Lana Grossa Vest Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa Piuma Vest

What is Being Made

The Lana Grossa Piuma Vest is a sleeveless knitted garment designed as a contemporary lace vest. This design, labeled as Design 09 from the Filati Lookbook 07, features an elegant construction worked in a combination of decorative and textured stitches. The vest is available in three sizes: 36/38, 42/44, and 46, accommodating a range of body measurements from 43 cm to 50 cm in width.

Techniques Used

This vest employs a sophisticated flat knitting approach, meaning the piece is worked on straight needles rather than in the round. The garment is constructed side to side in one piece, with the direction of work indicated on the schematic. This technique allows for seamless integration of pattern sequences and efficient garment assembly. The vest is finished with seaming, joining the completed flat-worked piece into its final three-dimensional form. The lace elements are incorporated throughout the design, creating visual interest and a refined aesthetic.

Stitches Used

The Lana Grossa Piuma Vest employs two primary stitch patterns that alternate throughout the garment:

• Seed Stitch: A fundamental textured stitch created by alternating knit and purl stitches in each row. Row 1 is worked as K1, P1 across. Row 2 and all subsequent rows reverse the stitch orientation, knitting the purl stitches and purling the knit stitches from the previous row. This creates a bumpy, reversible fabric with excellent drape and stability.
• Trinity Stitch: A more complex pattern based on a multiple of 4 stitches plus 2 selvage stitches. This stitch is worked according to a provided chart, repeating rows 1 through 4. The trinity stitch incorporates yarn overs and decrease techniques to create lace-like openwork, as indicated by the chart symbols including yarn overs and three-stitch decreases.

The pattern sequence alternates between these stitches in a specific rhythm: 22 to 26 rows of trinity stitch (depending on size) followed by 32 to 36 rows of seed stitch, with this sequence repeated three times total before finishing with a final 22 to 26 rows of trinity stitch.

Materials and Tools

The Lana Grossa Piuma Vest requires 350 to 450 grams of yarn depending on the chosen size. The yarn is Lana Grossa Piuma, a premium blend composed of 75% pure wool, 15% alpaca, and 10% polyamide, with a yardage of 140 meters per 50-gram ball. This fiber content creates a yarn with excellent elasticity, warmth, and durability. The recommended colorway is Olive/Rosewood/Dark Grey/Black (color 11), though the yarn's blend suggests it is available in multiple colorways.

Construction requires size 8 millimeter needles for all knitting. Gauge is critical for proper fit: the seed stitch should measure 14.5 stitches and 26 rows per 10 by 10 centimeters, while the trinity stitch should measure 14.5 stitches and 18 rows per 10 by 10 centimeters on size 8 mm needles.

Construction Details

The vest begins with casting on 178 to 194 stitches (depending on size) for the left side edge. The knitter then works in the established pattern sequence until the piece measures 43 to 50 centimeters from the cast-on edge, ending on a right-side row. At this point, 104 to 112 stitches are bound off to create the left front and back neck edge opening. On the following row, these stitches are immediately recast to form the back neck and right front edge, allowing the knitter to continue across all stitches. The piece is then worked continuously until it measures 86 to 100 centimeters from the original left side edge, at which point all stitches are bound off, completing the flat-worked construction.