Lana Grossa Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa Gioia Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Lana Grossa Gioia Cardigan is a classic button-front cardigan jacket designed for everyday wear. This pattern is available in three sizes: 36/38, 40/42, and 44/46, making it suitable for a range of body measurements. The cardigan features a structured silhouette with set-in sleeves and a traditional front-button closure.

Craft and Construction Method

This cardigan is created using the knitting craft. The garment is constructed using a bottom-up approach, meaning pieces are knitted starting from the lower edges and working upward. All pieces are worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, and the cardigan is finished using the seamed method, where individual pieces are sewn together to create the complete garment.

Stitches and Techniques Used

The Gioia Cardigan employs fundamental knitting stitches and shaping techniques:

• Garter Stitch: Created by knitting every row, this textured stitch is used for ribbed edging sections, providing elasticity and structure at cuffs and hems.
• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary stitch throughout the body and sleeves, created by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows, producing a smooth, classic fabric surface.
• Full-Fashion Decreases: Two decrease methods are employed for professional shaping. Full-fashion dec A uses selvage stitches with a slip-knit-pass decrease (skp) at the beginning of right-side rows and a knit-two-together (k2tog) at the end. Full-fashion dec B uses similar methods with adjusted selvage positioning. These techniques create visible, decorative decrease lines that frame the armholes and sleeve caps.
• Increases: Full-fashion increases are worked at regular intervals (every 10th row) along the sleeve length to gradually expand the sleeve width.
• Bind-off: Strategic binding off is used to shape the armholes and sleeve caps, creating the structured fit of a tailored cardigan.

Materials and Tools

The Gioia Cardigan is knitted using Lana Grossa Gioia yarn, a blend of 50% superwash Merino wool and 50% acrylic. This fiber combination offers durability, easy care, and a soft hand. The yarn is available in multiple colorways including Silver, Mint, Pink, Mocha, Grey-Green, and Black (color 101). Yardage requirements range from 300 grams (approximately 1,140 meters) for size 36/38 to 400 grams (approximately 1,520 meters) for the larger sizes, based on the yarn's 380 meters per 100 grams specification.

The pattern requires size 3.5 mm and 4 mm straight knitting needles for the main fabric, with a size 3.5 mm circular needle measuring 60 cm long used for certain sections. The cardigan is finished with eight 15 mm mother-of-pearl buttons in beige or brown (Union Knopf item 46286, color 14), providing an elegant closure and professional appearance.

Pattern Structure and Shaping

The cardigan consists of individual pieces: a back panel, two front panels, and two sleeves. The back and fronts are worked flat from the cast-on edge upward, with armhole shaping created through strategic bind-offs and full-fashion decreases. The sleeves are knitted separately, beginning with a garter stitch cuff for elasticity, then transitioning to stockinette stitch. Sleeve shaping includes gradual increases along the length to achieve proper sleeve width, followed by structured decreases at the sleeve cap to create a tailored fit. All pieces are then seamed together using the finished edges, and buttons are sewn onto the right front panel to align with buttonholes or button bands on the left front.