Turn Scrap Yarn Into an Easy Crochet Summer Tank Top

By Nicki Byrnes

June 8, 2026

I shared an easy crochet top idea recently and talked about how simple details—like colorful straps, beads, and trims—can transform a basic tank top pattern. Here is a photo I created for my vision for a simple white tank with sweet strawberry beads:

You don’t need fancy yarn or an intricate pattern to create something relatively quickly that feels like you!

To crochet a top of my own, I wanted to use yarn I already had on hand. It turned into the perfect stash-busting project, so I’m sharing exactly how I designed and crocheted the tank top so you can as well.

Starting with Scrap Yarn

The yarn for this project came from leftover Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton in Pink, Pink Lemonade, and White from a set of gingham dishcloths I designed for I Like Crochet magazine. If you’ve been around here for a while, you might recognize the yarn from my Gingham Dishcloth Crochet Pattern.

I chose this from my yarn bins because cotton yarn is a great choice for summer garments. It’s breathable, durable, and easy to care for. Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton is widely available at craft stores like Michaels if you’d like to use it as well.

Before You Crochet: Make a Gauge Swatch

Gauge swatches aren’t the most exciting part of crochet. But if you’re making clothing that you actually want to fit, they’re one of the most important steps.

A gauge swatch is a sample square worked in the same yarn, hook size, and stitch pattern you’ll use for the finished project. It tells you how many stitches and rows you make within a certain measurement.

For this project, I used:

• Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton in Pink, Pink Lemonade, and White
• 4.00 mm crochet hook
• Half double crochet stitch

I made a swatch slightly larger than 4″ x 4″ and measured my gauge to find:

• 17 stitches = 4 inches
• 12.5 rows = 4 inches

That means 17 of my half double crochet stitches, with the hook and yarn I will use for the final product, measure 4 inches wide, and 12.5 rows measure 4 inches tall.

Once I knew my gauge, I could calculate exactly how many stitches and rows I needed for my size of top.

Determining the Width

I wanted to make two panels, one for the front and one for the back, in a shape that is a rectangle that slightly tapers in at the top towards the upper bust/armpit.

To determine the ideal top size that will fit me, I used the standard women’s measurements from the Craft Yarn Council as my starting point.

Based on those measurements, I wanted each panel of my top to be approximately 17 inches wide.

Using my gauge, I calculated how many of my stitches I would need to equal 17″ wide:

17 stitches ÷ 4 inches = x stitches ÷ 17 inches

Solving for x gave me 72 stitches. That meant each panel needed to be 72 stitches wide.

Since the front and back panels are identical, I would make two matching rectangles that taper slightly at the armpit/above the bust. To find out how many rows each panel would be and where I needed to start tapering, I had to do more math!

Determining the Length

The Craft Yarn Council recommends approximately 17 inches from shoulder to waist, but I wanted a cropped tank. I decided on a finished length of 14 inches.

I also wanted the top to taper inward slightly around the upper bust or armhole area, similar to the inspiration photos I created.

2-3 inches are recommended for the tapering portion, so that meant:

• 11 inches would remain straight
• 3 inches would be tapered

Using my row gauge:

12.5 rows ÷ 4 inches = x rows ÷ 14 inches

This gave me 43.75 rows.

Since crochet doesn’t allow for three-quarters of a row, I rounded to 43 rows total.

Next, I calculated how many rows would make up the straight section:

12.5 rows ÷ 4 inches = x rows ÷ 11 inches

x = 34.375 rows

I rounded down to 34 rows.

Then I checked the tapered section:

12.5 rows ÷ 4 inches = x rows ÷ 3 inches

x ≈ 9 rows

To check my math, 34 rows + 9 rows = 43 rows total. Perfect.

Crocheting the Panels

With the math finished, I could finally start crocheting.

I chained 72 stitches.

Then I worked a half double crochet in the second chain from the hook and continued across, giving me 71 stitches.

For the body of the panel, I repeated:

• Chain 1
• Turn
• Half double crochet across

I worked this for 34 rows.

At that point, I started shaping the top.

For each shaping row, I:

• Worked a half double crochet decrease in the first two stitches
• Half double crocheted across
• Worked another half double crochet decrease in the final two stitches

I repeated this shaping for 9 rows.

The result is a gentle taper that brings the top in slightly near the armholes without creating dramatic shaping.

Embracing the Scrap-Yarn Reality

One thing I knew from the beginning was that I didn’t have enough pink yarn to finish both panels.

Rather than trying to make everything match perfectly, I just crocheted until I ran low on a color and then switched to white.

The white stripes ended up being different widths on the front vs. back, which doesn’t bother me at all. It’s just a scrap yarn project and something fun and breezy to wear in the summer!

I also plan is to use the white yarn for:

• A crochet border along the bottom hem
• Neckline edging
• Armhole edging

What’s Next?

At the moment, both panels are complete and I sewed them together with a mattress stitch. You can see a quick video on Instagram in my Highlights called Crochet Tops (it’s the last story posted there). Next up is the piece de resitance…the straps!

I’m leaning toward these pink mixed beads because they pull together both shades of pink along with the white and add the playful summer vibe I was hoping for.

In the next post, I’ll share how I finished the edging, attached the straps, and added the bead details to turn this simple crochet tank into something special.

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