Lana Grossa Men's Pullover Jumper Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa Men's Pullover in Cool Wool Big

What is Being Made

This is a men's pullover sweater designed as Design 05 from the Merino Edition collection by Lana Grossa. The pullover is offered in three sizes: 46/48, 50/52, and 54/56, making it suitable for a range of adult male body types. The garment features a classic crew-neck construction with set-in sleeves and a structured shoulder design incorporating saddle shoulders for enhanced fit and durability.

Knitting Techniques

The pullover is constructed using a bottom-up, worked flat method, meaning the pieces are knitted individually from the lower edges upward and then assembled. The construction begins with the sleeves and body pieces worked separately on flat needles before being joined at the shoulders. The design incorporates full-fashion decreasing techniques for shaping the sleeve cap, which creates a refined, tailored appearance by positioning decreases one stitch in from the edge rather than at the selvage.

The sweater features saddle shoulder construction, a traditional tailoring technique where a separate band of fabric bridges the shoulder seam, providing structure and improving the garment's longevity. Sleeve shaping is accomplished through strategic increases worked at regular intervals during the sleeve length, with the pattern specifying increases at the 5th row, then continuing at every 8th row and every 6th row depending on size.

Stitches Used

• 2x2 Rib: A classic knit-purl pattern (K2, P2) used for the cuff and lower body ribbing, providing elasticity and a finished edge. This stitch is worked for 6 cm on the sleeves before transitioning to the main pattern.
• 6x2 Rib: The primary stitch pattern throughout the body and sleeves, worked on a multiple of 8 plus 2 selvage stitches. This pattern alternates 6 knit stitches with 2 purl stitches (K6, P2), creating vertical lines of texture that flatter the male silhouette.
• Selvage Stitches: Single stitches maintained at each edge of flat-worked pieces to create neat, finished edges that are easier to seam during assembly.
• Decreases: The pattern employs slip-knit-pass (skp) and knit-two-together (k2tog) decreases on the right side for full-fashion shaping, with corresponding decreases on the left side using sk2p and k3tog techniques to maintain pattern symmetry.
• Bind-off: Used to secure stitches at completion and during shaping, particularly for the sleeve cap where multiple stitches are bound off at the beginning of rows to create the armhole depth.

Materials and Tools

The pullover requires 700 to 800 grams of Lana Grossa Cool Wool Big yarn depending on size, with yardage approximately 840 to 960 meters total (based on the yarn's 120 meters per 50-gram ball specification). The yarn is 100% pure wool, offering natural elasticity, breathability, and durability ideal for a men's everyday pullover. The color specified in the pattern is Mint (color 947), a versatile neutral shade.

The pattern calls for size 4 mm and 4.5 mm needles for flat knitting, with the smaller needles used for the ribbed cuffs and lower edges to create a snug, elastic finish, and the larger needles used for the main body and sleeve patterns to achieve the correct gauge. A 50 cm circular needle in size 4 mm is also required, likely for any sections that may be worked in the round or for holding stitches during assembly.

Gauge and Fit

The pattern specifies a gauge of 24 stitches and 29 rows per 10 x 10 cm square when working the 6x2 rib pattern on the larger needles. Achieving this gauge is essential for the pullover to fit correctly across the chest and length, making it critical for knitters to swatch and adjust needle sizes if necessary before beginning the project.