Lana Grossa Cocoon Vest Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa Cocoon Vest in Tropico

What is Being Made

The Lana Grossa Cocoon Vest in Tropico is a one-size knitted waistcoat designed with a distinctive cocoon silhouette. This garment is constructed as a single rectangular piece that is folded and seamed during finishing to create its final shape, resulting in a comfortable, wrap-like vest with open armholes and a flowing aesthetic.

Construction and Techniques

This vest employs a worked flat construction method, meaning the piece is knitted back and forth in rows rather than in the round, until the final finishing stages. The garment uses seamed construction, where the cast-on edge is sewn to the bound-off edge to form the cocoon shape. The seaming technique is strategically applied over 32 centimeters, with 14 centimeters left open to create the armholes. After the main body is complete and shaped, stitches are picked up around the entire outer edge and worked in rounds to create a finished edge.

Lace patterning is the primary decorative technique used throughout this vest. The lace pattern is worked according to a chart with a multiple of 30 stitches plus 2 selvage stitches. The pattern spans 46 rows, which are worked once, then repeated 11 additional times to achieve the required length of approximately 183 centimeters from cast-on to bind-off.

Stitches and Stitch Details

The vest incorporates several key stitches:

• Lace pattern stitches: Worked according to a detailed chart, creating an open, decorative texture throughout the main body of the vest
• Selvage stitches: One knit stitch is maintained at the beginning and end of every row to create clean, finished edges
• Garter stitch: Used for the finishing edge worked in rounds, created by alternating purl rounds and knit rounds

The pattern instructions specify that on wrong-side rows, stitches should be worked as they appear or according to the chart key, with all yarn-overs knitted. This attention to detail ensures proper lace pattern definition throughout the garment.

Materials and Gauge

The Lana Grossa Cocoon Vest in Tropico is constructed using Lana Grossa Tropico yarn, a blend of 70% cotton and 30% Merino wool. A total of 600 grams of yarn is required, which equals approximately 750 meters given the yarn's yardage of 125 meters per 50-gram ball. The colorway used is Dove Blue/Lavender/Grey-Green/Dark Jeans/Emerald/Light Green/Red-Brown (color 4).

Two needle sizes are used for this project: size 4.5 mm needles for the main body and size 3.5 mm circular needles (120 centimeters long) for picking up and finishing the outer edge. The gauge for this pattern is 18 stitches and 29 rows equals 10 by 10 centimeters when working the lace pattern on size 4.5 mm needles. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for obtaining the proper finished dimensions and drape of this cocoon-style vest.

Finishing

Finishing begins with pinning the rectangular piece to the specified measurements and blocking it to set the lace pattern and even out the fabric. The center of the piece is marked, and using the provided assembly diagram as a guide, the cast-on edge is sewn to the bound-off edge with the marked center forming a continuous seam. After blocking and seaming, stitches are picked up evenly around the entire outer edge (475 stitches total) using the size 3.5 mm circular needle. These stitches are worked in garter stitch for 10 centimeters in the round before binding off, creating a finished edge that frames the lace pattern and armholes.