Lana Grossa Vest Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa Cool Air Vest

What is Being Made

The Lana Grossa Cool Air Vest is a sleeveless pullover garment designed in three sizes: 36/38, 40/42, and 44/46. This vest features a classic construction with shaped armholes, fitted shoulders, and a decorative neck edging. The design is from Filati Classici 15 edition and offers a refined silhouette suitable for layering or wearing as a standalone piece.

Knitting Techniques Used

This vest is constructed using bottom-up seamed construction, meaning pieces are knitted from the lower edge upward and then sewn together. The garment is worked flat on straight needles, with individual pieces created separately before assembly. The design incorporates short-row shaping to create the front neck edge contour, allowing for a gradual and elegant neckline. Full-fashion increases are used for armhole shaping, worked one stitch in from each edge to create a professional, tailored appearance. The piece is finished with blocking to set the measurements and shape, followed by seaming the shoulder seams together. A neck edging is picked up and knitted around the neckline using a circular needle to complete the garment.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The primary stitch used throughout the vest is stockinette stitch (St st), which is created by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows. This creates a smooth, classic fabric with a neat V appearance on the front. A garter selvage is maintained at each edge by knitting the first and last stitch on every row, regardless of whether it is a right-side or wrong-side row. This selvage technique creates a neat, finished edge that is easier to seam. The garter selvage is specifically maintained at the front edge throughout construction to ensure a polished finish.

Materials and Tools

The Lana Grossa Cool Air Vest is made from Lana Grossa Cool Air yarn in the colorway Pink/Beige (color 1). The yarn composition is 55% Merino wool, 33% baby alpaca, and 12% polyamide, offering a blend of warmth, softness, and durability. Yardage requirements are 350 grams (approximately 437 meters) for size 36/38, 400 grams (approximately 500 meters) for size 40/42, and 450 grams (approximately 562 meters) for size 44/46. The pattern calls for size 7 mm straight needles for the main body pieces and a size 7 mm circular needle for picking up and knitting the neck edging.

Construction Details

The back piece is cast on and worked in stockinette stitch with garter selvage edges. Armhole increases are incorporated at regular intervals using full-fashion techniques, with increases repeated every 6th row five times (or alternating every 6th and 8th row five times for larger sizes). The back reaches approximately 19 to 21 centimeters from the armhole markers before shoulder shaping begins. Shoulder shaping is accomplished through bind-off decreases worked at each shoulder edge in a graduated sequence.

The left and right front pieces are worked separately with the same armhole shaping as the back. The front neckline is shaped using short-row techniques, which create a gradual slope without visible holes or gaps. This method involves turning the work before reaching the end of the row and using yarn-overs to prevent gaps. The front edges maintain the garter selvage throughout for a finished appearance.

Assembly involves pinning all pieces to their finished measurements and blocking to set the shape. Shoulder seams are sewn together using mattress stitch or a similar seaming method. Finally, stitches are picked up around the neckline using the circular needle and a neck edging is knitted to complete the garment.