn Skein Yardage: 321 yds / 293m
Yarn Care per Label: Machine wash cold gentle. Lay flat to dry. No bleach or ironing
What prompted me to make: CAL from Stitch & Hustle (website)
Made for: Me
Size made: L, 40-42”
(showing off my Yarnaholic bracelet made by Charms of Grace while wearing my Maui Sunset Tank)
The pattern...
This was a relaxing, quick to work up project I really enjoyed making. I love a pattern I can easily take on the go or not mess up when having a conversation. Not only is this the case with this tank, I also now have a great, comfy piece for summer!
I am excited to wear this to all the summer parties this year. I like to wear a thin tank under for coverage and this is still light weight enough to be breezy & cool in the heat.
I made a couple slight modifications:
- Added about 4 rows to the bottom color blocks. I wanted it a little longer on me and since the sleeves add a bit of color length to the top I wanted to even this out a little as well.
- When first wearing the sleeves stretched quite a bit with the weight of the tank, so I did end up going back and ripped out some of those rows and reattached them.
- I also hate seaming, so I used slip stitches to attach the sleeves in the back rather than stitching them.
(Also thought my clay heart necklace from Handmade Mom matched the tank well)
The yarn...
I absolutely love how the yarn feels wearing the tank....working with it in crochet I was not as happy with.
I switch between Boye & Bates hooks quite a bit, every time I think I have a favorite I have issues with one and switch again. So the front of this I was using a Bates hook. I ran into a ton of issues with the yarn splitting and not all of the strands pulling through the stitch and needing to repeat it.
So for the front I switched to a Boye hook, and while it happened less, still was annoyed by the splitting.
Overall, I think I might stick to knitting for this yarn as I feel like it might be easier to work with on knitting needles.
The Crochet-A-Long (CAL)...
If you haven't been to the Stitch & Hustle website yet, I highly recommend it. This CAL had some amazing prizes, although I sadly didn't win any of them :(
It was a fun group and seeing other's working up the same project in different colors or chatting about it on Instagram or in Ravelry adds a nice level of camaraderie to a project. Michele's Stitch & Hustle page is one of my yarnie blogs and she is fabulous at bringing folks together. Being able to go to Stitch Up Chicago was definitely one of this year's highlights for me.....although diving further into that feels like it may need to be it's own blog post another day.
Make sure to take a look at #mauisunsettankcal on Instagram to see all the other amazing color combinations used by those who participated in the crochet-a-long as well as #mauisunsettank. So many great color combos!
(what happens when I try to take pictures of things I've made...
...my husband photo bombs)