Lana Grossa Jacket Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa Jacket in Alta Moda Cotolana & Silkhair

What Is Being Made

This is a classic knitted jacket design featuring a sophisticated blend of natural and luxury fibers. The garment is constructed as a cardigan-style jacket with button closures, offering a refined silhouette suitable for multiple size ranges from 36/38 up to 48. The design incorporates decorative pleats as a design element, adding visual interest and texture to the finished piece.

Construction Method

The jacket is worked using a bottom-up, seamed, and flat construction technique. This approach means the knitter begins at the lower edge of the garment and works upward toward the shoulders, with individual pieces (front panels, back, and sleeves) knitted separately in flat rows before being seamed together. This traditional method allows for precise shaping and easier adjustment during the knitting process.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary stitch throughout the jacket, created by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows, producing a smooth, classic fabric surface
• Garter Stitch: Knitting every row to create a textured, reversible fabric used in specific sections
• Pleat Construction: Decorative pleats are worked by slipping stitches onto a cable needle, holding them to the front or back of the work, then knitting together stitches from both the working needle and cable needle to create a folded pleat effect
• Full-Fashion Decreasing: Neck shaping is accomplished using full-fashion decreases, a technique that creates a neat, finished edge and allows for precise shaping of the neckline
• Armhole and Shoulder Shaping: The jacket includes structured armhole shaping that begins at specific measurements, with coordinated neck shaping that occurs simultaneously during the upper body construction

Materials and Yarn Specifications

This jacket requires two premium yarns worked together as a single strand throughout the entire project:

• Lana Grossa Alta Moda Cotolana: 350–500 grams depending on size, composed of 45% Merino wool, 45% Pima cotton, and 10% polyamide, with a yardage of 150 meters per 50 grams. Used in Ecru (color 20), this yarn provides structure and breathability to the fabric
• Lana Grossa Silkhair: 125–175 grams depending on size, made from 70% superkid mohair and 30% silk, with 210 meters per 25 grams. Used in Off White (color 52), this yarn adds luxury softness and a subtle sheen to the finished garment

Tools and Notions

• Size 5 mm straight needles for working flat pieces
• Size 5 mm circular needle, 100 cm long, for sections requiring circular knitting or managing larger stitch counts
• Cable needle for creating pleats
• Six 18 mm mother-of-pearl buttons by UNION KNOPF (item 37604, color 12) for the front closure

Design Details

The jacket features multiple size options with instructions provided for the smallest size (36/38) and corresponding measurements in parentheses for larger sizes (40/42, 44/46, and 48). The garment includes decorative pleats positioned strategically on both front panels, created using the cable needle technique described above. Neck shaping begins 2 centimeters before armhole shaping commences, ensuring a well-proportioned neckline. The timing of neck and armhole shaping varies slightly depending on the size being knitted, with precise row-by-row instructions provided to coordinate these shaping elements seamlessly.

Yarn Combination Advantage

By working one strand each of Alta Moda Cotolana and Silkhair held together throughout, the knitter creates a blended fabric that combines the breathability and structure of the cotton-wool blend with the luxurious softness and subtle luminosity of the mohair-silk yarn. This two-strand technique produces a fabric with superior drape, comfort, and visual depth compared to using either yarn alone.