Lana Grossa 05 Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa 05 Cardigan in Allora

What is Being Made

The Lana Grossa 05 Cardigan in Allora is a knitted cardigan available in two sizes: 36–40 and 42–46. This garment features a sophisticated construction with decorative daisy stitch details worked at regular intervals throughout the piece, creating visual interest across the front and back panels.

Construction Method and Techniques

This cardigan is worked flat using the bottom-up seamed construction method, meaning the back and front pieces are knitted separately from the cast-on edge upward, then seamed together. The design incorporates full-fashion shaping for both increases and decreases, a professional technique that creates neat, aligned edges during armhole and side shaping. The garment features charted colorwork patterns that guide the knitter through specific stitch sequences and color changes.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The primary stitch used throughout is stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, classic fabric. The cardigan features decorative daisy stitch elements worked using yarn-over and knit-two-together decreases (yo, k2tog), creating small eyelet details that appear strategically on the right-side rows. The pattern includes charted instructions labeled Chart A, Chart B, Chart C, Chart D, Chart E, and Chart F, which provide row-by-row guidance for both the main body and armhole shaping sections. Two-stitch selvage stitches are maintained at the edges for clean seaming.

Materials and Gauge

The Lana Grossa 05 Cardigan in Allora is worked using Lana Grossa Allora yarn, a premium blend composed of 76% cotton, 14% superfine Merino wool, and 10% baby alpaca. This fiber composition creates a breathable, soft, and durable fabric ideal for a cardigan. The yarn is worked at 300 meters per 50 grams. For the smaller size (36–40), 250 grams of Turquoise (col 5) is required; for the larger size (42–46), 300 grams is needed. Additional yardage includes 50 grams each of Dark Green (col 4), Pearl White (col 13), and Red (col 18) for colorwork accents.

The pattern is worked on size 3.5 mm needles, achieving a gauge of 24 stitches and 33.5 rows over 10 × 10 centimeters in stockinette stitch. A tapestry needle is required for seaming, and the cardigan is finished with five 18 mm two-hole mother-of-pearl buttons in natural, providing an elegant closure.

Pattern Structure and Shaping

The back piece begins with 135 (143) stitches cast on in Turquoise. The pattern opens with rows 1–4 of Chart A, followed by 16 rows of Chart B. Daisy stitch eyelet details are introduced on row 17 and repeated at regular intervals (every 45 rows) to create a rhythmic vertical pattern. Concurrent with the colorwork, side shaping is accomplished through full-fashion increases worked on the 21st row of Chart B, then repeated every 20 rows for a total of 3 additional increases, bringing the stitch count to 143 (151) stitches.

Armhole shaping follows the completion of the main body section. Full-fashion decreases are worked at each end of 10 consecutive right-side rows, reducing the stitch count to 123 (131) stitches. The armhole shaping is guided by Charts C and E (for rows 1–4), followed by Charts D and F, with rows 3 and 4 repeated as needed. The pattern continues until 68 (74) rows have been worked from the beginning of armhole shaping, depending on the size being knitted.

Downloadable PDF Format

This pattern is provided as a downloadable PDF file, making it convenient for digital access and printing. The format includes detailed schematic information, charted instructions, and row-by-row guidance for knitters of intermediate skill level.