The Victory Tank Top

A post-war men's tennis tank top from 1947: a deep V-neck, deeply cut-in sporty armholes, and a crisp knit 4, purl 2 rib all over. The welt, neckband and armbands are striped in a contrast colour, the classic cricket-and-tennis look, and the V-neck band is neatly mitred. Made to wear over a polo shirt or an open-necked shirt. Men's sizes, chest 34 to 54 in.

Fit

Close-fitting, as the original: the finished chest is about the same as the body chest, and the rib stretches to fit

Skill level

Intermediate. Simple rib on straight pieces, with the V-neck and armholes shaped at the same time (row-by-row planners help), plus striped bands.

Sizes

Men's, chest 34 to 54 in (86 to 137 cm): S to 3XL (UK/US 34 to 54, EU 44 to 64)

Yarns

Fingering / 4-ply, Sport, DK / light worsted

Original yarn

Fingering (4-ply) wool, at about 30 sts and 40 rows to 4 in (10 cm) over the k4 p2 rib. For the closest match to the photo, use a yarn that knits to this gauge.

Gauge

Your own, from 20 to 34 stitches per 4 in (10 cm)

You get

Your complete pattern straight away, to read on screen, print or save, plus an email link back to it

Nothing thicker than DK is offered: a bulky rib loses the crisp tennis look and the cut-in armholes get clumsy.

What you'll get

• Every piece written out in full for your size and gauge
• Row counts with the length to check against, so you always know where you are
• Row-by-row planners for the tricky bits, where shaping happens on both edges at once
• Drawings of each piece with your measurements, and full making-up instructions

Every design is chosen by a knitter and checked against its original pattern. If you get stuck, email us and a real person will help.