Lana Grossa Jacket Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa Jacket in Silkhair Hand-Dyed & Silkhair

What Is Being Made

This is a hand-dyed striped cardigan jacket knitted from the bottom up in a seamed construction. The design features a classic fitted silhouette with set-in sleeves, a collar, and decorative color-blocking created through strategic stripe placement. The jacket is available in multiple sizes ranging from 36 to 48, making it suitable for various body measurements.

Techniques Used

The Lana Grossa Jacket employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its finished structure:

• Bottom-up construction: The garment is worked from the lower edge upward, allowing for easy adjustments to length during the knitting process.
• Seamed assembly: Individual pieces (front panels, back, and sleeves) are knitted flat and then sewn together using selvage stitches, which provide clean, professional seams.
• Stripe patterning: A repeating color sequence alternates between hand-dyed yarn (Blue/Mint/Pale Green/Light Grey/Pink/Grey) and solid Gentian Blue, creating visual interest and depth.
• Worked flat: All pieces are knitted on straight needles in rows rather than in the round, which is traditional for cardigan construction.
• Shaping techniques: Strategic decreases are worked at regular intervals (every 10th row, then every 8th row) to create a fitted waist and proper shoulder shaping through bind-offs at the armhole.

Stitches Used

The pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches to create texture and structure:

• Stockinette stitch (St st): The primary stitch used throughout most of the garment, created by knitting on the right side and purling on the wrong side, producing a smooth, classic fabric.
• Reverse stockinette stitch (Rev St st): Used strategically in front panels, this stitch is created by reversing the stockinette technique (purling on the right side, knitting on the wrong side), adding textural contrast.
• Garter stitch: Applied at the sleeve cuffs for the first 3 rows, this stitch is created by knitting every row and provides an elastic, textured edge.
• Selvage stitches: The first and last stitch of every row is knitted as a selvage stitch, creating neat edges that facilitate clean seaming when pieces are assembled.

Materials

The Lana Grossa Jacket is constructed using two complementary yarns from the Lana Grossa Silkhair collection:

• Lana Grossa Silkhair Hand-Dyed (col 602): A luxurious blend of 70% superkid mohair and 30% silk with a yardage of 400 meters per 50 grams. This yarn is used in hand-dyed colorways featuring Blue, Mint, Pale Green, Light Grey, Pink, and Grey. Yardage requirements range from 100 grams for the smallest size to 150 grams for larger sizes.
• Lana Grossa Silkhair (col 133): The same fiber blend (70% superkid mohair, 30% silk) in a solid Gentian Blue colorway, with 210 meters per 25 grams. This yarn is used for the stripe sequence and requires 75 to 125 grams depending on size.
• Needles: Size 5 mm needles are used throughout the project for casting on and working all pieces.

Stripe Sequence

The color pattern alternates in a repeating cycle: 2 rows of hand-dyed yarn (cycling through the Blue/Mint/Pale Green/Light Grey/Pink/Grey sequence), followed by 10 rows of solid Gentian Blue, then 4 rows of the hand-dyed yarn. This rhythm creates a balanced visual pattern that showcases both yarns while maintaining cohesion throughout the garment.